One of The Busiest in Years...

In this week’s Buzz:

• Is there a Bansko festival any time soon?

• Does Bansko have contactless ATMs?

• NYE was much busier than in past years

• Snowboarders excited for World Cup in Bansko

• 11-year-old goes missing

Bansko Celebrates NYE in Style
With Thousands of Tourists in Town

Happy New Year! 🥳 

This NYE was really busy in Bansko: busiest I’ve seen it in a few years!

The town, as usual, celebrated in style with many different displays (as can be seen in the photo above). The two main places to watch the fireworks this year were in the main town square and on the ski road next to Kempinski. Lots of discussions were had about which of these was the better one this year, but those of us down in the town square knew where the winner was 😁.

As always in Bansko, the Kukeri carnival took place on New Year’s Day and was attended by hundreds of people.

And it didn’t stop there. The few days after NYE celebrations, the town has been super busy, whether up by the Ginger traffic lights (gondola area), on the slopes, or down in the bottom end of town, there have been people everywhere.

Wherever you celebrated New Year’s, I hope you welcomed it in well.

Happiness Begins With Coffee

Enjoy reading the Bansko Buzz newsletter every week?
Then why not buy me (Nick) a coffee?
It’s super easy using this link.

Inside the Bansko Notice Board Group

✍️ 183 New Posts, 💬 1,063 Comments, 👍️ 3,500 Reactions

Where Do I Find a Contactless ATM in Bansko?
Aoife wants to know if there are any ATMs in Bansko where you can tap your card (or phone) and withdraw cash. Turns out there are quite a few.

Found This Notice on My Car But No Clamp
Rex posted that they saw a parking enforcement penalty notice on their car but there was no clamp. They wondered if it was legitimate or not.

English Person Gets Upset With Queueing For The Gondola
Karen posted that she’d waited more than two hours for the gondola after arriving at 7.30am (it opens at 8am). Quite a few people had something to say in the comments.

Is There A Bansko Festival?
Hannah asked whether anyone has information about a festival in Bansko when they’re here in February. The only one that most people knew about was Bansko Vibe in March.

How Long Does It Take To Hike Down The Mountain?
El wants a non-skiing day on the mountain to go out drinking and for the group to make their way back to town walking. There were a variety of comments.

Local/Municipality News

“Thousands” Dance The Night Away in Bansko
Bansko celebrated New Year’s Eve on Tuesday. The local municipality said there were “thousands” in the town square. I was there and there was definitely over 600 people, but I think thousands might be a little over embellishing. More info.

Snowboarders Excited For World Cup in Bansko
In two weekends time, the FIS Snowboard World Cup comes to Bansko and the home team of Bulgaria are both excited and prepared for the compeition. With a great start to the ski season already it isn’t surprising that there’s a lot of excitement in the air. More info [translation required].

Busiest New Year’s Eve in Recent Years
This festive period felt very busy in town. I walked around town on New Year’s Eve, and it was definitely the busiest I’d seen in a number of years. I posted a photo and comment about it in the BNB group here. Not soon after this, the Bansko Municipality posted more photos and a similar story here. Even this weekend (after NYE) was busy in town.

11-year-old Child Goes Missing in Bansko
An 11-year-old child went missing in the mountains in Bansko this weekend. The local mountain rescue service (epic as always) responded as soon as the call came in and headed out under darkness to find the young individual. Thankfully, two hours after the child was reported missing, he was found not far from the hotel his family were staying in. More info [translation required].

Businesses in Bansko

Enjoy reading the Bansko Buzz every Sunday? Feel free to buy me (Nick) a coffee. Caffeine fuels my Sundays when I put the newsletter together.

Shared transfers from Sofia Airport to Bansko with Traventuria. Get to Bansko quickly and in style during the winter season. Always on time. Check availability.

Happy Hour at The Hub, every day from 4pm to 6pm: only 8 BGN for 2 x wine or beer.

Travelling out of your home country in 2025? Get travel insurance designed by travellers. True Traveller: one policy to cover all of your activities. Get a quote & buy online.

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

Events Next Week

Bansko Street Dogs Pub Quiz ^_(Featured)
Join Bansko Street Dogs for their first pub quiz night of 2025. Tomorrow (Monday 6th) at Smokey Mountain (epic burgers btw), they’ll host their first pub quiz of the year. Message BSD’s Facebook page to book in. If you’re going, I’ll see you there 😉.

Snuggler’s Wine Club
On Saturday (11th), the Snuggler’s Wine Club takes place at The Snug on Pirin Street (5pm to 6.30pm). Enjoy some great Bulgarian wines and hear about them from a wine expert. From 30BGN per person. More info.

Annual Avalanche Training
On Tuesday, the 14th of January, from 6pm to 9pm, at the Avalon, there will be theory training. On Wednesday, the 15th of January, there will be a full practical day of training in the backcountry to practice what you learned the previous evening. Price: 140BGN. Message the Avalon to book.

FIS Snowboard World Cup
On Saturday (18th) and Sunday (19th), the FIS Visa Snowboard World Cup takes place in Bansko. This means the mountain and the town will be a little busier than usual. Want more information about the event? See this page.

Photo of the Week

The Queen of Bansko, Mount Todorka.

Tag @banskobuzz to get your photo in the Buzz.

Enjoy reading the Bansko Buzz every Sunday? Feel free to buy me (Nick) a coffee. Caffeine fuels my Sundays when I put the newsletter together.