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Български 
简体中文(中国) 
The New Year’s concert The Spirit of Europe in the National Palace of Culture marked the beginning of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU. Thus, Sofia welcomed 2018 as the host of the first Bulgarian Presidency of the EU. In the period January 1, 2018 – June 30, 2018 300 events will take place in Bulgaria. They will be conducted mainly in Sofia but also in Varna, Burgas, Plovdiv, Veliko Tarnovo, Gabrovo, Ruse, and other cities.
Sofia will host the main events and will also offer an interesting cultural programme consisting of projects of various artists, associations, ensembles, etc. The planned events include the project of Lubomir Kabakchiyev Theatre – the music and dance performance “The Mysteries of the Thracians” that will take place in the Largo. There will also be conducted “Wall of Hope” and a workshop on the baking of clay bricks with the aim every resident and guest of Bulgaria to express their hopes and desires about the future of Europe by writing a short personal message in their own language on a fresh clay brick. The clay bricks will be baked and arranged in the form of the European map.
Six concerts with Orthodox music are being planned. They will be performed by Sredets Chamber Choir and conducted on three rather unusual stages – one of them will be in the Troyan Monastery, and the other two – in the National Museum of History and in the Crypt of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral Church. The brilliance of the Bulgarian Renaissance artists will be presented in Square 500 National Gallery. The event is part of the project Instead of Renaissance: The Bulgarian Revival in Art - from the Icon to the Secular Portrait. Pirin Ensemble will perform "First Love" in the National Palace of Culture and in front of the NPC you will be able to see A Living Carpet of Bulgarian Roses Accompanied by the Sounds of the Balkans – a Bulgarian version of the Flower Carpet of Brussels, incorporating both the Bulgarian presidency’s logo and traditional Bulgarian motifs.
