{"id":37022,"date":"2026-08-04T09:14:12","date_gmt":"2026-08-04T06:14:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bspb.org\/?p=37022"},"modified":"2026-08-04T09:14:12","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T06:14:12","slug":"international-vulture-awareness-day-to-be-celebrated-once-again-with-a-festival-in-madzharovo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bspb.org\/en\/international-vulture-awareness-day-to-be-celebrated-once-again-with-a-festival-in-madzharovo\/","title":{"rendered":"International Vulture Awareness Day to Be Celebrated Once Again with a Festival in Madzharovo"},"content":{"rendered":"

On the first Saturday of September (5 September), Madzharovo will once again host a festival celebrating International Vulture Awareness Day<\/strong>. The programme features birdwatching, author talks, creative workshops for children, educational activities, exhibitions, a concert, and a local producers’ market.<\/p>\n

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Photo: \u00a9 Iordanka Goranova\/BSPB<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

The celebration will begin at 9:00 a.m.<\/strong> with a birdwatching session at the Eastern Rhodopes Nature Conservation Centre<\/strong> of the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB\/BirdLife Bulgaria). Throughout the day, activities will continue in Madzharovo Town Park, where visitors will have the opportunity to meet the Hazel Dormouse<\/strong>, the mascot of local conservation initiatives, and take part in a reading and discussion with Emiliya Vacheva<\/strong> and Yana Kazakova<\/strong> about their children’s book Following the Adventures of Vitan the Toad and His Friends<\/em>. Creative workshops for children will also be held.<\/p>\n

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Photo: \u00a9 Iordanka Goranova\/BSPB<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

In the afternoon, Rewilding Rhodopes Foundation<\/strong> and the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds<\/strong> will organise educational and adventure games dedicated to wildlife and biodiversity conservation.<\/p>\n

The evening programme will conclude with a concert at N. Y. Vaptsarov Community Centre<\/strong>, featuring Bay Arsen \u2013 the Bard of Borislavtsi<\/strong>, Kristina Topalova (KEYA)<\/strong> and the band Kartal<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Throughout the day, visitors will also be able to explore the exhibition The Return of the Vultures to the Rhodope Mountains<\/em>, visit local producers’ stalls at the Madzharovo Market<\/strong>, and take part in the Open Day at the BSPB Eastern Rhodopes Nature Conservation Centre<\/strong>. The centre will screen the documentary Wings over the Mountains<\/em>, along with other films dedicated to vultures and their conservation.<\/p>\n

International Vulture Awareness Day is celebrated every year on the first Saturday of September through events aimed at raising public awareness of the crucial role vultures play as nature’s clean-up crew and the importance of protecting these remarkable birds.<\/p>\n

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Photo: \u00a9 Iordanka Goranova\/BSPB<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

The festival is part of the project \u201cRestoration of the Cinereous vulture population and trophic chain in the Bulgarian-Greek cross-border region,\u201d<\/a> (Project No. 101148254 \u2014 LIFE23-NAT-BG-LIFE Rhodope Vulture), co-financed by the LIFE program of the European Union and Rewilding Europe, and implemented by the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB) in partnership with the Rewilding Rhodopes Foundation. The celebration is also supported by the project \u201cFrom Iron Curtain to Green Belt: Restoring Ecological Networks in Southeast Bulgaria\u201d, financed under the Endangered Landscapes Programme (ELSP).The full programme is available below.<\/p>\n

Programme<\/strong><\/p>\n

09:00 \u2013 10:00<\/strong> \u2013 Birdwatching
\nVenue:<\/strong> BSPB Eastern Rhodopes Nature Conservation Centre<\/p>\n

10:30 \u2013 11:00<\/strong> \u2013 Meet the Hazel Dormouse!<\/p>\n

11:00 \u2013 12:00<\/strong> \u2013 Reading and discussion with Emiliya Vacheva and Yana Kazakova: Following the Adventures of Vitan the Toad and His Friends<\/em><\/p>\n

12:00 \u2013 13:00<\/strong> \u2013 Creative workshop with Yana Kazakova: Drawing and Discovering Nature<\/em><\/p>\n

13:00 \u2013 13:30<\/strong> \u2013 Meet the Hazel Dormouse!<\/p>\n

Venue:<\/strong> Madzharovo Town Park (corner of Petar Angelov Street and Kapitan Petko Voyvoda Street)<\/p>\n

13:30 \u2013 15:00<\/strong> \u2013 Lunch break<\/p>\n

15:00 \u2013 18:00<\/strong> \u2013 Wild Adventures with Rewilding Rhodopes Foundation and the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds<\/p>\n

Venue:<\/strong> Madzharovo Town Park (corner of Petar Angelov Street and Kapitan Petko Voyvoda Street)<\/p>\n

20:00 \u2013 23:00<\/strong> \u2013 Concert Programme<\/p>\n