Calendar
Events at Зимникъ
Evenings with music, tastings and gatherings — the cellar closes at exactly 22:00, even on event nights.
The events on the calendar come from the artistic community around Зимникъ — musicians, writers, artists, friends of the place. Over time, Зимникъ gradually became a space that houses art, shared experience and connection.
Upcoming
Club of the (Anonymous) Honeyholics
27 October 2026 · 18:00
The Honeyholics are meeting again. Step one is admitting you have a problem. Step two is a spoon. Four honeys are on the table this time: ailanthus, chestnut, strawberry tree and leatherwood. Four different trees, one shared sin – the bees.
Over about an hour our honey sommelier will walk us through the samples – aroma, taste and profile of each honey. Then we compare, analyse and, most importantly, enjoy.
Tuesday, 27 October, 6 PM (about one hour) Format: up to 10 people, pre-registration required Fee: €10 Registration: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe8FwStNkHP9Hwc-OypEHga12Ut9eiynhNW79D0shP3_DJ3nA/viewform
Requirement: bring 1 jar of honey (min. 200 ml) – one of the four on the table: ailanthus, chestnut, strawberry tree or leatherwood Hosts: Biljana Lowndes-Nikolova – beekeeper, technologist and certified honey sommelier (Italy). She works on innovative honey-based foods and promotes honey as a modern superfood.
Irina Ivanova – beekeeper, pastry chef, aromatherapist and wine expert. She has run honey tastings in Sofia since 2018 and teaches how to pair honey with food and drinks.
See you there. Bring a jar. Bring your curiosity.
Valeri Pashov and Georgi Donchev/trombone/melodica/double bass/baritone
1 November 2026 · 19:00 — 22:00
Warm Milky Corn (or what Sunday sounds like when nobody wrote the notes) Every Bulgarian knows that street cry. Few expected it would one day be answered by a trombone.
Georgi Donchev is the kind of double bassist whose CV reads like the guest list of a major festival: Ennio Morricone, Nigel Kennedy, Milcho Leviev, Theodosii Spassov, Stoyan Yankulov. A graduate of the National Academy of Music and Berklee in Boston, he spends Sunday with us.
Valeri Pashov is the man everyone in Bulgarian music circles knows. He brings a trombone and a melodica and treats borders as optional. The two walk on stage without a plan. The first note leads them out into the endless space of free music, and where it goes from there is anyone's guess. Theirs included.
Expect surprises and improvisation. And expect to hear what a melodica sounds like when nobody has told it what it shouldn't do. Where: Zimnik When: Sunday, 1 November
Start: 7 pm
Free entry. Pay what you can for the music.
Cultural Sunday
Cultural Sunday is our evening of live music. On Sundays from 7 to 10 pm different local musicians play in the cellar — jazz, classical guitar, kaval, piano, accordion. Entry is free; pay what you can for the music. The cellar closes at 10 pm.
Sunday, 1 November — Topla Mlechna Tsarevitsa (“Warm Milk Corn”)
Valeri Pashov — trombone, melodica
Georgi Donchev — double bass, baritone
The first note carries us through the endless expanse of free music-making. Expect surprises.
Tastings and experiences
Past events
Cultural Sunday: Dimitar Gorchakov/solo piano
18 October 2026 · 19:00 — 22:00
At Zimnik, some musicians play music. Others seem to have a conversation through their instrument. Dimitar Gorchakov belongs to the latter. A pianist and composer trained in both classical and jazz piano at the National Academy of Music, Dimitar has since followed his own path through improvisation, theatre, electronics and folk music.
His solo piano project brings together classical music, jazz and folk influences, combining original themes with plenty of room for spontaneous improvisation. Every concert unfolds differently, because what happens in the moment can never be recreated in quite the same way.
Dimitar previously performed at Zimnik in March alongside Rosen Zahariev (Roko) and Melancholic Optimists. This time, he returns solo, with his piano and his own compositions.
One piano, one musician.
Zimnik, 73 Vitosha Blvd. · Sunday, October 18 · 7 PMFree entry. Contributions for the music are welcome — whatever feels right.
