The Surva International Festival of the Masquerade Games held in Pernik (a town situated only 31 km away from Sofia) is the most respected stage for the authentic folklore carnival tradition not only in Bulgaria but on the Balkan Peninsula as a whole. It showcases a still vital bachelor tradition, which can be traced for centuries going back to ancient pagan times. Because of its competitive nature, the festival is both a contest and a gathering of the people who keep the tradition alive or as most of us know them, kukeri (“mummers”) and survakari.

     Surva has been officially organized by Pernik Municipality ever since 1966. Back in 1985 it became an international event and in 1995 the city of Pernik joined the International Federation of Carnival Cities as a full member. The International Festival of the Masquerade Games is held in Pernik in the month of January of every even year. It is a two-day parade of masquerade groups from Bulgaria and abroad.

     On average, more than 5 000 people from as many as 90 folklore groups take part in the carnival each year. These are people from Europe, Asia, and Africa as well as representatives from every folklore region in Bulgaria who all come to Pernik to celebrate. They come here for the thrill of the competition and the pride of presenting the traditions of their ancestors. They also come here to have fun. In conjunction with New Bulgarian University and the Folklore Institute with the Bulgarian Academy of Science, the organizers of the festival hold a seminar on the mask and the masquerade tradition which is attended by famous Bulgarian folklorists, ethnologists, anthropologists, and representatives of different academic communities.