On 6 September 2026, the mountain resort town of Bansko held a street procession through its old cobbled lanes to mark 141 years since the Unification of the Principality of Bulgaria and Eastern Rumelia. Bagpipes led the march, drums sounded, and families in embroidered folk costumes made their way to the central square. Bulgaria's Unification Day, observed on 6 September, commemorates the 1885 merger that doubled the size of the young Bulgarian state.
The festivities were anchored by the eighth edition of the "Unique Bansko" culinary and folklore festival, which ran across 5 and 6 September and turned the town centre into an open-air stage of local tradition and food. The procession was led by bagpipe players, with children, teenagers, parents with prams, and elderly residents joining in traditional dress. Standart reports that onlookers leaned out of windows to watch and cheer, while hundreds danced and applauded in the square.
Evening show and performances
The evening continued with an open-air show titled "Bulgaria, Land of Wonders: Bansko, Where the Power of the Bulgarian Spirit Lives," organised by Standart newspaper as part of its "Wonders of Bulgaria" campaign and staged with the support of Bansko Municipality. Entry was free. Local ensemble the Banski Starcheta performed, and rock musician Zvezdomir Keremidchiev, known as Zvezdi from the band Ahat, Standart reports, performed "Nie Sme Bulgari" (We Are Bulgarians), a song by Ognyan Ivanov that had its live premiere at the National Theatre on 1 November 2025.
Presidential message and awards
Milena Dimitrova, cultural secretary to Bulgarian President Iliyana Yotova, attended in person and read out a formal address from the head of state. Standart reports that President Yotova praised the "Wonders of Bulgaria" initiative for more than 15 years of gathering people around Bulgarian history and tradition, and called on participants to carry their cultural heritage beyond their homeland. "Bulgarian culture needs creators who will represent it and carry it with them far beyond their native land," the address read.
Standart reports that Slavka Bozukova, publisher of Standart, told the crowd that the Bulgarian spirit is alive not only in ancient architecture and church history but in children learning traditional embroidery and songs today. Special awards recognising Bansko's cultural contributions were also presented during the evening, with partners including the Bulgarian representative of the cultural heritage society Europa Nostra.
