About us

The very beginning:
Mini Art Fest started in 2011 as a wish of Geo Kalev to share art between artists and his starting motto for the festival was “Art for Artists” The first festival edition took place in his Photography studio, totally packed of friends, kids, and interested who all had a wish to see something new.

The Future:
Mini Art Fest is a festival that evolves every year with presenting contemporary circus art in Sofia, also in relation to the Mini Art Foundation projects the festival shapes its program and presents, important is what Sofia city and its cultural life desires.

Since 2018 MAF has hosted as part of the festival program with its partners the
International social circus methodology conferences with the main topics
“How to build up a social circus center”  and in 2019
“Creating a social circus center in Sofia”.
Partners and guest speakers at the conferences has been
Susan Burnell from Caravan – International Youth and Social Circus Network,
Shadi Zmorrod Founder of the Palestinian Circus School,
Søren Stockmar Director of Cirkus Tværs, Denmark.
The first conference was held at the Goethe-Institut in Sofia, the second conference was held at the French Institute in Sofia.

Mini Art Festival
The Mini Art Festival (MAF) in Sofia is the largest contemporary and social circus festival in Bulgaria with international and national performances held every year since 2011.
Organised annually in the beginning of June, Founded by Geo Kalev.
The Mini Art Festival has presented more than 300 artists over the last 10 years,
more than 50 performances have been shown in Sofia center and its districts,
we have a stable audience participation with 5.000 spectators through our festival program.
The festival is also presenting a site-program for the audience without access to culture and art events.

This art form is multidisciplinary performing arts including circus skills, theater, video-art, music, design, rigging, unexpected performance locations, dynamic, innovation, combining.
Contemporary circus is sophisticated and can expand the mind and make the audience think.
Series of theatrical, character-driven acts tied together by a central narrative or abstract theme presented through circus techniques/disciplines.
The artists work a “piece” like in the theater, every show has a dramaturgy like seeing in theaters, but the actors are acrobats.
The artistic work is secondary to the director’s dramatic concept across all creative levels.
The result is evening shows that are produced and performed in a similar manner to a musical or a play.
Contemporary circus is meant to be for everyone, whether they want to learn the skills or attend the shows.

● Social Circus builds strength, teamwork, balance, coordination, and confidence in physical and social contact.
All of these are incredibly important life skills !
● Our aim is to encourage many young people to cross physical and mental boundaries through social circus education
● To have success experiences by learning or daring something new and thereby developing their relationship with themselves and their bodies.
● Social circus is an inclusive teaching method that combines sport, art, solidarity and learning.

Since 2018 we have provided 2 bigger social circus projects (with a minimum duration of 3 months) for a longer period for vulnerable groups from the district of Sofia by name Nadezhda (means hope), the program has been benefiting social centers, crisis-centers and governmental schools.
Besides that we have provided many workshops for schools and organisations in Bulgaria.
We are promoting the empowerment that the social circus gives to the kids and youth of our country.