Kazanlak celebrates its 120th Rose Festivals and selects the 55th Queen Rose with the participation of world-renowned performers and events to everyone’s taste

May and June are some of the most awaited fragrant and colorful months in Kazanlak. Then the Valley awakens to the new life, to its beauty and the aroma of the Rosa Damascena. Its scent permeates the air, trembling and sweetly elating anyone who touches it.

On May 19, 2023, Kazanlak chose the school leaver Kristina Popova to wear the crown and hold the title of Queen Rose. With her selection, Kazanlak laid the beginnings of the unique Rose Festival, which is organized for the 120th time this year.

120 years of beauty, fragrance, and tenderness.

120 years of tradition, history, work, and admiration.

120 years of reverence for her - the queen of flowers - the rose.

120 years Kazanlak celebrates.

And with each passing year, the festive program becomes richer, more interesting, offering entertainment for both young and old, and managing to cater to the preferences of every visitor.

This makes the Festivals unique for the Kazanlak Valley and Bulgaria. And they - the visitors - come from near and far. That is why the Festival has become an internationally recognized event, a multi-genre festival that skillfully combines traditional customs and folklore with contemporary art forms and modern technologies. During the whole month, every visitor can participate in the "Rose-picking" and "Rose-distilling" rituals organized by the local cultural institutions.

On June 2, in Seuthopolis Square, in the presence of thousands of locals and tourists, the 55th Queen Rose will be crowned in a solemn ceremony. This will be followed by a concert featuring the internationally renowned Romanian pop star INNA, and on June 3 at 21:30, the legendary group BONEY M. XPERIENCE will take the stage in the square.

On the occasion of the 120th Rose Festivals in Kazanlak, the Mayor of Kazanlak Municipality, Galina Stoyanova, will inaugurate the emblematic Ahinora Museum with a painting by Ivan Milev, a renowned artist from Kazanlak. The event will also feature the presentation of the anniversary album "Queen Rose," dedicated to the queens chosen throughout the years, as well as the book-album "Our Kazanlak." Part of this year's program includes the International Folklore Festival and dance performances, and the trade exhibition "Rose Wine Expo" - the 12th edition.

On Sunday, June 4th, starting at 12 o'clock, the culmination of the festivities takes place with the traditional festive parade, involving thousands of participants. This is also the largest street carnival in Bulgaria, with over 5 000 people presenting different moments from the history and diverse culture of the Rose Valley. At 8:00 PM, the official closing ceremony of the Rose Festival will take place with a concert by Nikolina Chakardakova and the Nevrokopski Dance Ensemble.

"Thus, the Rose Festival in Kazanlak will conclude this year, but with this ending, we will actually begin a summer filled with smiles, positive energy, pleasant emotions, and plenty of sunshine, so that we can gather again in Kazanlak next year for the 121st Rose Festival in the Valley and the selection of the 56th Queen Rose," said Mayor Galina Stoyanova, inviting the readers of "Diplomatic Spectrum" to immerse themselves in the magic of the rose and the beauty of the festival.

The photo: Kazanlak Municipality