A Bagpipe Playing Contest in Bulgaria’s Greenest Mountain
A view of the village of Gela
The Ilinden Fest takes place in the first weekend of August in a beautiful area, next to the small village of Gela in the Rhodope Mountains. There, by the tiny St Iliya chapel, pipe players from Bulgaria and all over the world come to sound their pipes over the green mountain slopes.
This will give you only a slight idea of the event.
People hold hands and dance the Bulgarian folk dance “Horo” or just chill in the shade with a cold beer and enjoy the mastership of the pipe players. Nature and music blend in an intoxicating mixture and you don’t want this to end. It makes you wander how can such beautiful music come from a kidskin bag!?
The contest takes place during the day, but it is when the sun goes down that the real party starts – a different kind of party. People make fires, play music and sing songs until they can. Some of them sleep in tents, some in their cars, others under the sky…
Later on
Later-er on
Useful info about the Pipe Fest
When: first weekend of August
Where: in Bulgaria, by the small village of Gela in the Rhodope Mountains. Gela is a very, very old settlement. The legend says that Orpheus, the famous Thracian singer and musician was born in this area.
How to get there: see driving directions from Sofia to the village of Gela. The journey takes about 3 hrs.
Who goes there: everyone who wants to listen to some beautiful pipe music in the heart of the most beautiful mountain in Bulgaria – the Rhodope Mountains. I’ve seen all kinds of people there – young, old, musicians, software engineers, Americans, Dutch, Chinese. I even met my English teacher from high school there. She came to Bulgaria to teach English and she fell in love with our country. She is an American and she played the “Horo” dance better than most Bulgarians:) Way to go Kate!
What is there to eat and drink: a lot. You can buy beer and soft drinks, rotisserie-roasted meat, BBQ, sandwiches, nuts and sweets.
Where to stay:
– you can camp in the area but remember: it is not a camping ground and there are no showers or lavatories. There is a fountain with natural, cold spring water, which is good for drinking.
The area of the Pipe Fest from afar
– there is a Tourist Information Centre in Shiroka Laka village, about 8 km. from the village of Gela. See directions from Shiroka Laka to Gela village. Here are the contacts of the Tourist Information Centre: tel. +359 03030 / 233, eor@rhodope.org. They can help you find an accommodation that is suitable for your needs – a hotel or a room in a local family house. The local families are known to be very hospitable and clean.
Here are some links to accommodation in the area:
Filter Guest House, spelled “Филтер” in Bulgarian (no English version of the website) – we’ve stayed there. It is situated in the very village of Shiroka Laka. It is nice and clean with a large kitchen space with a fireplace. There are 4 rooms in the house – 2 rooms for 2/3 people and 2 rooms for 4 people. Each room has a separate bathroom. See the gallery for pictures of the house and the rooms.
Kalina Hotel – we’ve stayed there as well; It is in the centre of the centre:) of Shiroka Laka and it gets quite crowded during the Pipe fest. Its restaurant is always crowded – not because its so good, but because it became a popular place. People like to chill there for 2 reasons: to watch the street and to listen to bagpipe maestros who often play there. Contacts – see the website of Kalina Hotel.
The following we have not stayed at but they look decent:
Tishina Villa in the village of Gela
Gela Hotel in the village of Gela – a quite expensive hotel
Beevski Villa in the village of Gela
If you have questions about Gela Pipe Fest or about accommodation in the area you can use the contact form or write to me at truebulgaria@gmail.com.
The road to Shiroka Laka
great places in bulgaria 