Bulgarian Bacchanalia at the Amsterdam

Local favorites Orkestar Bez Ime, Mila Vocal Ensemble, Traki, and Nomadi present their annual Martenitsa music party at the Amsterdam Bar & Hall

Doors at 5:30pm. Music at 6PM. All ages are welcome.

Twin Cities, MN—Every spring, turbo-charged Bulgarian music takes over a beloved Twin Cities venue for Martenitsa—the Bulgarian spring-welcoming holiday—with the help of local folk favorites Orkestar Bez Ime (OBI), Mila Vocal Ensemble, Traki, and Nomadi. What started nearly a decade ago as a small underground gathering of Balkan music-obsessed fans and the local Bulgarian community has grown into a massive Balkan dance party that last year filled every inch of the Amsterdam Bar & Hall. Returning to the Amsterdam this year, hosts OBI, Traki, and Nomadi will take the stage individually while also setting off on a whirlwind of musical collaborations throughout the evening—including sets with guest performers Mila Vocal Ensemble. Seating is limited to accommodate the mass of dance-lovers who traditionally flood the venue, so arrive early if you want to snatch a table.

Martenitsa is a musical celebration of the coming of spring and the holiday of Baba Marta (baba meaning “grandma,” and Marta a derivative of the word for “March”). Traditional folklore depicts Baba Marta as a temperamental old woman whose moods are as changeable as March weather. On March 1st, it is customary to exchange and wear Martenitsi—tokens of good health, luck and vitality. Wearing the red and white yarns of the Martenitsa symbolizes the hope that Baba Marta will smile and grant us an early spring. As we Minnesotans know, the end of winter can never come soon enough.