On September 9-10, the Municipality of Blagoevgrad in collaboration with AUBG and with the financial support of the American Embassy in Sofia organized the American Music Festival in park “Macedonia”.
Over the past years, AUBG and the Municipality of Blagoevgrad have worked together on various civic engagement projects, events, and exhibitions that brought the student body and the local community together. During the festival, different AUBG participants took part in the festival schedule.
The 80s – 90s music vibes
One of the recent events that took place in May 2022 was the AURAxAUBG Fest where organizers partnered with the Municipality to create a town-wide celebration. This time, with the idea of introducing wider audiences to fine tunes and keeping the cheerful mood across the city, Radio AURA prepared a special set of 80s and 90s music for the American Music Festival.
Library corner
Another moment that brought the university’s spirit to the festival area was the library corner. Together with several student assistants, the Panitza Library staff organized an AUBG corner, where the guests of the festival could purchase books or sweet treats. The funds raised from the bake sale were directed to cover the language courses for the Blagoevgrad kids in need.
During the opening ceremony of the festival, AUBG President Dr. David Evans expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to build strong connections between the university and the local community. “We are proud to work together with the Municipality on so many occasions already, as well as with all of our friends from the Blagoevgrad community in order to make Blagoevgrad an even better place,” said Evans.
AUBG performing clubs
While the members of the Rock Jamming Club, Broadway Performance Club, and Dance Crew were sharing their artistic spirit at the park, the AUBG basketball team was playing against EuroBasket at the outdoor sports facilities on campus.
A special guest of the event, U.S. Ambassador to Bulgaria H.E. Herro Mustafa, underlined the importance of Blagoevgrad as a city and home of AUBG students. “I’ve always liked the young spirit of this town, its artistic community, as well as its important role as a connecting point between Bulgaria, the Balkan countries, and the USA,” H.E. Mustafa said. “Together, we move forward, and, as I like to say, together, we are stronger.”
Concert night
The opening night of the festival was filled with live music performances from famous jazz, blues, and gospel singer, Janice Harrington, “Presto” music academy, Big Band -Blagoevgrad, and the All-Stars band. On the following day, the schedule was packed with various activities, ranging from an open-air yoga session and a baseball demonstration to a culinary show and Latino dances.
The mayor of Blagoevgrad Ilko Stoyanov shared his excitement about the collaborative event. “With this festival, we build the foundation of something very positive. In times, when we all need more reasons to smile,” said Stoyanov.
