A show marking 170 years of the chitalishte (community cultural centre) movement, "The Meaning of the Road", will be staged today, Thursday 29 October, at 7pm in the Toncho Rusev hall of the NHK Culture House in Burgas, Burgas council said. Entry is free.

About 150 performers from more than 22 groups will take the stage. They are children, young people and adults from chitalishte ensembles and schools. The audience will hear songs and see Bulgarian folklore, modern dance, ballet, theatre and spoken word.

The show tells the story of a letter that travels through time and stops at three symbolic places: "Tradition", "Creativity" and "Harmony".

Kristina Doncheva and Vladimir Spasov are guests of the evening. The actors Alex Anmahyan and Gergana Anmahyan direct it. Aleksandra Grancharova and Diyan Rusev of the State Puppet Theatre in Burgas are the hosts.

The evening begins in the NHK foyer, where visitors can view the exhibition "The Meaning of the Road – My Chitalishte" to piano music. Another exhibition has stood outside the building throughout October. It shows what the chitalishta do: libraries, ensembles, schools, clubs and creative projects.

Burgas council and the chitalishta of the region are putting on the show together. The organisers say it links the memory of the past with the talent and dreams of today's generations and presents the chitalishta as places of knowledge, art and spirit. The council says it holds such events to bring more culture to the city, and they also support Burgas's bid to be European Capital of Culture in 2032.

The day's programme starts earlier. At 2:30pm, children will take part in an eco carnival in the main hall of the College of Tourism. Dressed in colourful sea creature costumes, they will carry messages about protecting nature and a cleaner environment.

At 6pm in the House of the Writer, the poet Kalina Telyanova will present her new poetry collection "At One Wing's Distance". Prof. Kalina Lukova and Assoc. Prof. Sofia Angelova, both doctors of philology, will speak about the book. The evening is part of this year's Autumn Literary Festival in Burgas.

At the Sea Casino Cultural Centre, the awards of the national competition "The Sea Is Not for One Holiday" will be presented. Entrants sent in drawings, digital art and photos about the sea and the duty to protect it. The time of the ceremony has not been announced.

People who also want to see exhibitions have a choice. The photo exhibition "Anastenaria" is in the Ethnographic Exhibition of the Regional History Museum. The goldsmithing exhibition "Spirit and Matter" is at Sea Casino. The Georgi Baev Gallery shows children's ceramic and mosaic panels by Kolyo Arabadzhiev and Rayna Racheva.

The NESI gallery shows paintings and graphic art by Angel Geshev. In the hall of the Burgas Artists' Society, Zhanina Dubarova presents "Babylon", with paintings, drawings and collages.

On 26 October we wrote about an evening of prose at the House of the Writer, part of the 30th anniversary Autumn Literary Festival. Burgas council and the Burgas Writers' Community organise the festival.

Organisers may change the times and the programme. The council advises people to check opening hours in the latest notices from Burgas council and the cultural institutions before they visit.