The October issue of LIK, the Bulgarian News Agency’s (BTA) magazine for literature, art and culture, is dedicated to the Varna Summer International Music Festival, marking 100 years since its first edition. Another focus of the issue is the 120th anniversary of the Varna Regional Museum of History.
The new issue will be presented on October 14, ahead of the official closing of the Varna Summer International Music Festival, featuring the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sakari Oramo. The launch will take place at BTA’s National Press Club in Varna and will be streamed via video link to the agency’s national press clubs in Bulgaria and abroad. The event will also introduce BTA’s new section on holidays and festivals.
The first national music festival was held in Varna in 1926, following the official opening of the city’s Sea Baths. The event was the second festival of its kind in Europe, after Salzburg. The inaugural edition, opened by composers Dobri Hristov and Pantcho Wladigeroff, lasted seven days and attracted considerable public interest. It laid the foundations of Bulgaria’s oldest music festival.
After a break, the Varna Summer Music Celebrations were revived in 1957 under the name Varna Summer. In 1964, the festival hosted the world’s first International Ballet Competition. Two years later, Varna Summer became an annual international music festival. In 1987, it joined the European Festivals Association.
In the introduction to the issue, LIK Editor-in-Chief Georgi Lozanov writes that Varna Summer brings together a range of festivals, including international ballet (1964), jazz (1992), folklore (1992) and theatre (1993) events, all of which grew out of the original music festival a century ago. The festival is the oldest in Bulgaria and the second-oldest in Europe, quickly becoming a cultural hallmark of Varna and shaping the city’s cultural identity, he says.
Varna Mayor Blagomir Kotsev tells the magazine that the international music festival has turned the coastal city into a prestigious festival destination. He describes it as a major driver of high-value cultural tourism, extending the active tourist season and attracting visitors from Bulgaria and abroad who seek enriching cultural experiences beyond a beach holiday.
Journalist Lili Goleminova looks back at memorable concerts in the festival’s long history, noting that its musical standards have remained uncompromising over the years, including in 2026.
In an interview with LIK, Varna Summer Artistic Director Mario Hossen describes the festival as a symbol of Bulgaria’s European cultural identity. For a century, Varna has been a stage where music connects Bulgaria with the world, he says, adding that the festival is among Europe’s oldest and most significant.
Violinist Mincho Minchev, who served as the festival’s music director in the 1990s and heads its Summer Music Academy, says the event has accumulated a century of history and remains the most significant one in Bulgaria’s musical life. Founded by prominent figures of their time, it has retained its importance and Bulgarian spirit, with the original aim of promoting Bulgarian composers and performers, he says.
The issue also draws on BTA’s archives to trace the festival’s development, programme and visiting performers over the decades.
A selection of archival material highlights the Varna Regional Museum of History, one of Bulgaria’s largest cultural institutions, which is marking 120 years since its establishment. The first steps towards its creation were taken in 1887, when teachers at Varna’s Boys’ High School began collecting museum artefacts under the guidance of Karel Skorpil. The Varna Archaeological Society was formally established in 1901, laying the foundations of the collection. On June 11, 1906, an exhibition opened in an attic room of the Girls’ High School under the name District Museum. The institution has since evolved into the museum known today to residents and visitors of Varna.
Museum Director Igor Lazarenko says its mission is to preserve memory and bring people into direct contact with historical artefacts, while promoting cultural heritage as a foundation of national identity.
Former museum director Alexander Minchev describes the 120-year-old institution as an increasingly prominent European-level cultural institution and a distinctive calling card for Varna.
LIK has been freely accessible since January 2024. All issues published since the magazine’s revival in 2022 are available for download from BTA’s website. The October issue, titled “100 Years of Varna Summer on the Music Scene”, is available at https://www.bta.bg/bg/lik-magazine/en
LIK Magazine October Issue Dedicated to 100 Years of Varna Summer on Music Scene THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-10-09 14:19:01
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