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It has been one year since the tenth anniversary issue of Roma Children Festival Open Heart has been set. Academic year 2013/2014 was the time for intensive preparation for participation in the 11th International Children Festival. It might be called international, for groups of youth organizations took part in the performances - songs, dances, costumes of Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Hungary, Greece filled the scene in Marno pole park and the located studios.

More than 1,500 students and youngsters from 144 schools, community centers and clubs were in the town of Veliko Tarnovo from 6 to 8 of June. The first festival day was characterized by a combination of formality, solemnity and attractiveness. On the stage of Music and Drama Theater, Konstantin Kisimov decorated by the skillful hands of students - volunteers to Center Amalipe, many guests, friends and partners, welcomed the children. Among them were Deputy Mayor of Veliko Tarnovo Gancho Karabadjakov, H.E. Ms Vanessa Calvert  - Ambassador of the Republic of South Africa in Bulgaria, Andrei Iliev - Deputy Governor - Veliko Tarnovo, Baki Huseynov - Vice President of the Commission for Protection against Discrimination, Hristofor Yonov - Director of MDT "Konstantin Kisimov", Sarah Perrin - Executive Director of Trust for social achievement, Karina Fortuny - Director of Program "Educational opportunities and achievements," Eng. Rozalia Licheva - Head of the Regional Inspectorate on Education Veliko Tarnovo and many others.

Smiling, colorful like a rainbow, with a variety of costumes ... children and young people, as well as the groups from the Community Development Centers went to the meeting point for the start of the Festival parade. This year, the inclusion of a parade in the program was of a great interest to the participants and the media. The parade collected and tens of citizens of Veliko Tarnovo, although organized for the first time. Nice mood brought the performances of brass bands from Byala Slatina and the one from "St. St. Cyril and Methodius" High school in Zlatarica, who led the procession and skillfully interwoven rhythms of the songs of Goran Bregovic, Bulgarian folklore and ethno - rhythms of foreign countries. Each school was proudly carrying a sign of its patron, and in front of the municipality building, the announcement of participants was reflected by strong emotion and joy.

The stage program for the first festival day passed with dances, songs, exhibition of workshops, happy emotions of children's faces on stage and during the parade along the main street "Vasil Levski" in Veliko Tarnovo. Special guests from the town of Pecs, Hungary, managed to conquer the audience with very fast rhythms of Hungarian Roma dances. They created the perception that the second festival day would be even more interesting and colourful.

The next days - Saturday and Sunday were more colorful, more interesting, and richer of studios and costumes. After considerable debate, the entire team of Centre Amalipe decided to take the risk and trust the weather forecast: the Festival continued outdoors in front of and around the fountains in the park Marno pole in the center of Veliko Tarnovo.

A three - day festival became three days of friendship and good mood. It's hard to be told if you were not a part of the atmosphere, if you have not seen the gleam in the eyes of children, if you have not heard the beating heart of the excitement of teachers – the leaders of groups!

Over 1,500 children from 114 schools, youth groups, parents of CDC, craftsmen of the spinning wheel, fragrance and flavor of delicious local traditional dishes with exotic names - Traditional polenta, luchnik, cakes, pastries, baklava, sorbet ... and more and more ... Those were just some of the things that the festival guests had the opportunity to feel, see and taste. The most important was that we managed to touch the magic of folklore of various nations ... believed in the children dream of a better and more tolerant world!

The groups of students and young people had the opportunity to visit free the Tsarevets fortress, the Museum of wax figures, the Art gallery and Exhibition halls Rafael Mihailov to see the exhibition of paintings that took part in the competition - Veliko Tarnovo-Intercultural capital of Europe.

School and youth workshops, best performances of the groups and the winners of the drawing and essay contest received gifts.

The award of the Mayor of Veliko Tarnovo was given to the group of Hristo Botev PS from the village of Kaspichan, Shumen district. The school is part of a national network of schools working for educational integration of Roma children "Every student could be a winner". They received a special camera to reflect life in school and to visit Veliko Tarnovo again!

Center for Interethnic Dialogue and Tolerance “Amalipe" expresses its gratitude to all who contributed to the wonderful manifestation, and mostly to the dedicated teachers and principals!

We express our gratitude to those, who helped with their work and love to turn the festival into a memorable holiday once again!

We love you guys and wish you a happy holiday!

The team of Center Amalipe

Eleventh Roma Festival "Open Heart" was supported by the Trust for social achievement (within the project "Every student could be a winner"), DG "Justice" of the European Commission (under the project "Step Forward - empowering young people and women from the local Roma community" and the project "Youth is tolerance") and the municipality of Veliko Tarnovo. The festival this year supported the candidacy of Veliko Tarnovo for Culture Capital of Europe in 2019.