Burgas council is developing its festivals in three directions so the city can host events all year round, said Maria Valcheva, director of the municipal enterprise "Summer Theatre, Festivals and Concerts". She spoke at the BTA National Press Club in Burgas, where the new issue of LIK magazine, "100 years of 'Varna Summer' on the music stage", was presented.
Valcheva named the three directions as variety, sustainability and recharging. She said the aim is not more events but a steady cultural calendar that draws different audiences in every season. The festival programme is part of the council's long-term plan to bid for European Capital of Culture in 2032.
A large share of festivals get money, help with organisation or help with logistics from the council. The council's "Culture" Fund backs small and large projects across the arts. It gives a chance to independent artists, established festivals, and new initiatives and creative communities.
Established events include the National Song Competition "Burgas and the Sea", the Sand Sculpture Festival and the National Fine Arts Exhibition "Friends of the Sea". Spice Music Festival is also becoming a trademark of the city and draws big crowds to the Sea Station.
The newer festivals look for new venues and new audiences. The "Water" festival shows contemporary art in unusual places turned into stages. Teen Boom Fest mixes genres for young people and families, while the International Puppet Festival "Days of the Puppets" is theatre for children and parents.
Burgas hosts several film festivals, including "Sofia Film Fest on the Coast". In summer 2026, the Burgas International Film Festival moved outside the city centre for the first time, with a screening at the Youth International Centre in the Meden Rudnik complex. Valcheva said this is an important step in bringing culture to new communities. The ninth International Historical Documentary Film Festival Dock ended at the end of September.
The Flora Exhibition Centre hosts "Jazz in Burgas" and the festival "With a Book on the Beach". The Summer Theatre stages opera, ballet, concerts, "Burgas and the Sea" and the Burgas Music Festivities "Emil Chakarov". This summer, the city had more than 10 festivals, dozens of exhibitions and film forums.
"Burgas is turning the city into one stage with growing confidence," Valcheva said. She believes the festivals give new life to the NHK Culture House, the Sea Station, the parks, the Sea Garden and new venues in the city.
She said the variety of formats makes Burgas better known abroad, and the calendar brings tourists and extends the season. That is why the council backs events that mix different arts. New cultural spaces, investment in artists and education, and international partnerships support this ambition. "Festival Burgas is not just a calendar of events. It is part of the identity and energy of the city," Valcheva added.
The 16th edition of the Bulgarian physical and visual theatre festival "The Age of Aquarius", which combines genres and cultural spaces, is due in October. Later this month, the touring programme of this year's International Film and Literature Festival "Cinelibri" will be shown at the NHK Culture House.