Festivals, competitions and exhibitions are held throughout the year in different parts of the Bourgas region. Every year Bourgas hosts folklore events including the International Folklore Festival in which, groups from all over the world present their individual songs and dances.
The Bourgas Sea Song Festival attracts large audiences in July and August and this abiding love of the sea and local traditions is mirrored in events across the region at this time.

At the beginning of September, Sozopol hosts the Apollonia Festival of artists, musicians, actors, and cultural figures with foreign participants.
For the young, a major attraction is the Rock festival in Varvara, the Rock Festival in Bourgas and the Golden Orpheus Pop Song festival in Sunny Beach.
Children’s ensembles and choirs take part in the Sladkopoyna Chouchouliga Festival in May in Bourgas and Pomorie. The Emil Chakarov Music Festival with international participation is held every year in Bourgas at the beginning of July.

The Flora Flower Exhibition is held in Bourgas twice a year- in April and in September with flower growers from many countries taking part.
The International Sports Dancing Competition is an annual event hosted by Bourgas at the end of summer. The climax of the events in Bourgas is on December 6- Nikoulden. It is the town holiday dedicated to its patron saint, Saint Nicholas, the Miracle Maker, a protector of fishermen and sailors.

Along the coast and inland, towns and villages have their own celebrations. At the beginning of August, Nessebar hosts the Nessebar Panorama Cultural festival. Pomorie is the venue of a children’s competition for the best pop singer called “The Pearls of the Pomorie Beach.” In September, Primorsko holds literary days dedicated to Leo Tolstoy, the great Russian writer. All resorts organize Days of Neptune and Beauty Contests at the beginning of August. In the Strandja area, people equally cherish their folk traditions with masked dancers; fire-dancers and days devoted to honouring patron saints from different parts of the region.
At the beginning of August, big festivities take place in and around Petrova Niva. Every second year, the village of Gramatikovo hosts the traditional folklore festival Strandja Sings. A folk dancing festival with performers from the region takes place every summer in the Bozhoura area near Sredets. Malko Turnovo celebrates with a rich cultural programme attracting international artists and sculptors every August.




The town of Pomorie and the settlements in Pomorie Municipality

  • Yavorov’s Days and the National Week of the Sea- Pomorie - the end of July and the beginning of August
  • Lazarouvane custom - village of Kozicheno
    Gergyovden - 6 May - the festival of the town of Pomorie

The town of Tsarevo

  • National Week of literature and the arts for children - June
  • The Week of the Sea - August
  • International Plein Air of the fine arts - September
  • Spring Ball - 22 March
  • Festival of the town - Holy Spirit
  • Nikoulden - the festival of fishermen

Folklore fairs in the Tsarevo Municipality

  • Village of Boulgari - fire dancing on live embers on June 3 - Saints Constantine and Elena
  • Village of Kosti - Saint Elija - 2 August
  • Village of Brodilovo- Saint Panteleymon - 8 August
  • Village of Lozenets - Saint George - 6 May
  • Village of Varvara - the Holy Virgin - 8 September
  • Town of Akhtopol - Saints Constantine and Elena - 3 June
  • Village of Velika - Saint Elija - 2 August
  • Village of Rezovo - Saints Constantine and Elena - 3 June
  • Village of Kiten - Saints Constantine and Elena - 3 June
  • Village of Sinemorets - Saint Elija - 2 August

The town of Pomorie

  • Festival of the town of Primorsko - 24 May
  • Masked dancers - February
  • Enyovden - 7 July
  • Saint Marina - 30 July
  • Saint Elija - 2 August
  • The Holy Virgin - 15 August
  • Krustovden - the Holy Cross Day - 27 September

The town of Sozopol

  • The Arts Festivities - Apollonia - 1-10 September

The town of Malko Turnovo

  • Festivities in the Petrova Niva locality to mark the anniversary of the Ilinden - Preobrazhenie Uprising - August
  • Festivities in the town of Malko Turnovo and an International Plein Air of the fine arts and sculpture - August
  • The Day of Thrace - 26 March
  • Strandja customs and fairs
  • Babin den (Midwife’s Day) - January
  • Shrovetide (the first Sunday before Lent) - Masked dancers’ Day - February
  • The Day of the Amateur Art Activities - 1 March
  • Spring carnival - 22 March
  • Lazarovden (St Lazarus’s Day) - 7 April - Malko Turnovo, the villages of Zabernovo, Vizitsa, Byala Voda, Kalovo
  • Easter - April
  • Firedancers’ Day - Saints Constantine and Elena - 3 and 4 June
  • The Butterfly Festival - July
  • Village fairs in Brashlyan, Gramatikovo, Tsarnogorovo - August
  • The Strandzha Is Singing National Singing Competition in the village of Gramatikovo - every 4th year

The town of Nessebar and the Sunny Beach Tourist Complex

  • The Golden Orpheus International Pop Song Contest - Sunny Beach - August
  • The Nessebar Panorama Cultural festivities - 3-10 August
  • The Day of Nessebar - 15 August

The town of Bourgas

  • The FLORA International Flower Exhibition - end of April through mid-May - in the Sea Park
  • The Sweet-Voiced Lark National Festival of Children’s Songs - May
  • The Theatre-in-a-Suitcase International Theatre Festival - May and June
  • The Bourgas Blues Festival - June
  • The Emil Chakarov International Music Festival- July
  • The National Week of the Sea - 4-10 August
  • The International folklore festival - end of August
  • The Bourgas and the Sea National Pop Song Contest - beginning of September
  • The International Sports Dancing Tournament - end of summer
  • The Nikoulden festivities - the Day of the town of Bourgas - 6 December

The town of Sredets

  • The Bozhoura Fokklore festival - summer

The town of Sliven

  • The Dobri Chintoulov National Festivities of secondary school mixed choirs - every two years in April
  • The regional folklore fair At a Fair by the Toundja River - beginning of June
  • The international children’s folklore dancing festival - end of May
  • The Karandila International plein air exhibition- September
  • The festival of Sliven - 26 October

The town of Yambol

  • Saint Todor’s horse races - 3 March
  • The Born and Re-Born Children’s Festival- March/April with a gala concert on Palm Sunday
  • The Regional children’s folklore competition What is dear to me
  • The Stoyan Gagov festival of the Thracian Folk Song - April
  • The folklore festival Lazarovden (Saint Lazarus’ Day) and Palm Sunday - April
  • Easter cultural festivities
  • May cultural festival - Gergyovden
  • The National Choir festival - May
  • The Bakadzhika National Thracian Fair - May
  • The Day of Yambol and a fair at the Holy Trinity monastery - 4 June
  • The International plein air-exhibition Made with Fire - October
  • The festival of the old town song - November