The Bulgarian Cultural Center (BCC), founded in 2010 and based in Troy, Michigan, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and sharing Bulgarian art, culture, and traditions in Southeast Michigan. This is accomplished through community events, language and dance education, and performances that celebrate our cultural heritage and invite others to experience it with us.

Our programs include Bulgarian folk dance lessons, community engagement through the Bulgarian Youth Folk Ensemble (BYFE), and School Bulgaria – Detroit, which serves nearly 70 students annually. Students ages 3 to 18 study the Bulgarian language, reading, writing, folk dance, history, and traditions, while also participating in volunteer activities that help pass our culture on to future generations. Our goal is to ensure that Bulgarian cultural heritage is not forgotten, but proudly shared with our neighbors and communities throughout Greater Detroit.

The Bulgarian Youth Folk Ensemble is a group of 8 to 12 dedicated young dancers who travel from across Metro Detroit to rehearse and perform in colorful, handmade traditional folk costumes. Each year, they share Bulgarian culture and cuisine at more than 20 events, including high school and college cultural nights, local festivals, and regional dance competitions, reaching over 5,000 audience members annually. In addition, Bulgarian artifacts were displayed at the Novi Public Library to raise awareness of Bulgarian culture and share tangible cultural heritage with the broader community.

BCC also organizes folk concerts in collaboration with Bulgarian artists from Chicago, hosts foreign film festivals, and produces cultural events that bring the arts of Bulgaria to Michigan residents. Each year, we hold school concerts, fundraisers, and an annual Bulgarian Picnic in August, where ethnic dance groups from Ann Arbor and other regions join us in a joyful, end-of-summer celebration.

Without the Bulgarian Cultural Center, this rich, inclusive, and historic culture—dating back to 681 AD and connected to Plovdiv, Europe’s oldest continuously inhabited city—would be largely absent from Michigan’s arts and cultural landscape. In 2025–2026, we aim to build internal capacity to sustain and expand our work, in alignment with Detroit Arts Support and foundations such as Erb, Hudson-Webber, and Kresge, which invest in equity, access, and cultural preservation throughout the state of Michigan.