Easter Traditions Unite Bansko

In this week’s Buzz:

• How do people deal with real emergencies

• Bansko comes fourth in music competition

• Nasty bug circulating in Bansko

• Music & art festival for families this coming weekend in Blagoevgrad

• Easter celebrations all week in Bansko

Easter Traditions Bring Together Locals And Residents to Celebrate Popular Holiday

Alongside other Christians, Easter was celebrated this week in Bansko as the dates were the same (Bulgaria is many Eastern Orthodox Christian).

This week, celebrations occurred at schools, village halls, and town squares throughout the municipality and the country. On Thursday (Maundy Thursday), Bansko celebrated by “Mixing bread with the sun”, where people young and old gathered to knead and make Easter bread under the sun and paint eggs with natural materials (see photos here).

On Saturday, an evening mass took place at the main church in Bansko (Holy Trinity Church), where hundreds of people gathered outside (near the old tree) with individual candles and a service from the local priest.

On Sunday (today), a folk festival concert took place in the main town square where people gathered to listen to the music, eat, drink, and celebrate Easter Sunday. Also, the weather stayed (mostly) great for all of the celebrations (see the photos here).

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Inside the Bansko Notice Board Group

✍️ 45 New Posts, 💬 199 Comments, 👍️ 1,349 Reactions

Someone Doing The Walk of Shame on Monday
Kevin posted a photo of someone who’d left their ski trousers, a vest top, and snowboard at The Hub following their end-of-season (and closing down) party last Sunday night. I guess someone got a little too hot or a little too excited. 😂

How Do People Deal With Real Medical Emergencies?
Elena wants to know how people deal with a real emergency when in Bansko. Do they go to a local hospital or just go to one in Blagoevgrad or Sofia? See what people had to say.

Killer Shepherd Dogs on The Loose in Bansko
Milkana posted about her family’s dog, Arty, who was attacked by local farmers’ shepherd dogs on the way to Belizmata Dam in Bansko (and then later died from his injuries). I’m not sure much will be done about this issue unless multiple national media outlets run the story.

UK Bans Meat and Dairy Products From The EU
Ian posted that the UK has taken steps to ban people from bringing in meat and dairy products from EU countries. This is due to a foot & mouth disease outbreak in the EU. Head to the post to read the information.

I Google’d My Question But Couldn’t Find Anything
Tomac wants to know if there is anywhere locally where he can drop off or dispose of his old car tyres. It’s the usual time to change from winter to summer tyres, and some people will be disposing of those that have had enough use. See what people had to say.

(The above posts are publicly accessible. You don’t need a Facebook account to view them.)

Local/Municipality News

Bansko Mayor Starts Discussion Waste Collection 
The mayor of Bansko has started a discussion about waste collection in Bansko and has asked both residents and tourists to complete a short survey (open in Chrome to translate here). It looks like this might be linked to the new waste-separating facility that opened in Razlog a few weeks ago (mentioned in issue #36 of the Bansko Buzz). Read more.

Bansko Comes Fourth in Key To Music Competition 
Earlier this month, a prestigious music competition, Key To Music, was held in Plovdiv. Over one thousand students entered, including three from Bansko. One of those three, Stefani Milusheva, finished fourth place with 81 points. Read more. [translation required].

Police Intervene and Stop School Trip on Way to Bansko 
Some school children were looking forward to visiting Bansko from Krichim (near Plovdiv) when parents saw the state of the bus a hire company had sent. Some of the tyres had bald spots, and parts of the windscreen were damaged. The police were called and the bus was inspected, and the hire company sent a replacement. Good job there are some stubborn parents around. Read more. [translation required]

Bansko Gondola Opening Hours From April to November 2025
Ulen (operator of the ski resort in Bansko) has announced the opening hours of the gondola up until the end of November this year. If you have a season pass, you should be able to use it to access the gondola during this period. I’d expect them to release the ticket prices for the summer period by the end of May. Read more.

Razlog Woman Smashes Deadlifitng Record
Eliza Madzarska from Razlog won the title Champion of Champions when she took part in the recent Republican Powerlifting Championship in Gorna Oryahovitsa (just north of Veliko Tarnovo). Competing in the 52kg category, Eliza lifted 130kg in the squat, 72.5kg in the bench press, and 160kg in the deadlift. Some powerful legs there! 💪 Read more.

Nasty Bug Circulating Around Bansko
We don’t seem to have concluded all of the nasty bugs and sicknesses passed around town during winter. In the past few weeks, a sickness and diarrhea bug has been going around town, with more than 30 people visiting a medical centre this week for help. Read more. [translation required]

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Events Next Week

Bansko Street Dogs Pub Quiz
Due to take place at The Chef’s House on Monday, the BSD pub quiz has been postponed due to insufficient numbers. A new date should be set in the next week or two for sometime in May. In other news, The Chef’s House’s new menu came out recently and they have a take on fish & chips, and it’s actually quite good!

Presto Music Art Festival in Blagoevgrad
On Saturday (26th) from 10am to 8pm there is a full-day of music, drawing, dancing, theatre, and fashion. The festival’s purpose is to inspire, develop and provide more opportunities for young people to experience these activities. Professional schools and academies will be attending, and there will be outdoor stalls for food and drinks. Sounds like a great family day out. More info.

Sunday Walking Club (raising money for local charity)
Want to learn some different routes to walk/hike around Bansko? Why not join the walking club that walk/hike most Sunday mornings from 11am. The usual meeting place is somewhere around the gondola, and some people take their dogs. A 5 BGN participation fee is asked, which is then donated to the local street dogs non-profit, Bansko Street Dogs. Keep an eye on the Bansko Notice Board group for details. See photos from last week’s walk here.

Bansko Nomad Fest (June)
One to add to your diary is the Nomad Fest in June (22nd to 29th incl.), where over 700 participants from around the world are expected to visit Bansko for at least one week. This usually kicks off the main summer events in Bansko, and some parts of the town are best avoided at certain times and days during this week. Closer to the time, I’ll bring you more details.

Photo of the Week

Snow one week, glorious sunshine the next. It definitely feels like spring has arrived!

Tag @banskobuzz to get your photo in the Buzz.