Three Ways to Celebrate Valentine’s Day in Bulgaria’s Capital
BalkanTravellers.com
A chain kissing event, in which people stand in a row and kiss the person standing next to them, will take place in front of Theatre Sofia in the capital. The initiative, organised by Radio Fresh, aims to bring together a record number of people for the kiss fest, which is scheduled to start at 2pm on February 14.
One of Bulgaria’s famous pop singers, Grafa, will set off the kissing chain, and actors from the Theatre Sofia’s play Romeo and Juliet will step outside for some smooching before they go to perform on the theatre’s main stage at 7pm.
For those who want to take a more proactive role and perform themselves, rather than just observe, CineMafia has organised the annual Film Challenge. The motto of this year’s challenge is Love is Everything vs. Friday the 13th.
Anyone who is interested will have to sign up at midnight on Friday, February 13, in front of the Lumiere Cinema. After receiving the exact theme based on this year’s motto, participants have 36 hours to come up with an idea, shoot and edit a short film (7 minutes maximum), which has to be handed at Dom na Kinoto (Cinema House) at noon on February 14. There, at 6:30pm on the same day, the selected shorts will be screened and awards will be given out for best film, cinematography, sound and acting. Entry to the screening is free of charge.
Theatre Sofia is located on 23A Ianko Sakazov Boulevard.
Lumiere Cinema is located on 1 Bulgaria Square, National Palace of Culture.
Dom na Kinoto Cinema is located on 37 Ekzarh Yosif Street.
Read more about Valentine's Day celebrations in Bulgaria
Read more about Bulgaria on BalkanTravellers.com
Use BalkanTravellers.com's tips to organize your trip to Bulgaria
Epicure
Macedonia
Restaurant “Yugoslavia” to Open in Macedonia’s Capital
October 2009 | In the latest move marked by nostalgia for the socialist past, a new restaurant named “Yugoslavia” will soon open its doors in Skopje. Full Story
Curiosity Chest
Macedonia
Recycled Life: Bottle Collectors in Skopje, Macedonia
Like quicksand, poverty is hard to escape - the harder you fight, the worse it can get. In Skopje, some work hard scouring the city for "treasures." They are bottle collectors, spending the day in search of recyclable plastic which they can sell for a subsistence income.
Full Story
Useful Reads
Balkans
Through Another Europe (2009) | Edited by Andrew Hammond
When Henry Blount journeyed through Bosnia in the 1630s, two things struck him: the purity of the water and the great height of the Bosnians, which, he noted, “made me suppose them the offspring of those old Germans noted by Tacitus and Caesar for their huge size.”
Full Story
Music
Macedonia
Macedonia: Esma Redžepova's Passion for Humanity
"A Gypsy from the city of Skopje", as she calls herself, Esma Redžepova has more than 40 years of singing and humanitarian efforts under her belt. Full Story
-
Photogalleries
-
A Perfect Shot
Koprivshtitsa Fair, Bulgara. Photographs by Neva Micheva
In Homo Urbanus Europeanus, exhibited May 9-24 in front of the National Theatre in Sofia, Jean-Marc Caracci presents his photographs of people in the urban environment of European capitals.
RED&WHITE SOFIA. On the 1st of March Bulgarians say goodbye to the winter. They buy each other red&white threads to carry around until they see a stork and spring can begin. Photography by Lode Desmet
BULGARIA D'OR: The Bulgarian countryside, patinated with the noble golden dust of the autumn. Photographs by Lode Desmet
360 degrees Bulgaria, an exhibition by photographer Alexandar Ivanov, is on display at the Sea Garden in Varna until August 28. It will be shown at Plovdiv’s Central Square from Sept 5.
The exhibition Photographs of a Trip Through Bulgaria by Hungarian photographer András Balla can be seen in Sofia's Hungarian Cultural Institute, at Aksakov 16 Street, until August 22
Instant Spring in Sofia | Photographs by Lode Desmet
Off-the-season Beauty of Bulgaria's Black Sea Coast | Photographs by Adelina Iliev
Bulgaria's Northern Black Sea Coast
Photographs by Albena Shkodrova
excellent smugs
