Sofia's real forte is
drama, ballet and classical music
, all of which are of a high standard and very inexpensive.
Youth culture
is less prevalent, although it is beginning to make its presence felt. Cultural listings are usually to be found in the back pages of the daily press; otherwise
information and tickets
for most venues are available from the Concert Bureau at bul. Tsar Osvoboditel 2 (Mon-Fri 8am-noon & 3-7pm), or in the NDK centre. You can also get information on theatres and concerts by telephoning tel 171, but don't bank on getting a foreign-language speaker.
The most popular form of entertainment for many locals is the
cinema
- and the flood of (subtitled) American movies sweeping the country means that you won't have any problems understanding the dialogue. The
Sofia Echo
has weekly cinema listings. United New Cinema, underneath the NDK centre, is a modern multi-screen affair with decent sound; other city-centre cinemas include FX, Angel Kānchev 5; Evropa Palas, Alabin 33; Moderen Teatār, Knyaginya Mariya Luiza 26; and Rex, Vitosha 31.
Theatre
Plays
are, naturally, performed in Bulgarian, so not knowing the language is a distinct drawback, but the general standard of performances can make a visit to the theatre rewarding. Performances at the
Kuklen teatār
, or
puppet...
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Music
The National Palace of Culture, or
NDK
, is the venue for many of the bigger symphonic concerts or operatic productions; otherwise
symphonic music
can be heard at the Zala Bālgariya, Benkovski 1, or the Zala Slaveykov, pl....
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Alternative Sofia
Despite the growing number of live music bars and discos in the capital, Sofia still lacks a decent range of nightlife opportunities for anyone with non-mainstream tastes. It's a problem compounded by the fact that those venues which do exist rarely stay...
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Discos
There's a growing club scene in Sofia, although venues go in and out of fashion from one year to the next. Information on what's on is hard to come by, although the
Sofia Echo
publishes lists of mainstream clubs, and usually gives you some...
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Football
Sofia has two
football teams
with a mass following. Levski, originally the Interior Ministry (that is, the police and the secret services) team, have been the most successful in recent years, winning a string of first division championships....
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