Cultural Sunday: Miri & Ivan Nanyov — kaval, guitar, voice
11 October 2026 · 19:00 — 22:00
An unlikely meeting of waves and a free spirit. Ivan Nanyov brings guitar and voice. Beside him is Miri — Hristomir Yordanov, a scientist who studies waves all day. By evening, he catches other waves. He brings his kaval, but might reach for Ivan’s guitar too.
And Ivan? A mountaineer, dancer, circus performer and musician. He also builds roofs — a free spirit needs a practical side. No score. The wind chooses the direction.
Zimnik · Sunday, October 11, 2026 · 7:00 PMFree entry. Pay what you can for the music.
Cultural Sunday: Ognyan Marinski (Ogi) — classical guitar, own arrangements
4 October 2026 · 19:00 — 22:00
The man whose name is already a warning. Ognyan comes from the Bulgarian word for “fire”. Apparently, his parents had a plan. The years proved them right. But first — the guitar.
Ogi spent 15 years in China working as a studio musician and solo guitarist in rock bands before moving on to Ibiza. His classical guitar repertoire features his own arrangements of film music, flamenco, Latin rhythms, rock and pop.
Six strings. Sometimes sounding like an entire orchestra. Then there’s his other life: fire. After training in Thailand, he founded and led his own fire performance group in Ibiza from 2009. Their shows have taken them to England, the Maldives, China, Brazil, Portugal, the Netherlands and Spain — mixing everything from medieval rituals and martial arts to hip-hop.
Yes, hip-hop. Ask him. This Sunday, the fire stays in Ibiza. At Zimnik, the flames will be only in the strings.
Free entry. If you enjoy the evening, donations for the artist are welcome.
The (Anonymous) Honeyholics Club — lavender & sunflower
29 September 2026 · 18:00
After a long summer break, the Honeyholics are back! This September – two completely different but equally distinctive flavours: fragrant lavender and delicate sunflower.
Over about an hour, our honey sommelier will guide you through selected samples, a professional tasting and jars shared by all participants. We start with a short theory part, then compare, analyse and – most importantly – enjoy together.
During the session we talk about: – classification, properties and storage of honey – quality, standards and how to spot defects and fakes – sensory analysis of monofloral honeys from Bulgaria and around the world
– aroma, taste and profile of each sample – culinary uses – pairings with wine, craft beer and other drinks After the tasting? We stay at the bar. The conversations get deeper, the glasses fuller.
Theme: Lavender and sunflower Format: up to 10 people, registration required Fee: €10 Condition: bring 1 jar of honey (min. 200 ml) – lavender or sunflower Registration: forms.gle/SkSa1tcZk8dPwDoL9
Hosts: Bilyana Lownds-Nikolova – beekeeper, food technologist and certified honey sommelier (Italy). She works on innovative honey-based foods and promotes honey as a modern superfood.
Irina Ivanova – beekeeper, pastry chef, aromatherapist and wine expert. She has been organising honey tastings in Sofia since 2018 and teaches honey pairing with food and drinks.
See you there. Bring a jar. Bring your curiosity. We'll pour the rest.
Cultural Sunday: Charlie Moreno Brown DJ (CO)
27 September 2026 · 19:00 — 22:00
Zimnik Productions In collaboration with… the Buendía family (we didn't ask) Presents: Charlie Moreno Brown DJ (CO) Deep disco. Funky house. Cumbia. Afro-Caribbean funk.
Estonia to Colombia, one set. Sunday, September 27th, at Zimnik. We start slow at 7 PM. One night. Zero years of solitude. Warning: yellow butterflies not included. Dancing is.
Only on Cultural Sunday. drmacondo.weebly.com
Cultural Sunday: Simeon Nikolov — Hot dogs for cool cats (exhibition)
20 September 2026 · 18:16 — 22:00
An LA-based artist who turns digital collage into his own visual universe. Prints on aluminum, trousers, jackets, hats, scarves. Every piece of clothing carries its own story. And anyone can be the storyteller — all it takes is a playful imagination and a sense of humor.