All Eyes on Bansko

TOGETHER WITH

In this week’s Buzz:

• A plea to Bansko Municipality to upgrade the public toilets in the square

• Bansko Jazz Festival draws in thousands of people

• Confusion on an imposter “Bansko Official” municipality Facebook page

• Bansko mayor addresses social media posts about the town’s bus station

• Balkan Music Festival is happening in Bansko next weekend

• Insider information on the next Bansko Street Dogs quiz

From a Japanese prodigy to local young talents,
Jazz Fest draws thousands

This week at the Jazz Fest, a drummer from Japan took to the stage at just 15 years old, appearing alongside the Ken Okada Band. YOYOKA became world famous a few years ago at the age of 12 after hitting the limelight online. She first played the drums at 18 months old (wow!). Want to see how she performed in Bansko this week? See this video. It’s amazing to see how many young people have been involved in this year’s Jazz Fest across all levels and abilities. Read more about YOYOKA here.

This week it’s been busy every day at the Jazz Fest. It’s truly been the event of the summer season, with Young Talents in the morning in the park, an evening performance in the park (excellent when you’re having a coffee or beer at the Umbrella Bar), and the main event in the square bringing a vibrant feel to the town. It feels like the organisers have done a great job this year with all of the different events, and people have responded: thousands attending the events across the ten days. Here are some photos from Friday.

Five M — Savour Every Bite, Cherish Every Moment

At Five M, every dish is a masterpiece, from delicious appetizers to exquisite main courses and desserts. Everything is created to bring you delight and unforgettable moments.

Inside the Bansko Notice Board Group

✍️ 121 New Posts, 💬 400 Comments, 👍️ 1,008 Reactions

Public Toilets Are Shocking. Here’s An Open Letter To The Municipality
Atanas posted his experience about using the public toilets in the main square in Bansko. He posted his letter to the local municipality. See whether people agreed with him.

Where Can I Get An X-ray in Bansko?
Pauline asked whether there was a place to go for an X-ray in Bansko or whether Razlog hospital was the closest place in the summer. See what people had to say.

Is There Anywhere I Can Get My Car Washed Properly?
Evgenia wants to find someone reliable in Bansko to wash her car, so she asked in the group. See what suggestions people had.

Lidl in Razlog Hasn’t Got… Baked Beans. What?!
Tony posted that he’d visited the newly reopened (and refurbished) Lidl in Razlog. But, when he went, he couldn’t find baked beans and wondered where else they sold the nicer ones. Find out where people suggested.

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

Local/Municipality News

Reminder: “Банско/Bansko Official” Facebook page isn’t so “official”
A reminder that the old Bansko Municipality page here is now run by an organisation called “Discover Bansko” that is operated by Bansko Dnes, which is part of designcenter.bg, a web design/marketing company. The old page used to be the actual municipality’s FB page until something happened. What happened? No one is saying. It looks like there have been a few people confused recently, with the actual official municipality Facebook page located here and the official Tourist Center Bansko page located here.

Major Renovations at Zdravets public school nursery have begun
The nursery of a local public school has started to be fully refurbished. Bansko Municipality has announced the continuation of its upgrade of educational infrastructure in the town. Planned changes include roof, facade, and insulation improvements, new electrics and plumbing, major renovations of the flooring and sanitary facilities, and replacement of the heating and ventilation system. Read more.

New Road Markings Being Painted on Roads in Bansko
Ever feel like a new road is lined, and a year later, it looks like the white road markings are fading away? Some streets will have their road markings, pedestrian paths, parking areas, and traffic lanes repainted over the summer. The change in paint uses a new high-quality, two-layer acrylic paint. Read more [Translation required.]

Bansko Mayor addresses the state of the Bansko Bus Station
This week, Bansko Mayor, Stoycho Banenski, addressed criticism on social media surrounding the bus station and its move to the train station in Bansko. He highlights that all transport links to the town are the responsibility of the Blagoevgrad Municipality. He further highlights that the old bus station was always privately owned and was leased for free during its use. Read more.

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Events Next Week

Chase The Goose with Bansko Run Club
On Tuesday (12th), meeting at 6.30pm at Altspace Central on Gotse Delchev Street, the Bansko Run Club will have a light jog around town chasing after “the goose”. Then it’s off to the Funky Goose bar that will be parked at Amuse Bouche by Skabrin on Krystio Asenov street (near Hotel Zara). More info.

Bansko Comedy Night
On Wednesday (13th), at 8pm, taking place at Atspace Central on Gotse Delchev Street, Bansko Comedy night is offering “…a night of wild stand-up and unpredictable improv comedy!” Tickets are 10 BGN and places are limited More info.

“Feel Bansko” Sensory Tour
This event is due to take place on Thursday (14th) and Friday (15th). There is no more information available. See the Bansko Notice Facebook group for updates.

Balkan Music Festival (Main Event)
This event will take place on Friday (15th) and Saturday (16th) at 8pm in the main square on both days. There isn’t much information about the event or the type of music on offer, but I have the impression that it might be folk-based. More details will be shared in the Bansko Notice Board Facebook group when published.

Demonstration of Local Trade & Handcrafts
Outside the Tourist Information Center between 5pm and 7pm is handcraft textiles (Friday) and Art School (Saturday). Live folk music between 6pm and 6.30pm on Saturday only: see the singers here).

Moments Abstract Painting Exhibition
Zhanina and Asen Kirovi bring their Moments abstract painting exhibition to town this week. This should take place on Saturday (16th) 11am to 7pm, Sunday (17th) 10am to 2pm, Monday (18th) 9am to 6pm, and Tuesday (19th) 9am to 6pm: at the Tourist Information Center in Bansko.

Other smaller events may also be on this week. See the events tab in the BNB Facebook group here.

Photo of the Week

The mountain train at sunset.

Tag @banskobuzz to get your photo in the Buzz.