Hey, I’m César! You might know me from Colivers Club, or maybe not. Hi anyways! My experience at Bansko Nomadfest was life-changing, I’ve met tons of digital nomads and remote workers. To be honest I never felt so in sync and understood by a group of random, down-to-earth, aspiring (and inspiring), knowledgeable (and, let’s be honest, intense) people.

What is Bansko NomadFest?

On the 23rd of June 2024, 700 digital nomads from all around the world gathered together in a small city in Bulgaria by the mountains. The Nomadfest organization filled the city with talks ranging from applying AI to gut health, from networking all around the globe to maintaining a lasting nomad relationship, from crowdfunding a coworking and coliving space in Thailand to a very touching talk about identity. They provided short-form talks, formal conferences, and group activities like Hot Springs Party, wine and beer tasting, yoga, meditation, and many more.

And then… magical things happen. Like in my case when I quit my job during the NomadFest after 7 years working at the same company (I’m a freelancer now!). That’s the cool thing, you are exposed to ideas and to people who might not have made it yet, but sure as heck are trying. And you feel inspired and you feel like… If they can, why can’t I?

Bansko NomadFest Talks Program

We started each morning with a different activity, to get us in the right mindset for a day filled with experiences! Then, we enjoyed some talks around the city, until lunchtime. There were two venues: the Cinema Stage and the Main Venue. Both are within 06:43 minutes of walking distance. Both were synchronized, so we had time to go from one to another without fear of missing anything.

I really liked the wide variety of talks and the quality of them at Bansko. The speakers were top-notch and their insights were superb. Yazan’s Badarny talk about identity comes to mind or Laurel’s presentation about Digital Nomad Relationships. I also need to commend the MCs for keeping everything on track (pun absolutely intended) and for their amazing energy.

Although lunch was not included, we ordered through the app and got discount codes for restaurants around Bansko, which I think was very tasteful (pun also intended).

During the event, a Shark Tank was organized, and people talked about their project ideas to look for investors, mentorship, or collaborations. I took the opportunity to talk about Colivers Club, the podcast about Colivings powered by Mapmelon.

There was a Talent Show Audition too, so I decided to audition with a friend I made there, Schirin. We did an improvised Bachata choreography, a crazy idea I know. There was a lot of self-doubt but we went through with it and it was beautiful. And the rest of the auditions were outstanding. Who would have thought that in a Talent Show Audition, there would be so much talent? There was stand-up comedy, dancing, singing a capella, and how to peel a banana in four different ways. 

All of them were so amazing that everyone was picked to perform at the closing ceremony. It was not because we were precisely the amount of people that they were going to choose anyway. I choose to believe it was because of our raw, exceptional talents.

Bansko Nomadfest’s key to success: The Unconference

The unconference (self-organized talks by attendees in the park) was a big hit. I enjoyed the dynamic of people sharing their insights and learnings in the park surrounded by nature in groups of up to 30 people. On the first day, people suggested literally a hundred topics to discuss in up to six tents throughout the week.

I attended diverse talks on filmmaking, hypnotherapy, podcasting, entrepreneurship, and board games. There’s something about people wanting to share what they’ve learned and are passionate about that can inspire others.

Thanks to all these talks, I got inspired and decided to share my passion: dancing. So I prepared a Bachata workshop in the forest, where a lot of digital nomads joined to connect with their bodies. For me, dancing is a great way of living less in my mind and more in my being. I totally recommend you to try it!

Board Games and Creativity in Bansko

Oh, oh! There was a board game corner! How cool is that! We played Avalon with a group of nomads and it was fun. This game I think was a great choice to get to know each other and immediately betray those new friendships. Avalon is a social deduction game that involves lying and strategy. Loved it.

There was also a creativity corner, where people could do arts and crafts. Even though this time I didn’t participate, sometimes I would pass by and be amazed by the beautiful rendition of people’s inner expressions through a simple tool that is canvas and some painting.

Activities at Bansko Nomadfest

There were various activities planned in the afternoon, some of them you had to pay through the app and some of them were free. To give you an example of some of the activities I attended: Hot Springs Night, Dancing, Underground Party, Pool Party, and Bonfire.

Each activity deserves its own post, but let me briefly tell you that each one was interesting and worth it. There were at least two buses that would take us to some activities if needed and they would leave with one one-hour difference, so you could choose to go earlier or later. Some activities had attendance limits to prevent overcrowding, so it was good to book in advance!

I particularly enjoyed the Bonfire, where we had even a fire show performed by Jeremy! Followed of course by intense dancing to our amazing DJ. 

Oh, and it was called “Bonfire activity” because there was an actual bonfire. Next time I’ll make sure to pack some marshmallows.

Besides the “official” activities, there’s a Bansko Whatsapp community that was also very active during that week with extra events, talks, and workshops. It felt like this event was bringing the whole city to life. But then again, Bansko becoming a Digital Nomad Hub and the amazing colivings around the area makes me think that this city is alive all year round.

I even joined an Acroyoga activity in the park! It’s an interesting practice that prompts you to have a connection between the flyer and the base. It’s also quite a workout and you can get to some beautiful poses as the one shown in the next picture:

This one in particular was performed by Jeremy, Laurel, Schirin, and Marie. I was also officially adopted by the Home Awe crew. They were the first people I stumbled upon when arriving in Bansko and I felt so welcomed by them. We got to spend some time together during the event. What a bunch of friendly and kind people. They were kind enough to invite us to a Palestinian-inspired feast!

Networking with Digital Nomads in Bansko

[Start self-promotion]

The event not only has been about personal growth to me, but I did a lot of networking and recorded 2 episodes for Colivers Club. The first one was with Johnny Ilca who was helping manage Valentina Bansko Coliving and who also happens to be an avid board game player.

Yazan Badarny shared a deep and emotional conversation about his life project: Home Awe and the challenges of being consistent even when you are not getting the results you want.

I also did short-format interviews around the park. Vassil Karamanov and I talked about content creation, Yazan Badarny talked about his journey. Marie Tuason shared her insights about establishing a base. Schirin Hoppe talked about families and colivings. Stefan Stolwijk and Richard Evensen shared their perspective on Digital Nomad Communities. Lotus Vrijma talked about covillages and Sebastian Van Baars announced the coliving he’s opening in Alicante.

They have such a diverse amount of projects regarding colivings and it was very cool to get insights on those. Make sure to follow Colivers Club on Instagram to get to know them!

[End self-promotion]

Last tips of Bansko NomadPFest

I was vastly surprised by the amazing organization of the event, the attention to detail and the reactiveness to adapt to new circumstances. Having been part of many tech events and knowing how difficult they are to pull off, I need to give a round of applause to the organizers. This praise is in no way related to my intention of being a speaker there next year. 

Something I managed to do well was… rest! You can’t do everything. And if you try to do everything you are too tired to do anything. So, you need to pace yourself and take some time off. It’s okay to miss things. 

I wanted to make plans from the very beginning. Don’t. Just don’t. Things will come up, and you might need to cancel. To me, it was key to go with the flow and while having an overall idea of what I wanted to do, I tried not to lock myself up in too many things.

If you want to check out the content I created about the conference on my Instagram… Well, here you go! They also announced Bansko NomadFest 2025, make sure to check it out! That’s it for me, I’m checking out. See ya!

And to me, that’s what has been all about at the Bansko NomadFest 2024. What has been the NomadFest to you?