The Regional Center-Sofia, UNESCO, will be a partner of this year’s National Folklore Festival "Folklore Magic". The event is held for the second time in Bansko and this year is on 12, 13 and 14 July. The organizers are National Folklore TV Folklore TV and Bansko Municipality.

The Executive Director of the Regional Center Dr. Irena Todorova will give the special award to the Regional Center - a plaque bearing the UNESCO sign, in the category “On the Megda” to present authentic customs and traditions.

“The preservation and promotion of authenticity are the focus of our work, but it is equally important to discover those people and events that support the link between tradition and modernity. I think the Bansko Festival, whose scenes are exhibited by thousands of participants from each of Bulgaria’s folklore regions, deserves our support. In search of the most authentic carriers of the Bulgarian tradition, together with the organizers, we call on the amateurs to come and show to all the guests at the festival how beautiful is our authentic art, “said Irena Todorova.

The customs, the crafts, even the kitchen of our ancestors - all of them fall into the attention of Sofia-UNESCO and in mid-July they will find a place in the alleys in the City Park, Bansko.

“To turn the city into an attractive modern resort or to keep our traditions - such a dilemma has never stood before us. In Bansko, as in many European cities, these two things happen in harmony. This festival is one of the dozens of events in the town devoted to folklore and crafts. Therefore, the partnership of the Regional Center is important for us, “said Georgi Ikonomov, Mayor of Bansko.

In connection with the participation as a partner of “Folklore Magic”, the Center will also shoot a short documentary dedicated to the owners of non-material cultural heritage. He will present participants, people practicing different customs, craftsmen, as well as the atmosphere of the event in Bansko.

And this year, the forum will go under the slogan “Let’s save the Bulgarians together!“. The new part in the second edition of the festival is that there is an age group for the youngest - children up to 12 years old. The participants are divided into four categories - singing, playing, dancing and demonstrating customs and traditions.

“The aim of the festival is to popularize and preserve Bulgarian traditions, folklore, customs, culture and native production. It provides a great stage for the expression of the Bulgarian folk artists in the face of amateurs, craftsmen and producers of traditional Bulgarian goods from the whole country, “said Viktor Kasamov, director of Folklore Magic.

Deadline for participation: 30 May 2019

Requests for participation are submitted to: www.folklornamagia.bg

URBO is a media partner of the event and supports the development and popularisation of Bulgarian culture.