Eastern and Central Europe (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

BULGARIA 635

DIRECTORY

MARKETS

Bric-à-Brac Market

pl. Aleksandûr Nevski,

Sofia.

Zhenski Pazar

bul. Stefan Stambolov,

Sofia.

HANDICRAFTS

Ethnographic

Museum Shop

pl. Aleksandûr Batenberg

1, Sofia. Tel (02) 805

2615.

FOOD, WINE

AND RAKIYA

Damyanitza

http://www.melnikwine.bg

Todoroff

http://www.todoroff-wines.com

NIGHTLIFE

Chervilo

bul. Tsar Osvoboditel 9,

Sofia. Tel (02) 981 6633.

http://www.chervilo.com

JJ Murphy’s

ul. Kurnigradska 6, Sofia.

Tel (02) 980 2870.

http://www.jjmurphys.com

Motto

ul. Aksakov 18, Sofia.

Tel (02) 987 2723.

http://www.motto-bg.com

Yalta

bul. Tsar Osvoboditel 20,

Sofia. Tel (02) 980 1297.

http://www.yaltaclub.com

MUSIC, THEATRE

AND DANCE

Aleko Konstantinov

Satirical Theatre

ul. Stefan Karadzha 26,

Sofia. Tel (02) 988 1060.

Bansko Jazz Festival

Vaptsarov Square, Bansko.

http://www.bansko.bg

Bulgaria Concert

Hall

ul. Aksakov 1, Sofia.

Tel (02) 987 7656.

National Opera and

Ballet Sofia

Dondukov Bul. 30, Sofia.

Tel (02) 987 1366.

http://www.operasofia.bg

Ivan Vazov

National Theatre

ul. Dyakon Ignatii 5, Sofia.

Tel (02) 811 9227.

http://www.nationaltheatre.bg

National Palace

of Culture

1 Vitosha, Sofia, Tel (02)

916 6300. http://www.ndk.bg

Plovdiv Opera and

Philharmonic

Society

Tel (032) 625 553.

http://www.ofd-plovdiv.org

Scene at the

Crossroads

Tel (032) 630 476.

http://www.scenatepe.com

Sfumato Theatre

Workshop

ul. Dimitar Grekov 2,

Sofia. Tel (02) 944 0127.

http://www.sfumato.info

Sofia Drama Theatre

bul. Y Sakuzov 23a, Sofia.

Tel (02) 944 2485.

http://www.sofiatheatre.en

Sozopol’s Arts

Festival

Tel (02) 980 7833.

http://www.apollonia.bg

Stara Zagora Opera

M M Kussev 30, Plovdiv.

Tel (042) 622 431.

http://www.stateopera-

starazagora.com

Tears and Laughter

ul Rakovski 127, Sofia.

Tel (02) 987 5895.

http://www.salzaismiah.com

Varna International

Jazz Festival

Chaika 50-D-47, Varna.

Tel (052) 302 322.

http://www.vsjf.com

Varna Opera and

Philharmonic

Society

pl. Nezavisi-Most, Varna.

Tel (052) 665 022.

http://www.operavarna.bg

Varna Summer

International

Festival

http://www.varnasummerfest.

org

FOLK FESTIVALS

Folklore Days

Festival

http://www.folklore-bg.com

International Folk

Festival

http://www.folklore-bg.com

gather for the Varna
International Jazz Festival in
early August, and the Bansko
Jazz Festival in mid-August.
Every sizeable town and
city in Bulgaria has at least
one theatre. Sofia’s leading
theatre, the Ivan Vazov
National Theatre, is the base
for Bulgaria’s best actors and
directors. Modern plays are
also put on by the Sofia
Drama Theatre, the Aleko
Konstantinov Satirical Theatre,
and Tears and Laughter, Sofia’s
oldest theatre.
The Sfumato Theatre
Workshop is well known inter-
nationally for putting on
contemporary and avant-garde
plays. However, the main
festival for challenging mod-
ern drama is Scene at the
Crossroads, which takes place
in Plovdiv in mid-September.
Modern drama also forms part
of Sozopol’s Arts Festival, in
early September. For visitors
from other countries, the
main disadvantage is that

almost all performances

are in Bulgarian with simul-

taneous translations seldom

provided. However, many are

based on improvi sation and

movement rather than text,

so they are accessible even to

non-Bulgarian speakers.

The leading opera and

ballet companies in the

country oper ate under the

aegis of the National Opera

and Ballet Sofia. The Plovdiv

Opera and Philharmonic

Society, Stara Zagora Opera

and Varna Opera and

Philharmonic Society are

the best regional companies.

Information and tickets

for most cultural events in

Sofia are available from the

National Palace of Culture.

FOLK FESTIVALS

Performances of traditional

folk music and dancing are

an important feature of the

Bulgarian calen dar. The

lead ing folk festival, held

in Koprivshtitsa, is the

International Folk Festival, at

which folk dancers and musi-

cians from all over Bulgaria

perform. This takes place

every five years on a meadow

outside the village.

The Folklore Days Festival,

a smaller gathering featuring

local folk singers and dancers,

is held in central Koprivshtitsa

in mid-August each year.

CINEMA

New Hollywood blockbusters

and other international films

reach Bulgaria a month or

two after their release else-

where. They are screened in

their original language, with

subtitles in Bulgarian. Modern

multiplex cinemas with

comfortable seats and high-

quality sound are common in

Sofia. Outside the capital, cine-

mas tend to be old-fashioned

and badly ventilated. Both in

Sofia and elsewhere, cinema

tickets are inexpensive.