The Weekend Tourism Exhibition will celebrate 20 years with a rich festival program, international participation and thematic attractions

Wednesday, 23 April 2025

From May 15 to 17, Ruse will host the 20th edition of the Weekend Tourism Tourism Exhibition and the 17th Festival of Tourist Entertainment and Animations. The events are organized by the Municipality of Ruse and the Public Organization "Ruse Art" in partnership with the Ministry of Tourism, and traditionally bring together representatives of the tourism industry, craftsmen, artists and guests from the country and abroad.

The official opening will take place on May 15 (Thursday) at 12:00 on the large stage in front of the Municipality of Ruse, and before that, at 10:00, the participants' stands will be set up in the lobby of the Profitable Building, where the exhibition will be located. The afternoon program will continue with presentations and short films presenting tourist destinations and initiatives from Bulgaria and abroad. Among the highlights are topics related to the experience economy, cultural and historical heritage, living human treasures and sustainable tourism.

The first day of the tourist exhibition continues with demonstrations and presentations of traditional crafts from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the City Garden, on Freedom Square and on the largo in front of the Opera House. Culinary demonstrations will be presented by chef Maurizio Ferreri from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Freedom Monument, where traditional Italian recipes in a contemporary interpretation will be presented. At the same time, climbing and ropes course demonstrations will begin in front of the Revenue Building and on the largo in front of the Opera House. The festive program will continue with a series of activities in the central part of the city. In the time range from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., attractions such as "Chess for Children" and "Retro Photo" will be held, which will offer young and old the opportunity for fun 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, within which visitors will be able to taste various specialties from the Italian culinary tradition. From 13:00 to 13:30, Ruse residents and guests of the city will be able to attend the opening of the three-day photo exhibition "Air, Earth, Water and Fire", dedicated to the volcanoes in Italy. At 17:30, a concert by the Junior Band from Veliko Tarnovo will begin, and from 18:00 to 19:00 the program will continue with a performance by the Big Band Ruse.

The culmination of the evening will be the "Poetic Trio" concert at 19:00 in the small hall of the Profitable Building. The musical-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 in the Profitable Building, but from 6 p.m.

On May 16 (Friday) all day from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. near the Freedom Monument, visitors will be able to enjoy the flavors of Italy in the “Italian Cuisine for All” area, where authentic dishes prepared on site will be offered. In the central part of the city, tourist, craft and children's animations, tastings, walking tours and musical surprises will be held. Climbing and ropes course demonstrations will be active from 11 a.m. on the largo in front of the Opera House.

From 6 p.m. the big stage will be transformed into an open dance floor for a children's salsa party organized by a local club. From 6:30 p.m., under suitable weather conditions, an attraction balloon will be raised on the square in front of the Ruse Municipality building. From 7 p.m., dance sport demonstrations will be presented on the big stage, and from 7:30 p.m., a concert by the Italian trio "Soprano" - Elena Rossi, Marica Franchino and Viola Sofia Nisio, who will present Italian arias, film music and contemporary hits in a cross-genre arrangement, will begin.

On May 17 (Saturday), the two-day event "Fashion, Classics and Prosecco" organized by the "Fashion Spaces" Foundation will begin in the space in front of the "Philharmonia" hall. From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., shows and a bazaar with collections by Ruse fashion designers and a guest designer from Romania will be presented. The program includes makeup and hairstyle workshops led by teachers and students from the Nedka Ivan Lazarova Vocational High School of Clothing, a children's drawing corner on the theme "Fashion with Patilants", musical performances by the string trio "Dynamic", as well as themed prosecco and focaccia bars with an Italian atmosphere.

From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., the International Culinary Competition for Youth "Like the Chefs" will be held in the restaurant of the Dunav Hotel. Students from vocational high schools and culinary schools from Bulgaria and abroad will participate in the competition. The award ceremony will take place at 1:15 p.m. on the big stage in front of the Ruse Municipality.

The afternoon will be spent with artistic events in the urban environment, street performances and culinary demonstrations. From 7 p.m. on the big stage, Boyan Todorov and his band will create the mood, and from 8 p.m. concert will be given by Papi Hans, who will present his popular songs, covers and specially prepared stage surprises.

On May 18 (Sunday), an Italian film marathon will take place in the lobby of the Income Building. At 11 a.m., the documentary film "Maestro Ennio Morricone", dedicated to the life and work of the world-famous composer, will be screened, and at 2 p.m. - the feature film "The Opera".

Within the framework of the tourist exhibition, the "Sava Ognyanov" Drama Theater also joins the cultural program, which reduces ticket prices only at the box office as a compliment to its loyal audience. All visitors to the exhibition on the opening day - May 15, will be able to purchase tickets at the theater box office for only 10 leva per performance. Until the end of May, these are: "People, Places and Things" by Duncan Macmillan with director 

Boyan Ivanov on May 20, at 7 p.m., on the Big Stage; "Even Rarer Fools" directed by Teddy Moskov on May 27, at 7 p.m., on the Big Stage; "The Last Passionate Lover" by Neil Simon directed by Ivaylo Nenov on May 29, at 7 p.m., on the Chamber Stage. Only on May 15, the theater box office will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. without a lunch break.

See the detailed program of the tourist exhibition here.

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