MONA Kapana Fest

Kapana Fest turns Plovdiv’s creative district into a maze of sound, color and craft. Between artisan stalls and the scent of street food, intimate stages pop up along the narrow lanes, bringing audiences within arm’s reach of the artists. Born in the quarter’s effort to revive a once-forgotten urban pocket, the festival has grown into a showcase for Bulgaria’s most interesting new voices and live acts.

Among them, MONA stands out for a clear artistic idea: threading traditional Bulgarian vocal ornamentation through sleek pop writing and production. In recent months she completed a concept trilogy—“Zhiva” (Alive), “Sila” (Strength) and “Davam” (I Give)—writing both music and lyrics herself. The arrangements draw on contemporary pop and cinematic textures, crafted in collaboration with producer Roberto Nikolov (Robi). Her visual world is just as deliberate: the “Davam” video unveiled striking eight‑meter braids created by artist Anastasia Dimitrova, while the project continued MONA’s commitment to accessibility with on‑screen sign‑language interpretation—an element she now includes consistently across releases.

Expect a set that moves from pulse‑driven pop to soaring, folk‑tinged refrains—and back again. MONA’s hallmark long braid and crisp stage visuals are part of the experience, but the focus remains on voice and message. Inspired by family roots in folk singing, she taps into folklore not as a museum piece but as living material for Gen Z. That perspective resonated widely when she reached the televised final of Bulgaria’s national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest in 2026, bringing her music to a broader mainstream audience.

Listen for

• Zhiva – the opening chapter that set her folk‑pop blueprint.
• Sila – a confident step up in scope and vocal power.
• Davam – the trilogy’s finale, uniting the themes into a single statement.

Kapana’s street stages reward early arrivals—sightlines are close, energy spills into the crowd, and songs often turn into communal choruses by the last refrain. Take time before or after the show to wander the district’s galleries and workshops; the festival was designed to bridge live music with local craft culture, and that cross‑pollination is part of the charm.

If you’re exploring more Bulgarian music around these dates, consider the contrast and continuity with other live projects: soul‑pop and R&B colors at Preyah "LAVA" Concert, indie‑leaning pop at TINO – Lyubov na zhivo, classic pop craftsmanship at Miro 2026 or arena‑tested rock at the Concert of B.T.R.. For a different vocal tradition, see Orlin Goranov and Edelina Kaneva – Concert, and for a folk‑pop spectrum touchpoint check Concert na Sofi Marinova i Dragana Mirkovich.