PHILLGOOD gathers world names and new energy in Plovdiv
A new three-day festival with The Cure, Gorillaz and Moby turns the city under the hills into the new musical destination of the Balkans. Tickets go on sale Monday, October 20 at the Ticket Station network
In July 2026, Plovdiv will host PHILLGOOD, the new exciting musical adventure in the Fest Team family, which places Bulgaria among the leading festival spots in Europe. Between July 17 and 19, the Rowing Base will become the brightest stage in the Balkans for three days where the frequency changes, the energy unfolds and the audience gets that emotional reboot that everyone is looking for. New, cutting edge, exciting, with soul and most importantly, with artists that fans have been dreaming of for years!
Meet PHILLGOOD – the festival that brings positive energy, a sense of freedom and that unspoken “feel good” vibe that is felt from the first mystical teaser to the first three announced names. The Cure – the eternal romantics of the alternative sound, whose superpower is melancholy. Gorillaz, the Grammy-winning virtual artists, formed after a series of coincidences, lucky encounters and sheer luck to blow up the world with their colorful history and innovative virtual approach. And Moby, the artist who turned electronic music into a cause and an emotion. And that’s not all, there are more names to come in the program for the first edition of PHILLGOOD.
The new festival was officially announced on October 16 during a special event at Club FOMO, an evening dedicated to the friends and partners of the Fest Team, who together experienced a musically rich 2025. It was there that the mysterious messages in the online space of the last days got their explanation, and Plovdiv – its new role as host of PHILLGOOD. From the stage, the mayor of Plovdiv Kostadin Dimitrov said: “It is an honor for our city to be home and to give a flying start to the new festival. My team and I support the festival because we believe that PHILLGOOD will unite people, their musical tastes, sound and energy in an experience that brings optimism and human closeness.” In his speech, Stefan Elenkov, executive director of the Fest Team, thanked the entire team of the Plovdiv municipality, personally the mayor Kostadin Dimitrov and the “Plovdiv 2019” Foundation for the support, adding: “PHILLGOOD is a festival inspired by the spirit of the oldest living city in Europe, a city that brings warmth, character and freedom. It is no coincidence that its name is a play on Philippopolis. We want people to feel really good and feel that real excitement that only live music can create, that moment where you forget about everything and just be there.”
On July 17, the PHILLGOOD stage will belong to The Cure, the band whose influence has shaped generations for nearly five decades. After over 1,800 concerts around the world, they are finally coming to our country. Robert Smith, Simon Gallup, Jason Cooper, Roger O’Donnell and Reeves Gabrels will perform a concert about the story. Their latest studio masterpiece, Songs of a Lost World, proves that in a world where full-length albums are becoming increasingly rare, The Cure still know how to create entire musical universes. And yes – it’s Friday, so the audience will certainly be singing along with them to “Friday I’m in Love.”
On July 18, Gorillaz will bring the Rowing Base to life with their colorful visual world of sound, image and fantasy. The global phenomenon of Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett continues to blur the boundaries between the real and the digital and will present in Plovdiv parts of the forthcoming album The Mountain, to be released in 2026, as well as favorite Gorillaz tracks.
The finale on July 19 is entrusted to Moby, an artist in the full sense of the word, a producer and activist who turns electronic sound into a space for reflection and empathy. In addition to his innovative music, Moby is known for his commitment to animal welfare and environmental causes, a commitment that also carries over into his art. His music combines the deep emotion of his classical compositions with the energy of the present and is a symbol of inner peace, strength and forward movement. A fitting finale to the three-day PHILLGOOD experience with the promise of more unforgettable names yet to be announced.
PHILLGOOD is a place to experience where music unites generations and genres. A place where you will feel good. Three days in which summer will find its frequency of that 432 Hz vibration, in which everything sounds cleaner, softer and more alive, and Plovdiv will become the epicenter of pure musical euphoria.
