Kapana Fest is an annual festival in Plovdiv. In early June 2017, during our road trip in Bulgaria, we found ourselves “trapped” in the middle of the noisy, colored, crowded and fun festival.
We had no clue about this festival before and the fact that we had such a hard time to find accommodation in Plovdiv during these days gave us no hint…yup, no clue at all…
You can read more about our trip from Bulgaria:
The festival takes place and is named after the historic Quarter Kapana, that consists of a few streets dating back as long as the ottoman occupation, over 500 years ago.
For centuries, this was the main commercial hub of the town but got into a period of disgrace in the communist days, when most of the shops were closed. But the local administration is doing a really good job lately in reviving the animated spirit of these streets: old buildings are being reconstructed, restaurants, pubs and shops have opened.
Kapana actually translates by “The Trap”. So I thought this district had a bad fame in the past centuries, because of people probably being scammed when trying to do businesses here. But in fact it’s less dramatic than this: the streets are narrow and cluttered and the buildings in every shape and style give the feeling of a maze once you get in.
Also, the festival is no scam at all. For 3 days, there is a lot going on: there are street shows and concerts and young artists and entrepreneurs have a chance to promote their beautiful handcrafted merchandise. Everything is really colored and streets are becoming overwhelmed by young and noisy people.
Where to eat?
There are many good places to eat here, but be aware, you’ll have a challenge to find a free seat for lunch during the festival.
Pavaj is one of the most popular dining places, a hipsters place with really good food and also affordable prices. We got lucky the first day and found a table for two, but not so lucky the 2nd time we wanted to get back for lunch. Everything was booked!
Be also aware that most of the pubs usually close for a few hours in the afternoons, to prepare the evening dishes.
June 2017
Ego Diary Travel 
LOL. That’s a good name. The trap indeed conjures up negative notions, but wonderful to know it is a good trap!
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The guide from the Free Walking Tour of Plovdiv cleared things up for me, explaining what’s all about the “trap” of Plovdiv. But yes, it’s a good name, I think it’s good even for tourism because makes you want to find out more about it. 🙂
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Looks like an interesting place 🙂
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I was actually so positively surprised by everything in Plovdiv. It’s gonna be european cultural capital in 2019 and it’s a well deserved title
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More of a reason to checki it out 👍🏼
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I’ve really enjoyed your posts on Plovdiv, I hadn’t heard of it before reading your posts but it looks very much worth a visit. Hopefully being a Capital of Culture will introduce this place to more travellers.
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Thanks you so much Helen, for reading and liking my article. I think also that Plovdiv deserves more fame than it has and the 2019 title will help in that regard for sure. I myself knew so little about it, and we are neighbors with Bulgaria, but was really happy to have discovered such an interesting city.
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Oh you were there for Kapana festival??? How lucky you are 🙂 I adore this city ❤
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:)) Yes, it’s am amazing city, I think it became my favorite Bulgarian city
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