"Tourism is an important element of the culture and identity of every community and we are proud that our city is becoming a welcoming place to meet and exchange experiences. Thanks to the efforts and commitment of the organizers, these events become unforgettable and inspiring moments for all of us. Let's enjoy the variety of attractive offers and events and create unforgettable memories together. " With these words, the Deputy Mayor of Ruse Zlatomira Stefanova launched the 19th edition of the Tourism Exhibition "Weekend Tourism" and the XVI edition of the Festival of Tourist Animations.
The official opening was attended by the Deputy Mayor Dimitar Nedev, the Regional Governor Dragomir Draganov, the Chairman of the Municipal Council of Ruse Acad. Hristo Beloev, Ms. Lu Tao, Coordinator at the Chinese Cultural Institute-Sofia, Ms. Liu Xiaolin, Lecturer in Chinese Language and Culture at the University of Ruse, Maria Ivanova-Todorova - Director of the Secondary School with Teaching of Eastern Languages and Cultures "Vasil Levski" Ruse, Ms. Sonny Dahia, Head of Chancellery at the Embassy of India and others.

The most significant tourist event in the Danube region takes place from 16 to 18 May and includes a rich program. It began with a performance of Chinese traditional dance at the Confucius Classroom at the Confucius Institute – Sofia at the University of Ruse "Angel Kanchev", as well as performances by the Contemporary Dance Studio "Freedom" and the formation of the Kukeri Dance School.

At the same time, the culinary show of Ivan Zvezdev, who cooks for the citizens of Ruse on the central square, was held. On the sq. "Svoboda" and the largo in front of the Opera are stalls of over 120 employees, and in the lobby of the Dohodno Zdanie - over 40 representatives of tourist organizations, municipalities, museums and associations.

The three-day program will offer the citizens of Rousse and the guests of the city an international culinary competition "Like Chefs", a climbing wall, a rope playground, free cartoons for citizens of Ruse and guests, free sightseeing tours, animation with a workshop and entertainment for children.

The concert program with performances for every taste includes:

- Big band parade;

- "The Golden Years of Jazz" starring Marina Gospodinova and the eternal hits of Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles;

- participation of the famous vlogger, artist and singer - the Boyan Todorov from Ruse;

- concert of the band "Molets" - the most up-to-date youth group in Bulgaria.

At the tourist exhibition can be tasted healthy temptations and baked goods, live chocolate, meat products, chokeberry wine, organic products, essential oils, etc.

The emblem of the festival attraction - a hot air balloon, will be erected on Saturday under favorable weather conditions.

The full program of the exhibition "Weekend Tourism" and the Festival of Tourist Animations can be found here.

On May 17, nearly 500 iconic buildings around the world will be illuminated in support of a global initiative to combat the rare disease Neurofibromatosis. For the first time 4 Bulgarian cities are included, including Ruse. "Let's sanctify the NF" will also take place in Sofia, Veliko Tarnovo and Razgrad.

The event is dedicated to the fight against neurofibromatosis (NF), a genetic disorder that affects one in every 2,000 births, or over 4 million children worldwide. Although there are no official data for Bulgaria, according to the European Pediatric Tumor Foundation, nearly 3,500 are affected by the rare disease in Bulgaria.

The initiative is related to the illumination in blue and green - the official colors of the NF - of nearly 500 symbolic buildings, monuments and architectural landmarks in dozens of countries. Among them are popular locations such as Niagara Falls, the Royal National Theatre in London, Dublin Castle, the Sibeles Fountain in Madrid, the National Gallery of Singapore and many others.
In Ruse, after 21:00, the Pantheon of the National Revival Heroes will be consecrated, in Sofia - the National Palace of Culture, in Veliko Tarnovo - the Tsarevets fortress, and in Razgrad - the Clock Tower.

The aim of the campaign is to raise awareness and inform about the benefits of funding research in the field of neurofibromatosis and rare genetic diseases.

Neurofibromatosis refers to a group of genetic conditions that cause tumors to develop on nerves throughout the body that can cause blindness, deafness, bone abnormalities, disfigurement, learning difficulties, debilitating pain, and cancer. Currently, there is no cure for neurofibromatosis, but in recent years there has been serious progress in the fight against the disease and even the first registered drug that is available to patients.

Ruse Municipality won a project for the construction of a new green zone under the Cross-Border Cooperation Program "INTERREG VI-A Romania — Bulgaria 2021-2027" The project "ReNature, Green Modeling of Urban Areas, Creation of New Systems for Outdoor Recreation and Entertainment" envisages the construction of a park in Ruse district. "Zdravets-Iztok" on a municipal property on Blvd. "Lipnik" No121.

