Traditional folk music is still very much alive in Bulgaria, and is celebrated in numerous
festivals across the country, especially in summer. The biggest bashes of them all are the
Koprivshtitsa festival, which attracts performers from all over
Bulgaria, and Pirin Sings (Pirin Pee), which concentrates on the rich folklore
traditions of the southwest. Both
festivals feature an organized programme on a series of stages, as well as a host of unofficial performances by village musicians gathered around the
festival fringes, making these occasions more like medieval fairs than modern cultural manifestations. Traditionally, both take place only every four or five years, but such is their popularity and importance that smaller, scaled-down versions of the main events are now organized annually. In addition, there's a whole host of
local festivals in villages right around the country, often using traditional feast days such as St Elijah's Day (llinden) or the Assumption (Galyama Bogoroditsa) as an excuse for a day or two of dancing and drinking - ensuring that you stand a good chance of catching something whichever part of the country you're in year round.
