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Three neighborhoods of the old part of Veliko Tarnovo become the arena for the largest art festival in our country

Tuesday, Aug 05, 2025

The fourth edition of the “48 Hours Varusha South” festival in Veliko Tarnovo promises to be a record-breaking one in terms of scope and types of events.
Thanks to the organizers from TAM and their partners, from August 15 to 17, the old capital will become the largest cultural scene in the country. This year, the festival is included in the cultural calendar of the Municipality of Veliko Tarnovo.
The theme of “48 Hours Varusha South” for 2025 is “Up and Down: Far Closer”, which draws the audience’s attention to proximity in all its dimensions. The name also hints at the space of the festival, which leaves the outlines of “Varusha”, takes the shore of Yantra towards Asenova Mahala, to enliven this neighborhood as well, and up the slopes of “Sveta Gora”.
Traditionally, the festival will open on Friday evening on Yantra beach, where the group KAKE? will kick off the three-day entertainment.
THERE ARE 60 LOCATIONS IN OLD PART OF TARNOVO WHERE INTERESTING THINGS WILL HAPPEN. And the events are 160 and more than ever. To help visitors find their way, a digital map has been created, and for traditionalists, a paper color map is also available. There is also a website, from there you can also get information about the program and the locations of the events. In addition to the familiar stages - Yantra Beach, "Stambolov", Samovodska Bazaar - in front of the "Hipster" bar, "Piccolo", the stage in front of Tsarevets on Tsar Asen I Square is also returning. There will be one of the big highlights in the musical program - the concert of the "Vanya Moneva" choir, not coincidentally included among the Bulgarian cultural treasures. For the first time, there will also be a stage in the courtyard of the American College, at the suggestion of the students. There, a concert on Friday evening will be performed by Mila Robert, and she will be supported by the young band from the school - "Uset". The festival territory is also expanding with the second beach of Yantra, under the ticket center of the church "St. Peter and Paul" in Asenov neighborhood. The new cultural space was opened on August 2.
For the first year, the festival includes a "Cinema and Theater" program.
The documentary film, which has won numerous awards in Bulgaria and abroad, by the director Elitsa Petkova, who was born in the old capital, will be premiered in Veliko Tarnovo. And the theatrical performance "Metamorphoses according to Ovid" will be performed in the Lapidarium of the Archaeological Museum. RIME - Veliko Tarnovo, is also a partner of the organizers. The visual program includes 40 exhibitions and 80 artists.
The family program is an exceptional variety of creative workshops and studios, treasure hunt games, art history lessons, a workshop "Corner of Happiness".
For the first time, the Pencho Slaveykov House Museum will join, where the Nightingale Hour will be held, and the Boris Denev Art Gallery, where Kristina Tuzharova will present the fascinating history of art for children.
Other cultural institutions are also joining the program - the July 7 community center in the Asenov district, the Hadji Nikoli inn, the Tarsach creative house, the Nikolay Mihaylovski community center in the Sveta Gora district, the Nadezhda community center, and the Faculty of Fine Arts. Artists will show their art in the amphitheater in front of the St. St. Constantine and Helena church.
The architectural program is already traditional for the 48 Hours of Varusha South, and this year it will also offer intriguing conceptual projects.
For the first time, we will hear the "Soundtracks" of the young Preslava Damyanova - an audio-visual work born from the relief of Veliko Tarnovo, which will travel between the neighborhoods. A surprise for visitors will also be a large camera obscura, which will allow you to enter and observe the city.
The scale of the festival and the excellent work of the young organizers have also made an impression on business, this year powerful companies from the region have decided to support it on their own initiative.
Creativity and relaxation, musical, architectural or family program, the choice during the "48 hours of Varusha South" will be difficult for anyone. But it is worth being there.

Source: Вестник