Country Profile: Bulgaria

The nation’s largest promoter, Fest Team, has capitalised on the popularity of pop, pop-folk, metal, and rock among Bulgarian audiences.

In the past year, the company has worked with Ed Sheeran and Andrea Bocelli, as well as headlining the Hills of Rock festival with Bring Me The Horizon and Korn, drawing in “record-breaking crowds of over 60,000 people,” according to founder and CEO Stefan Elenkov.

The company takes pride in its collaborations and occasional backing from local municipalities, recognising the cultural and tourism benefits of hosting major events in Bulgaria.

“They took a big – though calculated – risk to offer Phantom of the Opera without knowing the profit margin. We can estimate the endeavour paid off”

In June 2024, the company acquired longstanding Istanbul-based promoter Charmenko, further solidifying its position and enhancing booking capabilities, Elenkov says.

For BG Sound Stage, connecting local audiences to a broad range of genres has been key to success, says managing director Dima Mollova. The company’s notable booking was the musical The Phantom of the Opera at Sofia’s National Palace of Culture.

“They took a big – though calculated – risk to offer Phantom of the Opera without knowing the profit margin. We can estimate the endeavour paid off,” says Boyan Pinter, A&R label manager and founder and director of the annual SPIKE Bulgarian Music Showcase. It offers opportunities for artists to network with the key stakeholders in the music industry from Bulgaria and abroad.

Limited purchasing power in one of Europe’s poorest countries is a challenge, making it “increasingly difficult” to sell out concerts by non-mainstream artists.

Blue Hills, a company Pinter is involved with, works closely with Plovdiv’s Ancient Theatre. Their successful partnerships include working with Bulgarian conductor maestro Yordan Kamdzhalov and local pop-folk singer Sofi Marinova, putting on seven concerts, four of which were sold out.

Limited purchasing power in one of Europe’s poorest countries is a challenge, making it “increasingly difficult” to sell out concerts by non-mainstream artists, according to Pinter.
Other key promoters in Bulgaria include BLM, Class Stage, BGTSC, Mixtape5, Stroeja, and Live & Loud.