On 1 and 2 August, the village of Gela, near Smolyan in the Rhodope Mountain will host the annual national Bagpipe Contest. Admirers of the Rhodope bagpipe from around the world are also expected to arrive, some of them of course taking part in the contest in the traditional Rhodope instrument. Depending on the age group, participants must perform tunes of varying difficulty.
The event is to take place during the local Ilinden Fair, always during the first weekend of August. Usually about 10,000 people gather on the Ilinden meadows close to the village of Gela, so Smolyan Municipality organizes special bus lines during the weekend.
The fair is the most populous in this region. Since time immemorial, it has brought together heirs of Rhodope families from near and far. It is also popular among foreign lovers of Bulgarian folklore. This year the Gela Fair expects guests from Japan, Hungary, the Netherlands, Britain, Scotland and other countries.
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