National Day celebrated in New York, despite pouring rain

Mayor Eric Adams proclaims March 3rd as Bulgarian Heritage Day in New York City

published on 3/3/24 2:37 PM

New York Mayor Eric Adams attended the celebrations of Bulgaria's National Day, March 3, 2023.

Photo: Consulate General of Bulgaria in New York

"It rained, it rained a lot... but as promised, the Bulgarian flag flew in the skies of Manhattan, accompanied by a live performance of our national anthem by Gina Di Donato," the Consulate General of Bulgaria in New York wrote on its Facebook page.

Despite the torrential rain, the square in New York's oldest public park - Bowling Green - was filled with Bulgarians and their friends. Once again, Bulgaria's national holiday was honoured by New York Mayor Eric Adams, who welcomed the Bulgarian community to its celebration.

The Mayor issued a proclamation declaring March 3 as Bulgarian Heritage Day in New York City. With Bulgarian Heritage Day, the government of the megalopolis expresses its appreciation for the enormous contribution of the Bulgarian community in many spheres of life in New York and marks March 3, 1878 as "the date of the restoration of statehood to a nation known for its art, cuisine, natural beauty and biodiversity".

In his welcome address, Angel Angelov, Bulgaria's Consul General in New York, congratulated the community and said that the first Bulgarian-language artificial intelligence platform - BgGPT, co-created by the Sofia-based Institute for Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence and Technology (INSAIT) - would be made available to the public on the National Day.