Happy Birthday, Bansko Buzz!

SUPPORTING

In this week’s Buzz:

• Surprise as Franco’s serves homemade banitsa on Saturdays

• Bansko Buzz celebrates its first birthday

• The Jazz Festival is back this coming Friday

• Fires break out in Simitli and Kresna, sending smoke across Bansko

• Fun & sports park opens in Banya

• Why Bansko is going to be one of its busiest over the next two weekends

The Bansko Buzz celebrates its first birthday

What’s your open rate?
It fluctuates between 62% and 77%. The lowest it’s ever been was 59.95%. That’s pretty fekin’ good for email: the goal is to keep it at an average of 60-65%.

How many subscribers do you have?
Just over 500. A good, solid amount. With people unsubscribing when moving away from Bansko or me subscribing them because they’re not opening the emails, we would be at around 750 subscribers, but I’m happy with the current number. I’d rather have people like you opening and reading the email than have thousands (or tens of thousands) on the list, with most emails sitting there collecting “dust” in people’s email accounts.

How long does it take to write the Buzz every week?
Usually around 4 to 5 hours a week. The main things that require time to sort through, analyse and write are the news stories and the events. There’s also been one or two weeks when the Buzz has come out past 9pm: that’s when I’ve been a little late finishing things, whoops!

Do you use AI (Artificial Intelligence)?
Yes, but to a bare minimum. I usually run the subject line through two AI models to see if they can come up with any better suggestions. Most of the time, they’re terrible, and I use my own 😂. I also use Grammarly to help me spot any typos. No content or images are generated with AI.

What do you see the future of the Bansko Buzz?
That’s up to you 🙂. I’ve been moving ahead with what I believe is a good format, which has been tweaked along the way. Heading into year two, there will be polls/questions about whether you want to see certain topics/items every week. (So make sure to click/tap through to have your say: it’ll be super quick & super easy.)

Thank you for subscribing to the Bansko Buzz every week. I appreciate you joining Banskie and me on the journey, whether you’ve been with us from the start (issue 1) or you’ve just subscribed.

Let’s celebrate Banskie’s birthday by donating to the Mountain Rescue Service

I could say, ‘Why not buy me a coffee using the link at the end of the email to help celebrate the milestone?’ But how about donating to the Bulgarian mountain rescue service instead? It can be a little or as much as you want (as low as 5 BGN).

If you’ve used the mountain in/around Bansko at any point in time, then they’ve been there at a moment’s notice to help anyone in need. One misstep or other people causing you to faceplant into a tree? They’ll be there to rescue you, always.

Donate Now

Inside the Bansko Notice Board Group

✍️ 84 New Posts, 💬 178 Comments, 👍️ 674 Reactions

Where Can I Get Help With A Dislocated Shoulder
Maria posted that she wanted to get help with relocating a dislocated shoulder in town. See where people suggested.

Wait… Franco’s Cafe Serves Homemade Banitsa on a Saturday?
Martin posted that he’s just learned this week that Franco’s on Pirin Street serves homemade banitsa on a Saturday morning. It’s a nice place to sit out and have a coffee.

Where Can I Find Beef Meat in Bansko?
Sofia asked whether anyone knew of a place where she could buy beef meat locally. Some people offered different suggestions, including links to some local butchers.

BG Account Holders Allotted Ten Free ATM Withdrawals Every Month
Rachel shared an information article stating that the parliament in Sofia has passed a law to increase the number of free withdrawals for Bulgarian bank accounts to ten per month. They passed this increase due to the Euro being adopted in January.

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

Local/Municipality News

Fires in Simitli and Kresna Engulf Bansko in Smoke 
Fires in a village near Simitli and in the Kresna area are emitting a lot of smoke across the region, and it’s naturally ending up in Bansko. There are no reported fires in Bansko, but a few people were concerned. Read a news article here and a post with photos of the smoke in Bansko from Maria here. Also, see Alan’s video of the town from the St John Hill area here. Several fires have been reported across the country.

More Electric Vehicles and Charging Stations to be Purchased
The local municipal council has decided to purchase additional electric vehicles and charging stations to support the provision of local social services to villages within the municipality. Read more.

Fun & Sports Park Opens at Therme in Banya
This week, a fun and sports park officially opened at Grand Therme in Banya. A place for children to run, tumble and enjoy the sunny weather. The sports area features six huge slides, go-karts, and a large trampoline. There is also an eco park and a zoo with llamas, horses, rabbits, chickens & goats. A video with more details is here. The Grand Hotel’s website in Banya has more information here.

Success for Young Bansko Talent at Children’s Pirin Folk Festival Casting
The judges at the casting for the Children’s Pirin Folk Festival were impressed with a few young people from Bansko who recently attended the casting. These four individuals will take part in the festival at the end of August in Simitli. Read more.

Recommended Businesses

Shop on Amazon & get packages delivered to Bansko with GGBG. Regular transport from the UK, Germany and the USA to Bulgaria. See website for info.

Travelling out of your home country this year? Get travel insurance designed by travellers. True Traveller: one policy to cover all of your activities. Learn more.

Airport transfers from Sofia to Bansko with Traventuria. The licensed & fully insured company you can trust. Book your transfer.

👉️ Want to see your ad in the Bansko Buzz?
View Advertising Opportunities

Events Next Week

Mediterranean Cruise of Flavours Evening
On Wednesday, 30th of July, at The Chef’s House from 7.30pm, a five-course Mediterranean menu will be paired with premium Logodaj wine. Price is 140 BGN. More info.

Founders Night at Sky Bansko ^{(NEW BUSINESS)}
Sky Bansko, a new coworking space opening in town, is having its launch/founders party at Sky Bansko at 7pm on Thursday (31st). Complimentary snacks, music by DJ Maxx, cocktails by Danny’s Bar, and a first look at what Sky Bansko will be like will be available. More info.

Bansko Jazz Festival (Main Event)
One of the most popular events of the year, the Bansko Jazz Festival, is returning on Friday evening. All evening performances start at 8.30pm in the main square. The event is free to attend, but if you would like a seat to watch the performance, then they can be purchased here [switch to English at the bottom]. The programme on the official website is here and provides you with information about the acts, or you can download a simple copy of the programme here (this provides you with all of the locations and timings for all of the smaller events around town). Remember: the main stage is located in the town square, while the world stage is situated in the park.

Demonstration of Local Trade & Handcrafts
Outside the Tourist Information Center between 5pm and 7pm, demonstrations by local trades and crafts continue. On Friday, there will be spinning of wool and on Saturday, a demonstration of Bulgarian carving (including live folk music between 6pm and 6.30pm on Saturday only: see the singers here).

Fairy World Art Exhibition
Daniela Roshkova brings her Disney-inspired abstract painting exhibition to town this week. This should take place on Saturday (2nd) 11am to 7pm, Sunday (3rd) 10am to 2pm, (4th) Monday 9am to 6pm, and Tuesday (5th) 9am to 6pm: at the Tourist Information Center in Bansko.

Cacao Ecstatic Dance & Biodanza
On Saturday (2nd), starting at 5pm at Kolibata, is the summer edition of the Cacao Ecstatic Dance, now with Biodanza. More info.

Photo of the Week

Smoke over Bansko from the fires.

Tag @banskobuzz to get your photo in the Buzz.