Sozopol's salted fish festival will run for three days for the first time. The sixth festival is on 4-6 December, and the programme includes the lighting of the Christmas tree, a salted fish cooking contest and St Nicholas Day.

Sozopol municipality, the "Otets Paisiy – 1896" chitalishte (community cultural centre) and Rotary Club Sozopol are organising it together again. They say it is the biggest festival so far, and they dedicate it to the local community, the sea heritage and the hospitality of the town.

The first day is Friday, 4 December. From early afternoon on Kulata square, local craftsmen and cooks offer home-made fish delicacies. At the art bazaar, artists and artisans sell souvenirs, decorations and gifts.

The band "Dobar Den" is a trio with cello, guitar and double bass. Its repertoire includes jazz, blues, bossa nova, Bulgarian pop and well-known tunes.

The charity campaign "Christmas Possible for Every Child" also runs on the square. It collects books for disadvantaged children and young people, and donations can be left at a set spot at Kulata.

At 5:15pm the lights on the Christmas tree come on, the symbolic start of the Christmas holidays. After that, the Apollonia Summer Theatre stages "Harry on Ice", a Hogwarts-themed show with figure skating, circus acrobatics and fairy-tale characters.

The day ends on Kulata square again, where the "Komiti" orchestra and the chitalishte's folk groups will lead a big horo dance.

On Saturday, 5 December, the square has an art bazaar from 11am, with stalls of home-made fish specialities, tastings and music. Gergana Stoyanova is the host again, and the old town songs group of the "Chayka" pensioners' club opens the day.

The contest for the best-prepared salted fish is held the same day. The organisers say this year's catch is rich and will be part of the contest. New this year, each contestant presents their own dish to the jury and the audience, explaining the recipe, how they prepared the fish and what makes it stand out.

The jury has three members. Hristo Mihaylovski has been on it since the first festival and came up with the idea for it. Chef Kaloyan Kolev has over 20 years of experience, teaches at the Culinary Arts Institute of the Higher School of Management and has won many international awards. In 2025 he became Bulgaria's national paella champion and came fourth at the world championship in Valencia.

The third member is Italian chef Giuseppe Miliaccio, an international culinary consultant. He has worked in restaurants and hotels on several continents and combines traditional Italian cooking with modern techniques.

Each jury member gives 1 to 5 points in front of the audience, judging taste, look, skill and presentation. While the points are added up, the chitalishte's old town songs group sings. Then the winners are announced and the prizes handed out.

After the awards, Evtim Stoyanov from Sozopol and chef Kaloyan Kolev will cook live. There will also be a presentation and tasting of Spanish sherry, with varieties picked to go with seafood, and local restaurateurs will offer fish specialities.

All day, the stalls sell home-made fish products and offer tastings: salted bonito, marinated fish, canned fish and caviar. The chitalishte's pop song group, led by Nikolay Stoyanov, plays on stage, followed by Stefan Valdobrev, a musician, actor and songwriter.

At 5pm an exhibition of icons by Janeta Ruseva opens at the Art Gallery. In the evening, DoSho plays on the square. The band of Georgi Dachev, a contestant on "The Voice of Bulgaria", performs its own Bulgarian pop rock.

Sunday, 6 December, is St Nicholas Day, the day of St Nicholas the Wonderworker, patron saint of sailors and fishermen. A festive Divine Liturgy is held at St George church at 8am. At 10am there is a memorial service for sailors and fishermen who died, followed by a blessing of the water.

At 11:20am a religious procession sets off for the harbour. At 11:30am on Kulata square the festive dishes will be blessed and handed out. Chef Giuseppe Miliaccio leads a cooking workshop open to anyone who wants to join. The sea and patriotic songs group "Katernik" of the SOSZR in Sozopol will sing on Sunday, and "El Greco Band" will play a concert.

At noon, as is the tradition, boats sail out to the open sea in memory of the fishermen who never came back.