With the onset of the real summer heat, cultural life in Bulgaria is moving entirely outdoors.
Thursday, July 2nd, is shaping up to be one of the busiest dates in the summer calendar, officially launching several iconic festivals in the country.
Sofia Becomes a Jazz and Circus Arena
The capital welcomes the fifteenth, anniversary edition of the international festival A to JazZ 2026 at South Park II. The program on Thursday starts at 6:00 PM sharp with the prestigious World Music Showcase platform. On the main stage, fans will be able to hear a variety of international projects such as Uma Ranganathan, Nubras Ensemble and Cristina Clara, and later in the evening the jazz marathon will move to the regional center for contemporary arts “Toplotsentrala“. The festival also relies on a strong ecological model using green energy, which will save over 15 tons of carbon emissions.
In parallel, Sofia is also hosting the final day of the International Street Arts Festival 6Fest, which transforms the urban space into a stage for magic, contemporary circus and lavish carnival parades. In our seaside capital Varna, the events of the International Music Festival “Varna Summer“ continue, where the Bulgarian National Radio program will broadcast the concert of the Vratsa Symphony Orchestra live.
Cinema premieres by the sea and in the mountains
For fans of the seventh art, July 2 offers extremely exciting titles. The fifth edition of the “St. Vlas Film Fest“ begins by the sea. The program in the “Arena“ amphitheatre opens with two screenings - the emotional drama “Before I Forget“ by Stanislav Donchev at 5:00 p.m. and the latest film by Stefan Komandarev “Made in E.U.“ from 8:00 p.m.
On the same day, the “Summer Filmmania Under the Stars 2026“ festival opens in Bansko. The central square “Nikola Vaptsarov“ will gather thrill seekers with free screenings of 9 of the best mountaineering and extreme films from the world selection, including the Bulgarian film “Under the Skins“ by Petar Penev.
Lili Ivanova sings outdoors in Ruse
Bulgarian musical icon Lili Ivanova will give a big concert at the Summer Theater in Ruse from 8:30 p.m. The event is part of her national tour, and the prima will perform before the Ruse audience together with her LI Orchestra and the vocal trio “LaTiDa“, promising an unforgettable evening under the stars.
Sources: Forbes Bulgaria, BTA, BNR, Rousse.info.