Theatres & venues

Varna Opera House was registered under the name of Varna Public Opera House on 6th April, 1947 and was officially opened on 1st August of the same year. Stefan Nikolaev was appointed as its first Director and Peter Raichev, the distinguished Bulgarian singer, was invited as the first Art Director.

The building of the Drama Theatre "Stoyan Buchvarov" is one of the most emblematic and beautiful buildings in Bulgaria. It is one of the city's cultural centres where lots of theatre performances are being organised along with symphony concerts and operas. Drama Theatre "Stoyan Bachvarov" hosts the International Theatre Festival "Varna Summer" held every year at the beginning of June.

Situated in the heart of the city Varna City Art Gallery "Boris Georgiev" sets out permanent and visiting exhibitions of various Bulgarian and foreign artists.

Georgi Velchev Art Museum has been existing since 1961 when it was donated to the city by the relatives of the artist - one of the best masters of sea scapes in Bulgaria. The museum was renovated in 1995 and opened with a collection of 70 works by Georgi Velchev (1891-1955). More than 240 paintings of the artist are stored in the museum. The exhibition area is divided into two parts: two rooms are for the permanent exposition and three rooms for the temporary exhibitions, which traditionally are opened on the 9th day of every month.

The Festival and Congress Centre - Varna was opened in 1986. Since its beginning it turned into the centre of the most prestigious events in the sphere of arts and culture. Along with artistic events and festivals, numerous science meetings, seminars and conferences are being organised. The FCC Varna has represented Bulgaria in prestigious international congress organisations such as ICCA /head office in Amsterdam/, AIPC /Brussels/ and in the only one international network of cinemas – Europa Cinemas with MEDIA, the EU`s support program for the European audivisual industry.

The Palace of Culture and Sports is a multifunctional complex situated in a central location in Bulgaria's Maritime Capital - Varna.

The Open - Air Theatre is located in the central part of the Sea Garden. Numerous cultural events are being organised there in the summer.

"Bulgaran" Theatre is the first private professional theater in the cultural map of Varna and Northeastern Bulgaria. The theater presents both own and guest productions.

In 1951, the community of Varna invited Georgi Saravanov, famous puppeteer, stage designer and director who had laid the foundations of the marionette theatre in Plovdiv (1948) to establish a puppet theatre in Varna. He accepted the invitation, came to Varna and established a group of beginning actors, part of which have graduated from a musical school.

Pencho Slaveykov Regional Library - Varna was established by the Varna Literary Society in 1883 with the generous donations of prominent public figures and patriots from the city. Since 1945, the library has been a depository of Bulgarian national literature. Currently, the Pencho Slaveykov Library - Varna is a publicly accessible library supported by the municipality, charged with the functions of a regional (zonal) library and methodological center.

After the economic crisis following the wars of the first half of the 20th century, the local government of Varna was looking for new opportunities and alternatives for development. 

Open Air Cinema Theater Varna is located in Sts. Constantine and Helena resort.