Rozhen Folklore Festival

The Rozhen National Folklore Festival is one of the country's oldest celebrations. It was held for the first time in 1898. People from adjacent villages on both sides of the border would regularly congregate to celebrate local traditions because the border between Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire ran through Rozhen Peak.

During the 5-century Ottoman rule, local customs, traditions, folklore, literature, and religion were all major unifiers for the Bulgarian people. People went to tremendous lengths to preserve as much of the real Bulgarian folklore as possible. Traditional folk music was included.

Every four years, in August, the festival takes place. It's a well-known national celebration of folklore and local customs. It also happens to be the country's largest folk singing event. You can see some of the most popular Rhodopean singers play famous folk songs from the region for two evenings in August. The festival's characteristic orchestra, Sto Kaba Gaydi, is a trademark of the event (One Hundred Bagpipes).

When: in August

Where: Rozhen