Granitiada Amateur Art Festival

BACKGROUND – WHO ARE WE? Despite the rapid decrease in the population in small settlements, there was also a tendency for young people to settle in the villages - mostly artists, free-spirited, nature-loving people. Thus, a colony of artists, mainly painters, musicians and photographers, arose in Granit, who for 10 years decorated dozens of buildings with murals and graffiti - the GRANITFEST event, which was only the first step towards our dream - to include children and adults from the region, rich with folklore rooted in the ancient times of the ancient Thracians, in art training and challenges arising from the encounters of tradition with modern trends and inventions.

AND THE DREAM TURNED INTO REALITY - THE AMATEUR ART-FESTIVAL GRANITIADA WAS BORN! The rich palette of performances by painters, photographers and artists, amateur and professional ensembles - dancers, theater troupes and performers of authentic folklore from different settlements immediately attracted the attention of artists from abroad. Unique creative workshops for children and adults - making ethnic dolls, photography, painting, artistic ceramics and pottery, reenactments of traditional rituals, documentaries with genealogical research - competed for the attention of the enthusiastic audience. And in the evening under the Symbol of Granite - the Granite Oak - the oldest tree in Europe, which sprouted in the year 334, part of the Great Magna Silva Bulgarica - the artists from ethnic groups "Keminjiji", Duo "Flying Nomads", group "Bas Naroden" (“Bass Folk”) , quartet " Shiriti' and others, are experimenting with an eye to the future innovative and avant-garde forms of street art, preserving the depth of our cultural traditions and ancient roots.

WHAT DO WE ACTUALLY ACHIEVE?-We create new cultural products in different types of arts. - We develop the creative potential of residents of small settlements. - We provide free audience access to the created artistic products. - Getting to know the rich past, customs and lifestyle of the local community, the festival guests are provoked to experiment and cross the usual genre boundaries. - We present a colorful palette of different types of arts and inspire young people not only to continue the traditions, but to innovatively revive the spirit of this unique region. In September 2024, the second edition of the Granitiada festival is coming - with even more surprises, new guests and unexpected meetings...