For the first year in Petrich will be held the festival “Rusaliyi”. To visit the celebrations around Samuil’s fortress on 16th, 17th or 18th of June, you must be dressed in Bulgarian folk costumes. In this way, the new Rusaliy Festival will compete with the famous festival of the Bulgarian folk costumes in Zheravna. Participation in the event was confirmed by singers and dancers from 5 countries and the guests at the Petrich festival are expected to reach 10,000.
The official opening of the festival will be on 16th of June at 7 p.m. with a solemn feast. The audience will then be able to enjoy the performances of the folk singers and dancers Guna Ivanova, Dimitar Kolarov, Stoyan Andonov, Vladislav Valchev, Karamfil Bojikov, as well as ensemble Gaitan and Ograzhdenska Chetvorka /Еngravende Quartet/. The second day is of a competitive nature.
At 2 p.m. on 17th of June, the competition for authentic folk costume starts. Then the festival continues with the performances of dancers and singers from Bulgaria, Greece, and Macedonia. A concert of Volodya Stoyanov starts at 10 p.m. The winners of the festival will be awarded on the 18th of June after a discussion “What are the Rusalias” and before the audience will enjoy a concert of Pirin Ensemble.
