The President of the National Assembly opened the National Festival of Folklore and Livestock Breeding “Rozhen 2016". The folk event began with one minute’s silence in memory of the victims of the terror act in France. Tsetska Tsacheva stated that the expectations of thousands of people who gathered to experience together the magic of the Rozhen Festival were marred this morning by the shock of the terror act in Nice. We have to stand together against terrorism with the solidarity policy we pursue, Tsetska Tsacheva  said. Because what are the beautiful mountains, the blue skies and pure land, if we, the people, are not here, if we are not here to preserve the roots and traditions of our ancestors, if we do not hand over to our children and grand children the essence of the Bulgarian national spirit, the patriotism and the love we have for our motherland, woven in the embroideries, colours and sounds of our folklore, noted the President of the National Assembly. Let there be the Rozhen Festival as it has existed for so many years, added Tsetska Tsacheva at the opening of the festival.
The Festival of Folklore and Livestock Breeding “Rozhen 2016” started with Rhodope music performed by hundreds of “kaba” bagpipes and the emblematic song ”Izlel ye Delyo Haydutin”.
Among the guests of the Rozhen Festival are the Minister of Agriculture and Food Desislava Taneva, deputies, mayors from the region. Rozhen is a unique place where we all feel proud that we are Bulgarians, said the mayor of Smolyan Nikolay Melemov.

The festival programme on the Rozhen meadows began with performances of the participants in the folklore competition "Rozhen 2016". The festival stages are set against the background of a Bulgarian banner unfolding against the hills on an area of 7800 square metres.

In the course of three days be folklore music, customs, vocal folklore, dances, traditional clothes and costumes and traditional Bulgarian crafts will be presented. The festival includes the national folklore competition “Rozhen”, ethnographic and museum expositions, expositions of farm and forestry machines, dairy and meat products, bio foods and drinks, people’s games.
Organiser of the gathering is Smolyan Municipality and the Non-profit Organisation “Rozhen - Heritage in the Future“.