Balgarianovinite.com Culture Minister Evtim Miloshev opened the 29th Bansko Jazz Festival on Friday evening. Speaking from the festival’s main stage in the central square of the mountain resort, he addressed the audience ahead of the start of the ten-day music event.
“Jazz is freedom, music is freedom, and here in Bansko, at the foot of the mountains, freedom is experienced in a completely different way,” Miloshev said. He noted that for the past 29 years, jazz and music have allowed people in Bansko to experience and breathe freedom in a unique way, demonstrating that freedom is not just a single moment but an enduring process in the mountain town.
“This is a place that brings friends together, a place where emotions are shared and celebrated,” Miloshev added. He wished residents and visitors alike ten evenings of jazz during which they would feel happy and free, and be able to express their emotions.
Miloshev also said he was pleased that the Culture Ministry is a partner of what has become one of Bulgaria’s established and long-standing music festivals.
The Bansko Jazz Festival spirit can be felt everywhere, on the stages, in the streets, the bars and restaurants, in people’s conversations and smiles, even high up in the mountain, Bansko Mayor Stoycho Banenski said, as he officially opened the 29th edition of the town’s jazz festival.
Bansenski welcomed the residents of Bansko and the festival’s guests. “Jazz is the music of improvisation and freedom,” he said, and urged the audience to free themselves from thoughts of the hour, of time, of schedules. “When the jazz festival in Bansko begins, time is not measured in hours and days, but in concerts, applause, smiles, emotions, encounters and pleasant moments,” the mayor added.
Guests at the festival’s official opening this evening included Environment and Water Minister Rositsa Karamfilova, Deputy Culture Minister Marina Vasileva, the mayor of the neighbouring municipality of Razlog Krasimir Gerchev, Bansko municipal councillors and others. In his welcoming address, Banenski thanked them for attending the festival, as this represents a unique form of support for Bansko’s efforts to establish itself as a year-round tourist, cultural and festival destination of regional, national and international significance.
This year’s festival opened with a concert celebrating the 75th anniversary of renowned Bulgarian composer and pianist Lyubomir Denev. Following the official opening ceremony, the Antoni Donchev All Star Big Band, joined by vocalists Militsa Gladnishka, Camellia Todorova, and Orlin Pavlov, took to the stage.
The first festival evening will also feature legendary American drummer Billy Cobham, who will perform his Time Machine project, a musical journey through different stages of his distinguished career.
This year’s Bansko Jazz Festival features 83 concerts across four stages, bringing together musicians from 20 countries. The ten-day event runs through August 9. Culture Minister Opens 29th Bansko Jazz Festival 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-07-31 19:06:00 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law
