Sofia Celebrates Its Official Holiday – 17 September

The Sofia Municipal Council will hold a ceremonial sitting to mark the occasion.

Mayor Vasil Terziev and the Chair of the City Council, Tsvetomir Petrov, will present awards to the new Honorary Citizens of Sofia as well as to those distinguished with the Honorary Badge of Sofia Municipality.

As part of the tradition, most galleries and museums in the capital will offer free-of-charge visits today. Entry will also be free at the children’s educational centre Muzeiko.

At 7 p.m., in front of the St Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, a concert entitled Sofia Resounds with Faith, Hope and Love will take place, with free admission. At the same hour, Mayor Terziev will open the 15th edition of the International Festival of Pop and Rock Music at the National Palace of Culture.

This year, the title Honorary Citizen of Sofia is being conferred upon:

• Stefan Mavrodiev
• Viktor Lilov – Bulgaria’s top science Olympian of 2024
• Tanya Bogomilova – Olympic swimming champion at the Seoul Games in 1988
• Albert Popov
• Architect Stanislav Konstantinov
• Poet Nayden Valchev
• Actor Rusi Chanev
• Ivan Nichev – film director and screenwriter
• Professor Tsolo Vutov

The Honorary Badge of Sofia Municipality will be awarded to:

• The Bulgarian Society of Cardiologists
• Maria Landova
• Maria Atanasova
• Young athletes Nikola Tsolov, Ivan Ivanov and Alexander Vasilev

His Holiness Patriarch Daniil of Bulgaria presided over a solemn liturgy in the ancient St Sofia Church in honour of the feast day of the holy martyrs Faith, Hope, Love and their mother Sophia.