From May 7 to 11, 2026, Veliko Tarnovo is hosting the 29th Balkan Folk Festival “Balkan Folk 2026”, the 11th World Folklore Cup, and the 16th Bulgarian National Folklore Championship “Euro Folk 2026” – among the most significant folklore forums in the country.

This year’s edition will feature more than 100 folklore groups and individual performers from Bulgaria and Malaysia. The festival program includes performances by vocal groups for authentic and arranged folklore, dance ensembles, folklore ensembles, folk dance clubs, old urban songs groups, folk orchestras, and solo performers.

The main concert program will take place on the stage of the Summer Theatre in Veliko Tarnovo. On May 8, performances will begin at 3:30 PM and continue until 8:20 PM; on May 9 – from 1:05 PM to 8:10 PM; and on May 10 – from 1:40 PM to 6:00 PM, when the award ceremony and the official closing of the festival events will take place.

Among the highlights of the accompanying program this year is the exhibition “Living Human Treasures – Bulgaria”, which is on display in Veliko Tarnovo from May 1 to 14. The hosts of the exhibition are the Regional Library “P. R. Slaveykov” and the Museum “Revival and Constituent Assembly”.

The exhibition was prepared by a team of scholars from the Institute of Ethnology and Folklore Studies with Ethnographic Museum at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and presents elements included in the National Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Bulgaria for the period 2008–2024.

On May 9 at 6:00 PM, the traditional parade-defile of the participants will take place in Marno Pole Park, and on May 10 at 11:00 AM, organizers, guests, and participants will lay flowers at the monument of Iliyan Nikolov – founder of the Balkan Folk Festival and the European Association of Folklore Festivals – EAFF.

On May 10 at 6:00 PM, as part of the official closing ceremony, the audience will have the opportunity to enjoy a concert by the Professional Folklore Ensemble “Zagore”.

The concerts are free of charge and will also be streamed live online through the platforms of the European Association of Folklore Festivals – EAFF and EurofolkTV.