Mayor Pencho Milkov and Minister Ivan Ivanov kicked off the 20th edition of Weekend Tourism

Thursday, 15 May 2025

The 20th edition of the Weekend Tourism Tourism Exhibition and the 17th Festival of Tourist Entertainment and Animations kicked off today on the stage in front of the Courthouse. Mayor Pencho Milkov and the Minister of Regional Development and Public Works Ivan Ivanov opened the three-day forum, which has established itself as the most significant tourism exhibition in the Danube region. The events are organized by the Municipality of Ruse and the Municipal Enterprise "Ruse Art" in partnership with the Ministry of Tourism and with the support of the Italian Cultural Institute, and this year the emphasis is on the Mediterranean country.

"Let this forum be an occasion to open our hearts to the new, to the guests, to the world. I wish all the people of Ruse, guests of the city and exhibitors that the days ahead of us will be filled with discoveries, meetings and experiences that we will talk about for a long time. Because tourism is an emotion, and today Ruse is the capital of this emotion," said the mayor. He expressed his special gratitude to the organizers of the forum, who for another year prove that nothing is impossible. 

For his part, Minister Ivanov stated that the exhibition and its accompanying events affirm Ruse as an important cultural and tourist center - a place assigned to it from the past. "The strategic position of the Danube city and the region as the gateway to Bulgaria, the Danube River and the natural landmarks have been attracting thousands of tourists from all over the world for years, who keep their visit to Ruse in their hearts. Forums like today's are a wonderful example of how the unity of the municipal and central authorities, local business and the non-governmental sector can yield wonderful results," said Ivan Ivanov.

The opening was attended by the deputy mayors of the Ruse municipality Zlatomira Stefanova, Encho Enchev, Dimitar Nedev and Borislav Rachev. Official guests were the regional governor Dragomir Draganov, the chairman of the Municipal Council, academician Hristo Beloev, H.E. Arun Kumar Sahu – Ambassador of India to Bulgaria, Ionel Muscalu – Deputy Mayor of Giurgiu Municipality, and Maria Maza – Director of the Italian Cultural Institute.

Neli Petkova from the Ruse State Opera presented her performances. The humorous sketch “News in Time” was recreated by the young actors from the Theater Class in Acting at the National School of  Arts “Prof. Veselin Stoyanov” led by Evgenia Yavasheva. The international artist Katya Tosheva enchanted the attendees with her Odissi dance - a style originating from East India, a successor to one of the oldest traditional dance and theater arts.

48 municipalities and tour operators are participating in the exhibition with stands that take visitors on a journey through Bulgaria and abroad. More than 160 master craftsmen will bring Bulgarian traditions to life before the eyes of the guests – from weaving and pottery to woodcarving and jewelry making.

The first day of the tourism forum continues with demonstrations and presentations of traditional crafts until 7 p.m. in the City Garden, on Svoboda Square and on the largo in front of the Opera House. Until 6 p.m., attractions such as “Chess for Children” and “Retro Photo” will be held, which will offer young and old the opportunity for entertainment and photos with thematic props during the three days of the exhibition. From 1 p.m. to 7 p.m., the gastronomic module “Italian Cuisine for Everyone” will be presented, during which visitors will be able to taste various specialties from the Italian culinary tradition. Residents of Ruse and guests of the city will also be able to view the three-day photo exhibition "Air, Earth, Water and Fire", dedicated to volcanoes in Italy, which will be located around the fountain in front of the Ruse Municipality. At 5:30 p.m. a concert by the Junior Band from Veliko Tarnovo will begin, and from 6 to 7 p.m. the program will continue with a performance by the Big Band Ruse.

The culmination of the evening will be the "Poetic Trio" concert at 7 p.m. in the small hall of the Profitable Building. The musical and poetic project brings together Gabriela Hadzhikostova - vocals and artistic speech (Hungary), Nikolay Ivanov OM - keyboards, guitar and compositions (Bulgaria) and Mohamed Azima - drums, guitar and vocals (Egypt), who will present a program on the border between music, text and improvisation. The trio will also present their performances on Friday at the Profitable Building, but from 6 p.m.

See the detailed program of the tourism exhibition here.

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