Bulmint’s is raising funds for charity with its Station Street Festival Medal

Plovdiv’s cultural hotspot is about to expand its borders towards the “Tobacco City” with a brand new event. In celebration of the Station Street Festival’s first edition, Bulmint created its first fundraising medal in support of a charitable cause - all proceeds will go to the For Our Children Foundation’s “For Children and Parents” Community Support Center, Plovdiv. The medal is made of 20 grams of copper, plated in pure gold, struck to proof matt-gloss quality.

Music-lovers, art enthusiasts, and all who are interested in gaming, retro cars, and pure unadulterated fun are welcome to dive into the event’s unique atmosphere from September 1 to September 6, 2023 on Ivan Vazov Str. - and to support a noble cause by purchasing the souvenir medal at the festival.

About the Station Street Festival

In 2023, the first ever edition of the Station Street festival will take place in Plovdiv - a sequel to an event that took place at the same location on September 5 and 6, 2023, organised by the Plovdiv 2019 foundation under the slogan #Together. To make this possible, a section of Ivan Vazov Str. will be temporarily turned into a pedestrian zone.

Under the natural shade of the emblematic row of plane trees, the public will get to enjoy a 6-day musical program with performers from several different countries, a retro car exhibition, concerts and performances by local students, presentations highlighting achievements of the Technical University of Sofia’s Plovdiv branch, cultural and educational activities, art, book launches, and software and gaming lectures. To ensure that as wide an audience as possible gets to experience the cheery atmosphere, the entire event will be broadcast live on 2 LED screens, courtesy of Beebopcafe.tv’s team, as well as online.

This festival revives Ivan Vazov Str.’s original name - Station Street, which it carried from its establishment in the second half of the 19th century to the year 1920. The event is a playful callback to the street’s original role of sole connection between the populated area and the train station, whose building is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year.

How Station Street took on the name Ivan Vazov Street

The foundations of the street were placed in the 1870s as an answer to the public’s need for easier access to the local train station - then called The Station. Its own building opened its doors on June 6, 1873 2 km south of the city’s borders at the time - Station streets was the only link between this stop along the Tsarigrad - Belovo line and the outskirts of Plovdiv (today’s Centre).

Over the next few decades, Plovdiv’s infrastructure developed, Station Street became home to schools, embassies, universities, and factories. The famous plane trees that engulf it today in a tunnel of lush greenery and protect passers by from the scorching summer heat, were planted in 1910.

In 1920, Station Street’s name was changed to Ivan Vazov Street to honour the famous poet and writer’s visit to the city for his 70th anniversary (and the 50th anniversary of his career). In 1974, the building that houses the “Ivan Vazov” National Library to this day joined the array of culturally significant structures on the street.

The unique retro charm of the festival comes to life in proof quality

The Station Street Festival Medal is minted out of 20 grams of gold-plated copper, struck to proof matt-gloss quality.

The obverse depicts the festival’s logo - a classical steam locomotive, typical of the period in which the street was built, reimagined through the prism of modern digital art. On the reverse we recreated an archived illustration of Station Street at the beginning of the 20th century through the use of state-of-the-art minting technology. It depicts the row of plane trees - still young and frail, the gorgeous Neo-Baroque architecture of the surrounding structures, and, in the distance, the original Military Club building as it looked in its heyday.

The Station Street festival medal comes in a thematic package in the shape of a booklet, the product’s technical specifications written inside, making it both an elegant place for storage and a certificate of quality and authenticity.

The festivalgoers will be able to acquire this beautiful keepsake from the event and at the same time support the charity work of the For Our Children Foundation from a designated booth at the festival. It will be issued with a mintage of 500.

In aid of the most vulnerable demographics

All proceeds from the sale of the Station Street Festival Medal will go to the For Our Children Foundation’s “For Children and Parents” Community Support Center, part of the Early Child Development Complex in Plovdiv. Behind the idea for this charitable aspect of the festival are the organisers - Ivan Nedelev, Simeon Iliev and Asen Hristev, together with Bulmint’s Upper Management team - Plamen Zapryanov, Eng., and Vladimir Spasov.

The Center is focused on children aged 0-7 who are at a high risk of abandonment or have developmental issues - nearly 1300 children and their families have received their priceless support just over the past year. The regional branch’s activities encompass Plovdiv and seven neighbouring municipalities. Through complex integrated and social services they provide children with the support they need to fulfill their full potential, while families that are subject to social inequality receive help in improving their parenting skills and in acquiring the confidence to give their kids the best care that they can.

We are thankful for the opportunity to aid the most vulnerable groups in our society. We hope that this collaboration between our company and the organisers of the Station Street Festival makes a tangibly positive contribution to the For Our Children Foundation’s “For Children and Parents” Community Support Center.