Burgas will host the national launch of European School Sport Day on 25 September 2026. Organizers expect the event to draw more than 150,000 children, teachers and parents. Even before the campaign starts, more than 700 events have already been registered, with hundreds of schools and kindergartens across the country taking part.

On the day, schoolyards will turn into sports grounds with games, demonstrations, training sessions and meetings with athletes. Anyone who wants to add an event to the list can sign up until 11:59pm on 24 September.

This year's motto is "Active travel to school" — the idea is to get children moving before the first bell, by walking, cycling or scooting to school where they can. Planned activities include bike rides, walking routes, races between classes and road safety lessons. BG Budi Aktiven, the group behind the campaign, says on its website that it wants sport to become part of children's everyday lives, not just something they do in PE class.

The official opening ceremony will be held at Alexander Georgiev-Kodzhakafaliyata primary school in Burgas, where pupils will try karate, judo, Zumba, basketball and relay races, and organizers have also planned a bike ride to the Sea Garden. The coastal city will kick off a day that will see events held in towns and villages across the country within 24 hours. Schools and kindergartens in Burgas traditionally take an active part in the initiative.

The campaign is also for the youngest children. For kindergarten pupils, organizers have planned aerobics, music-and-movement games, various sports stations, bike activities and age-appropriate races, aimed at linking movement with fun. Some schools are inviting sports clubs, coaches and athletes for open training sessions and demonstrations, so pupils can try out different sports and hear directly from athletes what persistence, discipline and regular exercise really mean.

"Every school and kindergarten finds its own way to get children moving and bring physical activity into school life," said Rumyana Kirizieva of BG Budi Aktiven, the initiative's national coordinator. She said more and more participants are now linking sport to children's daily trip to school — whether they walk, cycle or use a scooter to get there.

European School Sport Day is traditionally marked on the last Friday of September, which in 2026 falls on 25 September. The campaign is part of wider European efforts to get children and young people more physically active.