site.btaZheravna Folk Costume Festival to Take Place August 22-24

The Zheravna Folk Costume Festival will take place from August 22 to 24, 2025, in the Dobromeritsa area, the Kotel Municipality said.

More than 30 kaba bagpipes will mark the beginning of the event, which gathers thousands of visitors each year, all dressed in traditional Bulgarian folk costumes.

The programme features concerts by the Bulgare National Folklore Ensemble, the Strandzha Ensemble, Nellina, Petya Paneva, and the 100 Kaba Gaidi orchestra (100 bagpipes), as well as fire dancing, traditional wrestling, and folk-dance competitions under the open sky. There will also be contests for authentic traditional costumes. The evenings will be filled with folk songs and dances.

The official opening ceremony will take place at 8 pm on August 22, featuring the presentation of the annual Apostle of Bulgarian Spirit Award.

The festival is held in partnership with the Ministry of Tourism.

The Zheravna Folk Costume Festival is traditionally held on the first Saturday and Sunday following the Feast of the Assumption of Mary (August 15). It was established in 2008, based on an idea by Hristo Dimitrov, producer, choreographer, and director of the Bulgare National Folklore Ensemble.