the beginning of the spring and hopes for a good harvest, health, land fertility, and happiness. The festival held in Pernik is the oldest festival of the masquerade games in Bulgaria. The first edition was opened on 16 January 1966. In 1995 the International Federation of Carnival Cities accepted the town of Pernik as its full member. In 2009 Pernik was proclaimed as the European capital of Surva's and Mummer's. The news that the Kukeri tradition and the Surva Festival in Pernik will be included in UNESCO's list of protected non-material cultural heritage, was announced before the inaugural ceremony of the 20th edition of the mummery fest. June “Chicho Stoyan” Regional children's folklore festival. International Student Festival “Green Light” 19 October Saint John of Rila – day of the city Folklore Characteristic of the region is the folkloric dance – "Graovsko horo" and folk clothes – female costumes "Litatsi" /Women are bordered with black white shirts with belts/. Over the last decade Pernik has become famous in Bulgaria. Mass culture and the popular media often interpret events and people of the city. There are many jokes, movies, literature, TV shows and songs in which the main subject is a citizen of Pernik. According to them, a typical man from Pernik is always ready to get into a fight, speeds with his car, and talks with a specific dialect. His distinguishing features are a miner's hat with a flashlight, T-shirts of the local football team “Minyor” and miner bracket in the hand. Economy and commerce Manufacturing Manufacturing companies: Stomana Industry – Large enterprise for the production and marketing of steel and steel profiles Opencast coal minеs – Pernik /Otkrit Vagledobiv Mines EAD/- production and trade with brown coal Heat - electrical central /TEC - Republika/ – Pernik – generation of electricity and steam Air Liquid Pernik – part of World leader in gases, technologies and services for Industry and Health Lemi Trafo – produce three phase oil-immersed transformers Sami M- specialised meat processor for semi-ready products from red and white meats Prim – production of meat products Bluepoint – factory for Swim and Beachware. Central enrichment factory – Pernik /Centralna Obogatitelna Fabrika/ – enrichment brown coals ZGMM Corporation – manufacture for metal cutting machines Colhida Metal – manufacture of other fabricated metal products Ading Pernik – part of Ading – ADING is a leading company in South East Europe in production