It will be implemented within 36 months in partnership between Ruse Municipality and Giurgiu Municipality, and a contract is to be signed in the coming weeks. The value of the project is EUR 1,746 418. 94, of which 80% from the European Regional Development Fund, 18% national co-financing and 2% own participation of Ruse Municipality amounting to EUR 34 992. 38.

The planned plot of land on which the park will be located has an area of 25 acres. It will be built with natural and environmentally friendly materials instead of the so-called. "grey infrastructure". There is a separate area for picnics, events and meetings, as well as a children's playground. The alleys will have waterproof pavement and the lighting - with solar power. Suitable park furniture and a fountain with drinking water are planned. The vegetation will be of local plant species, typical for the Danube Plain and the Danube River, and the grass mixtures - drought-resistant, sun-loving and with extensive maintenance.

It is envisaged to build a video surveillance system and an automated irrigation system. Accents in the park are the fountain and the "Biodiversity" corner in which to develop a herb garden, a garden attracting insects and birds, a garden with spices, urban agriculture, etc.

The implementation of the project aims to improve the quality of the environment, the qualities of life and the comfort of living by creating a favorable and environmentally friendly environment that will shape new spatial solutions and physical renewal of the territory.
We would like to remind you that at the end of June 2023, Ruse Municipality held an inquiry among the citizens of Ruse, in which 2575 people participated. Over 98% of them welcomed the idea of establishing a park area in this property. Mayor Pencho Milkov announced that although the neighborhood is well landscaped, residents do not have a park near their homes. The green space will be beneficial for them as well as for all citizens of Ruse and guests of the city.

On May 14, for the second consecutive year, the municipal program "My Teeth – Healthy and White" for the prevention and prevention of caries in early childhood for children from 1 to 3 years of age attending a nursery on the territory of Ruse Municipality was launched. The program is planned to cover 37 nursery groups from all 9 nurseries and their affiliates. The program started with Nursery No16 according to a schedule.

In 2023, more than 500 children from municipal crèches participated in the program, and the analysis of the results of the screening showed that 42% of them have dental health problems. The most common problem in children is poor dental hygiene – abundant plaque in the central and lateral incisors and proximal cavities of the molars in children over 2 years of age.

The screening will be conducted by Dr. Elizabeth Yordanova, a dentist, with disposable dental instruments, and the examination itself will be in the form of a game. All examined children will be provided with dental examination cards with a description of the dental status, which will be provided to the parents.

In addition to the examinations funded by the Municipality of Ruse, children will receive as a gift a toothbrush and toothpaste, tailored to their age. The gifts are provided with a gratuitous donation from the company "Rubella Beauty".

Parents who wish their children to benefit from free dental examinations must complete an informed consent and provide it to the crèche director who visits their child. It is not necessary to provide health books to children, as the examinations are not bound by the NHIF.

Visits by the dentist will be conducted according to a pre-prepared schedule for each nursery and will be consistent with the regime of each nursery group.

The implementation of such a program is of utmost importance, as caries in early childhood is the most widespread chronic, bacterial and behavioral disease of hard tooth tissues, which most often affects circularly vestibular or lingual surfaces of the upper temporary incisors and molars of children in early childhood. Caries usually proceeds quickly and often leads to the destruction of the entire crown of the tooth. Destruction of the upper incisors leads to speech problems and a change in the bite.

Among the reasons for the appearance of caries in early childhood are:

• Frequent use of juices, sweetened drinks and foods rich in sugars;

• Missing or poor oral hygiene;

• Prolonged night feeding with extra sweetened milk;

• The bacterium S. Mutans.
The program provides for conducting free prophylactic examinations by a dentist and acquainting parents and staff in nurseries with the problem of caries of early childhood. Educational materials and toys tailored to their age are prepared for children in nursery groups, with which educators periodically in the form of games will direct children's attention to maintaining good oral hygiene.

The girls from the cheerleading squad "Xtreme" at the Municipal Youth House-Ruse took part in the National Festival of Cheerleading Dance "Madara Horseman" - Shumen Cup. This year's edition was attended by cheerleading teams from over 20 cities across the country. Nearly 850 participants performed in different cheerleading disciplines and age categories within two days.

The talented Ruse women from "Xtreme" performed in two age groups. Despite the serious competition, they won three first places: in the third age group with a dance in the pompon category, choreography on the spot "Party; in the fourth age group with the dance "Maids"; in the baton category, choreography on site – "Retro thrombus". Second place went to their dance "Savage Dance" in the category Traditional Corpus. First place for solo performance won the chief cheerleader of the Ruse ensemble Deya Ivanova.

The leaders and choreographers of "Xtreme" - Veronika Milanova, Milena Lazarova and Petya Boneva, were awarded a special plaque for contribution to cheerleading art.