More than 1800 performers from 100 folklore groups will present their music, songs and dances in front of the audience in Veliko Tarnovo during the XXIV Stara Planina Fest "Balkan Folk".

The festival will take place from 13 to 17 May on the Summer Theater stage in Marno pole park accompanied by the events: XI Bulgarian National Championship of Folklore "Euro Folk" and VI World Cup of Folklore - Veliko Tarnovo 2021. Concerts will be held from 14:00 to 20:00 on 14, 15 and 16 of May.

Official opening ceremony of the events is going to be conducted on May 14 at 19:30 in presence of the Chief secretary of the National Commission of Bulgaria for UNESCO, Mr Hristo Georgiev and the President of the European Association of Folklore Festivals - EAFF, Mr Kaloyan Nikolov. The closing of the three-day competition and the official awarding ceremony is planned to happen on May 16 at 19:00.

During the musical events, the citizens and the guests of the old Bulgarian capital - Veliko Tarnovo will be able to enjoy the artistic presentations of individual performers, vocal groups, brass and folklore orchestras, classic choirs, vocal groups, groups for old urban and popular songs, folklore ensembles and clubs for folklore dances from all the ethnographic areas of Bulgaria. 

XXIV Stara Planina Fest "Balkan Folk" is realized under the patronage of the National Commission of Bulgaria for UNESCO with the finance and logistic support of Veliko Tarnovo Municipality within the frames of Musical Feasts "Euro Folk" under the auspices of the European Association of Folklore Festivals - EAFF - partner of the UNESCO's Convention for Safeguarding the Intangible Cultural Heritage.

On May 14 at 16:30 at Asenevtsi park flowers will be laid to the Monument of Iliyan Nikolov - the inspirer and founder of the Stara Planina Fest "Balkan Folk". The monument was inaugurated in 2016 by the Director general of UNESCO - Mrs Irina Bokova.

If we have inappropriate weather conditions, folklore events will be held on the stage of Konstantin Kisimov Music and drama theater. All the concerts will be live broadcasted to the online platforms of EAFF and EurofolkTV - 14, 15 and 16 May.