The village of Shipkovo will hold its first "Rose Hip Festival" on Saturday, October 3, starting at 11:30am, Daniela Mindeva, secretary of the local chitalishte "Svetlina – 1902", told BTA.

The idea came from the chitalishte and the town hall, who wanted the village to have its own festival tied to its name. "Since the very name of the village of Shipkovo comes from the rose hip fruit, we decided to dedicate the festival to it and link it to the village's history and traditions," Mindeva explains.

The programme will show how the fruit turns into rose hip jam. The actual cooking won't happen in front of visitors, though — it takes up to two days — so organisers will only show the separate steps, the chitalishte secretary says.

Guests will see an exhibition of rose hip products and can taste dishes made with the fruit at a shared table of local recipes. There will be hot and cold rose hip tea, plus other products, including flour and ointments from a producer in Tryavna.

Organisers are also planning a cooking contest for the most original rose hip recipe, with a prize for the winner. Amateur singing and dance groups will round off the day with a folklore programme.

The chitalishte hopes both Shipkovo locals and tourists staying at the nearby Shipkovski Mineralni Bani resort will come to the festival.

BTA notes that every first Saturday of August, when the area sees the most tourists, Shipkovo holds another festival — the "Mineral Water Festival" — which has been running for more than 20 years.