Today is the beginning of the 3rd edition of the festival, which will take place from 14th to 16th September, and its motto this year reads "REstart: kvARTal strikes back", countering the strike of the time that put its patina on one of Sofia’s most vibrant areas from the beginning of the century.
"We are expecting a very rich program and many new outdoor venues in the neighborhood," Alexandra Genova, one of the organizers and a resident of the neighborhood, told the Bulgarian National Radio. "We are very happy with the fact that some streets in the area will be closed for traffic, trying to make more public space for residents here and for guests. The neighborhood that suffers from the problem of overbuilding will be able to breathe at least those three days, which is one of our main goals."
The centre of the musical events will be one of the emblematic Sofia buildings, namely the Central Market Halls (Centralni Hali) built in 1911, where the specially erected outdoor stage will welcome the rock surf, rockabilly, rock-and-roll musicians from Van Cock, the darkwave band Violet General, and the Beat and Hip-Hop label Sofia Beats.
The main emphasis in this year's edition of the festival is painting on walls, continues Alexandra Genova, and in connection with the Firefighter's Day on September 14th one of the facades of the building of the Sofia Fire Brigade located within this neighbourhood will be painted. This task will be handled by the graffiti artists from 140 ideas, known for holding the graffiti festival We All Write, which gave a whole new look to the seaside town of Ahtopol in 2017. The talented artist and illustrator Yasen Sgurovski will also join them.
"Another of our goals is to show the architectural heritage of the neighbourhood and this is namely the Old Jewish Sofia," says Alexandra Genova. Visitors will have the opportunity to learn more about the architecture and the history of emblematic buildings in the architectural tours organized during the three festival days .
The diverse program of the festival will also feature traditional gourmet tours, alternative city graffiti tours, various children's workshops, open-air bazars and impromptu street performances as well as a large open discussion on the future of this part of Old Sofia aging with dignity.
Edited by Rossitsa Petcova
English version Rossitsa Petcova
Photos: fest.bg.com, BTA et BGNES
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