The 8^th edition of the national sheep breeders’ festival is bringing together more than 200 exhibitors from all over the country at the Petropavlovski (Saints Peter and Paul) monastery near Veliko Turnovo under the motto “Bulgarian food made out of Bulgarian feedstock”.

They include farmers, meat and dairy producers, farming equipment and fodder companies, organic food producers. In the space of three days there will be an artisan exposition, food tasting, barbecues. Bulgarian farmers who process their own sheep and goat’s milk will be selling their produce on the spot.

The 101 kaba bagpipes orchestra will perform at the festival’s official opening on Saturday, and on the following night, after the dancing and singing, visitors will be able to watch nestinari dancing on live embers. The proto-Bulgarian survival school Baga-Tur will stage three shows, and the travelling cultural community centre Homestead will organize lectures about the history of Bulgaria, contests and an educational competition for children.

The big forum, which combines the economic aspect of sheep breeding with tradition and folklore, will be attended by representatives of sheep breeding organizations from 17 countries of Europe and Asia.