Gabrovo will host the first edition of International Swing Dixie Week

The first post-war jazz club in Bulgaria was founded by musician Manol Tsokov in Gabrovo 60 years ago

published on 8/25/25 10:24 AM

On the occasion of the announcement of a joint candidacy of Gabrovo and Veliko Tarnovo for the European Capital of Culture in 2032, the residents of Gabrovo are reminding us of the common cultural values of the two towns. This will happen along the lines of dixie music with an invitation to the first edition of the International Jazz Week (Swing Dixie Week – Gabrovo).

Veliko Tarnovo and Gabrovo apply together for European Capital of Culture in 2032

The music festival opens on August 25 and will last until August 28, with free admission.

The four concert evenings will offer energetic jazz and swing rhythms. Bulgarian and foreign performers will be on stage, and the accompanying program will add an educational highlight.

The event will emphasize Gabrovo's place in the Bulgarian jazz tradition with the contribution of the remarkable musician Manol Tsokov, who founded the first post-war jazz club in the country in Gabrovo 60 years ago, as well as the International Dixieland Parade in 1983.

The International Jazz Week in Gabrovo will close with a concert of Stigma Swing Dixie Band (Greece). The development of the band has been directly and cordially linked to Gabrovo and Manol Tsokov since the 1980s, when the Bulgarian musician inspired his Greek colleagues and introduced them to the world of Dixieland music. After a long partnership and friendship, the musicians will now honor their mentor.

We offer you a performance from the 1980s by the Swing Dixie Band Gabrovo – "Folk Dixie", a composition by Manol Tsokov, who is both the arranger of the piece and the conductor.