Bulgaria Celebrates International Children's Day

On 1 June, Bulgaria celebrates International Children’s Day. The occasion traces its origins to the World Conference on Child Welfare held in Geneva in 1925.

The idea of marking the day emerged in 1925 when the Chinese Consul General in San Francisco gathered a group of Chinese orphaned children and took them to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival, a traditional Chinese holiday dating back to ancient times and associated with the spring season.

His initiative was later expanded. Independently of the charitable event in the United States, an international conference on child welfare was held in Europe. In 1949, the day was officially proclaimed International Children’s Day, and in 1950 it was celebrated simultaneously for the first time in 51 countries around the world.

Special programmes and concerts will be held in the capital and across the country to mark the occasion.

The Sofia Zoo is inviting residents and visitors to celebrate International Children’s Day with a weekend of educational events and a special holiday gift – free admission on 1 June for all children and young people up to the age of 18.

The traditional initiative aims to give young explorers an enjoyable shared experience among nature and wildlife. On the holiday itself, the zoo’s gates will be open to children free of charge, allowing them to visit all sections of the park and meet its animal residents, while parents, guardians and adult visitors will pay the standard admission fee.

The Sofia Inspectorate will also treat children from Kindergarten No. 122 “Sineva” in the Lyulin district to a different and engaging experience. A refuse collection lorry, a mechanical street sweeper and a water tanker will be on display, giving children the opportunity to see up close the vehicles that help keep the city clean every day, learn about their work and gain a better understanding of caring for the urban environment in an accessible and entertaining way.

As part of the holiday programme, an Open Day will be held from 10:00 to 15:00 at the specialised railway carriage depot “Remiz” in Sofia, located at 132A Knyaginya Maria Luiza Boulevard. The depot houses valuable railway heritage exhibits.

Railway enthusiasts will have the opportunity to explore Bulgaria’s rich railway history, including the iconic carriages of Tsar Boris III’s royal train, the Corona Express, and the government train, the Vitosha Express.

Representatives of Bulgarian State Railways (BDZ) will share interesting facts about the history of the carriages and the purpose-built facility in which they have been preserved for decades.

For another year, BDZ will continue its long-standing tradition by allowing all children under the age of 14 to travel free of charge on regular train services on 1 June. Children must present a copy of their birth certificate or another railway document confirming their age.

Seat reservations, sleeping berths and first-class supplements will be charged in accordance with the current fare schedule.