The 10th festival mottoed "Expats Join Hands in Worldwide Dance" (Une ronde autour du monde) opens at the Palais des Sports in Lyon, France, on Friday.
The event is hosted by the organizers of the first gathering in 2015, the Lyon-based Ot Izvora Bulgarian folk group, led by Anita Ekenova.
The opening is taking place early in the afternoon, followed by the first part of the group and solo stage performances .
An evening gala on Friday will feature ensembles which hosted the first nine festivals: Ot Izvora Bulgarian Dance Ensemble (Lyon), Ludi Mladi (Montpellier), Gruppo folkloristico Nashenzi (Milan), AFC Pasión Bulgara Los Balkanikos (La Nucia, Spain), Nashenzi (Verona and San Bonifacio), BG FOLK RITMI Bulgarian Dance Club (Copenhagen), Ensemble Bulgari Prague, Folk Dance Group Bulgaria (Palma de Mallorca) and guest performers from Bulgaria.
The festival programme, featuring stage performances by more than 100 Bulgarian folk ensembles from across Europe and the United States, will continue until June 8, when a Grand Horo event will be held at Place des Terreaux in Lyon.
The host ensemble for the 11th edition in 2026 will be announced during the closing ceremony on Sunday.
The first edition in Lyon in 2015 brought together 14 Bulgarian dance ensembles from six European countries. In 2016, Ludi Mladi led by Iva Milkova hosted the gathering in Montpellier. Afterwards the hosts were Gandia (Spain) in 2017; Milan in 2018; Benidorm (Spain) in 2019; Verona (in online format due to Covid) in 2020; Copenhagen in 2022; Prague in 2023, and Palma de Mallorca in 2024.
Interviewed for BTA's BG World section, Anita Ekenova said: "The 10th gathering is not just a return to our roots, it is a symbol of the fire of Bulgarian folklore which warms us, brings us together and unites us, no matter where in the world we may be. We are expecting friends from so many corners of the planet to help us create a beautiful folk picture, where each participant will leave their unique vibrant mark." Ekenova, the leader of the Ot Izvora dance group in Lyon, initiated the festival.
As the official media partner of the event, the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) is covering it on site from Lyon on June 6-8. The participating ensembles will be featured by BTA's English service from June 9.
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