The celebrations of May 24^th, the Day of Sts. Cyrill and Methodius and also the Day of Bulgarian Culture and Writing, commenced in London with a cultural festival on May 19^th in Soho’s Golden Square, located in the heart of London. The event was organized by the London Bulgarian Association, the Bulgarian City Club, and the British-Bulgarian Society, the oldest organization promoting friendship between our two countries. Just days after his arrival in London, Bulgaria’s new ambassador to the Court of St. James’s welcomed the guests and spoke about the significance of May 24^th as a holiday, closely connected to Bulgarian national identity. The event’s location, Golden Square, features Bulgarian roses, originally a gift from Sofia Municipality and recently replanted at the initiative of London Bulgarians.

On May 22^nd, the Embassy will commemorate the anniversary of William E. Gladstone’s death, a now traditional event that the Embassy has been organizing since 2017. In this way, the Embassy expresses the Bulgarian people’s reverence to Gladstone, who supported our people in one of Bulgaria’s darkest hours – the violent suppression of the April Uprising of 1876. Gladstone's help played a valuable role in the process, leading to the restoration of Bulgarian statehood in 1878 and the subsequent establishment of diplomatic relations with Great Britain in 1879, whose 140^th anniversary we are celebrating this year. For more information: http://bulgarianembassy-london.org/gladstone_2019/

The celebrations of May 24^th will continue on the date itself with a concert and exhibition, co-organized together with the Bulgarian Cultural Institute in London, which will be held at the Bulgarian Embassy. Registration: https://www.facebook.com/events/318550979040968/