Christopher BarrettThe Cure will make their Bulgarian debut this summer when they perform at the launch of new three-day music festival PhillGood (cap. 20,000).
Promoted by Fest Team, the festival will be held in Bulgaria’s second largest city, Plovdiv, from 17–19 July at a site alongside the Rowing Canal.
The Cure will join acts including Gorillaz, Moby (pictured), Kneecap, Wolf Alice and Sleaford Mods at the three-stage event, whose organisers claim its debut coincides with Bulgaria emerging as one of Europe’s fastest-growing cultural destinations.
Fest Team, which was founded by CEO Stefan Elenkov, said the event will blend Roman ruins and Ottoman heritage with a thriving contemporary arts scene.
Among the promoter’s existing events are Aura Festival (cap. 10,000), Hills of Rock (20,000) and Spice Music Festival (15,000). It has also promoted concerts in the country by major talent including Ed Sheeran, Guns N’ Roses, Robbie Williams and Iron Maiden.
“PhillGood feels like a logical next step and evolution for us,” said Slavova. “After years of building audiences and bringing world-class artists to Bulgaria, this is our way of translating that energy into a festival format with an international heartbeat. Plovdiv carries a cultural gravity that’s hard to replicate, so placing generational icons alongside the most vital new voices in a city like this felt not just right, but necessary. We see PhillGood growing into a destination festival not just for the region, but one that music lovers across whole Europe will mark in their calendars and travel to year after year.”