Festivals
In Communist times virtually all festivals were organized and funded by the state under the auspices of the Party, and "unofficial" events such as religious pilgrimages were firmly discouraged. Today, there are almost no ideological constraints but little money either, so that while the diversity of festivals is far greater, there's less certainty of them actually taking place, particularly in the case of events that require major funding. For lovers of classical music and ballet , the major events remain the Sofia Music Weeks (late-May to late-June), the March Music Days in Ruse, the international chamber music festival in Plovdiv (mid-June), and the symphonic music festival in Haskovo (end of Oct). In addition, there's whatever is featured during the Varna Summer (mid-June to mid-Aug), Sozopol's Apollonia Festival (beginning of Sept) or the Trakiisko Lyato in Plovdiv (early Aug) - though none of these three are exclusively devoted to classical music. While you can also hear some jazz during the Varna Summer and Apollonia Festival, a better bet is one of the international festivals in Haskovo (Sept or early Oct), Ruse (late Oct), Blagoevgrad or Sofia (both in Nov). Though big names from the West are thin on the ground, top performers from Bulgaria, neighbouring Balkan states and the former Soviet Union often play there, and the general standard of musicianship is high. There's less to look forward to in the way of pop music during the Apollonia and Trakiisko Lyato festivals, unless you go for Balkan clones of Boyzone or the Russian diva of pop, Alla Pugachova - though the annual Rockers' Festival is a gas if you can find out exactly where and when it's on. Comedy is even less rewarding, with no stand-up circuit to tap into even if you understood the language, now that the once-vaunted Festival of Humour and Satire at Gabrovo is practically in the terminal ward. However, drama and poetry are both alive and kicking, and can be seen at the Theatre Days in Blagoevgrad (Bulgaria's equivalent of the Edinburgh festival) and the Young Poets festival in Haskovo (both late April/early May) - though you obviously need to understand Bulgarian to enjoy them. For dedicated all-night club kids, there are tons of outdoor rave parties in the summer, although none have yet established themselves as regular annual events - you'll have to look out for posters or rely on local knowledge to find out what's happening
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