Upcoming Holidays and Festivals in Bulgaria
- Before planning a trip around a festival, verify the festival dates at the festival's website or with a local tourist information office. For more information about these and other events, visit the country's official tourism site.
- This list includes major festivals in major cities, plus national holidays observed throughout Bulgaria. Many sights and banks close down on national holidays — keep it in mind when planning your itinerary. Note that this isn't a complete list; holidays can strike without warning.
- See upcoming holidays and festivals across Europe
2024
January 1: New Year's Day
January 26–28: Surva Festival, Pernik (Bulgarian masquerade games)
March 3: Liberation (from Ottoman rule) Day
March 4: Liberation Day observance (closures)
April 8: St. Lazarus Day (teen girls in traditional costume roam their towns singing folk songs)
May 1: Labor Day (closures)
May 3–6: Orthodox Easter Weekend (Good Friday through Easter Monday; closures)
May 6: St. George's Day (Gergiovden, closures)
May 9–13: Balkan Folklore Festival, Veliko Tarnovo
May 17–May 31: One Dance Week, Plovdiv (contemporary dance)
May 21–June 28: Sofia Music Weeks
May 24: Sts. Cyril and Methodius Day (celebrating Bulgarian culture and the Cyrillic alphabet; closures)
May 31–June 2: Rose Festival, Kazanlak (parade, music)
June 1: Nestinari, Balgari (fire-walking rituals)
June 10–20: International Chamber Music Festival, Plovdiv
June 21–23: Bulgarian Cherry Festival, Kyustendil (procession, fireworks)
Mid-June–mid-September: Varna Summer International Music Festival (classical music)
July 2–7: "Golden Days" International Folklore Festival, Varna
July 14–16: Rozhen National Folklore Fair (held only every four years; next in 2027)
August 2–4: International Bagpipe Contest, Gela
August 2–4: Off the Beaten Path Festival, Kovachevitsa (chamber music); events held in Gotse Delchev on August 3 and Plovdiv on August 9
August 15: Varna Day
August 25–September 1: Apollonia Festival of Arts, Sozopol
August 28–September 1: Euro Folk Black Sea Fest, Tsarevo
August 29–September 3: Ethno Rhythms International Folklore Dance and Music Festival, Golden Sands resort (near Varna)
September–November: Balabanov's House Music Days concert series, Plovdiv
September 6: Unification Day (closures, celebrations in Plovdiv)
September 13–21: Puppet Theater Festival, Sofia
September 20–22: Bulgarian Plum Festival, Troyan
September 22: Independence Day
September 23: Independence Day observance (closures)
December 24–25: Christmas Eve and Christmas Day (closures)
December 26: Second Day of Christmas (closures)
December 31: New Year's Eve (festivities, especially in Sofia)