The festival was opened by Bansko Mayor Stoycho Banensky, who said that “Bansko does not only preserve traditions but also creates ones”.

The lineup for the first evening of the event also includes Israel’s Michel Sajrawy Trio and Grammy Award winner Jason Miles and his Lisbon Electric 4tet.

The 27th Bansko Jazz Festival’s programme features a total of 23 concerts. On its final day, the festival will welcome Indonesian musicians to the stage for the first time. The gig of the band Vertigong will be followed by live performances by American jazz trumpeter, vocalist, and three-time Grammy Award nominee Theo Croker and Senegalese bass virtuoso, composer, and singer Alune Wade.

The idea is to have the festivals take place one after the other and to offer jazz lovers a full-package experience, Valchev said. “This would help promote our country as a destination for jazz festivals, and BTA is ready to promote the initiative,” he added, noting that BTA exchanges news with 43 agencies around the world on a daily basis.

Valchev pointed out that the Agency’s archives keep a news item on the first Bansko jazz festival in 1998. “The following year, there are already extensive stories on the opening and closing of the music forum,” he added, pointing out that the idea of Saturday’s agreement is for cultural events to receive daily media coverage.

“A check in the BTA archives also shows that the country has a long tradition of jazz events that dates back to the mid-1970s. In 2025, the Agency will dedicate a LIK magazine issue on jazz festivals in Bulgaria, with a major focus on the Bansko fest,” Valchev said.

At the signing ceremony, Banenski said that with its 27th edition just around the corner, the festival in Bansko has already become a tradition. Besides being known as a jazz and skiing place, the mountain resort is now also establishing itself as a summer destination, he added.

Speaking on the topic of promoting the mountain town as a year-round destination, Shtereva said that “foreign tour operators have been invited to experience the festival”. She noted that the event is a good example in terms of organization.

Shtereva said that her organization cooperates closely with many large festivals in Bulgaria, noting that they all enrich the cultural landscape of the country.