River Parade, Air Show and Fireworks on the Ruse Bank.

The programme on the Ruse bank of the Danube began in the morning.

The procession will begin at 5:00 p. m. on Saturday and will be accompanied by an air show and daytime fireworks, while the celebration for the most eager visitors is already under way with water battles, the art happening On the Riverbank and a quiz. During the day there were water battles, the art happening On the Riverbank and a quiz, as well as tastings of Bulgarian and Romanian wines. The river parade began in the late afternoon with daytime fireworks. Neptune and mermaids are welcoming the children, while a river baptism is planned for the brave. Souvenirs and other craft products will be offered to visitors, and tastings of Bulgarian and Romanian wines are also planned. The children met Neptune and the mermaids, while craftspeople offered souvenir items. The Hawks of Romania, the national aerobatic team of Bulgaria’s northern neighbour, will demonstrate their performances in the sky.

The event was organized by Ruse Municipality and the Romanian association Arpatia, with the support of Giurgiu Municipality, and is part of the initiatives linked to Bulgaria’s presidency of the Danube Strategy. Among the official guests were Deputy Regional Governor Dr Valeri Yordanov, Deputy Minister of Regional Development and Public Works Pavleta Pelovska, Deputy Minister of Tourism Georgi Todorov, Bulgaria’s Ambassador to Romania Radko Vlaykov, Ruse Mayor Pencho Milkov, Giurgiu Mayor Adrian Anghelescu, Municipal Council Chair Academician Hristo Beloev, members of parliament, representatives of local and state authorities from Bulgaria and Romania, as well as representatives of the Danubius Euroregion Association.

During the river parade, navigation in this section of the river will be suspended, and the Danube Bridge at Ruse – Giurgiu will be closed to traffic for about an hour because of the daytime fireworks. A security plan has also been developed, and the parade will be guarded by patrol boats of the Bulgarian and Romanian authorities, Stefanova said.

The organizers said they intend for the initiative to become an annual tradition that will promote the potential of the Danube River and encourage cross-border cooperation. According to Ruse Deputy Mayor Zlatomira Stefanova, the aim of the parade is to draw attention to the fact that the two countries now have borderless transport after joining the Schengen Area, while this type of river tourism is still not developed on the scale it could be and represents a golden niche for industrial cities.