Rozhen National Folklore Fair

The fair's goal is to popularize the Bulgarian folk dance and song art and it lasts for two days in August.

After 1912, when the Rhodopes were liberated from Ottoman rule, the fair lost its political importance, but nevertheless remained a symbol of freedom, Bulgarian unity and traditions.

The peak was in 1972, when 3,500 musicians and dancers participated (of which 300 gaida players) and the audience reached 150,000.

The fair is traditionally opened with the Bela Sam Bela Yunache („Бела съм бела юначе“) song, the unofficial anthem of the Rhodopes, and reaches its climax with the Zvezden Rozhen („Звезден Рожен“; "Starry Rozhen") performance, when, on the evening of the first day, under the stars, the most prominent Rhodopean singers perform the best known songs from the region.

Media related to Rozhen National Folklore Fair at Wikimedia Commons