Why, What and When?

Once upon a time, when Gods walked the Earth, Zeus fell in love with fair Semele and begot Dionysus. In his love, he granted Semele a wish that killed her but he saved their unborn son from the womb and Dionysus grew up the fairest and merriest of Gods. With his retinue of goatish satyrs and playful maenads, he roamed the Earth and taught the mortals to grow grapes and turn their juice into wine that eased the heart and stirred the mind. And they took to song and dance and recitation, given in earnest, begged in jest… And Theatre was born.

And what better place to celebrate this wonderful humanistic heritage than Perperikon, steeped in ancient history and the most likely site of a magnificent ancient temple dedicated to Dionysus. And what better way to honour the ancients' unsurpassed poetic imagination than by the art of theatre. Thus, what began as a spontaneous idea in a small circle of enthusiasts is now an annual event. And while its record is still humble - its first edition was in 2001, the Perperikon Art Festival has earned a place of its own among the highlights of cultural life in Bulgaria. Since 2003, it has featured among the 50 or so most important fixtures in the National Calendar of Cultural Events.