Stambolovo marks 43 years since it became a municipality, and mayor Adnan Yildaz has sent residents and guests a holiday message.

"Let's keep working together, side by side, so our municipality does well, because only together can we build a better future for our children and grandchildren," the message reads. Yildaz thanked the generations who laid the municipality's foundations, those working for it today, and its young people.

Among the achievements of recent years, Yildaz named better infrastructure, education and culture, and the fact that local traditions and customs are still kept alive.

The celebrations open at 10:00 with a formal session at the municipal building, attended by village mayors and deputy mayors, local officials and guests. A veterans' football match follows at 13:00 at the stadium in Stambolovo, with mayors of local villages, municipal councillors and administration staff taking to the pitch. The music programme starts at 18:00 with a joint performance by chitalishte (community centre) secretaries, followed by the festive orchestra.

The municipality was set up in 1983 under Decree No. 2932 of the State Council. It covers 26 villages, with its centre in the village of Stambolovo.