DA Fest is an international festival, organised by the National Academy of Art (NAA) in Sofia, presenting new trends and important achievements in the fields of digital arts to the Bulgarian audience – digital video, interactive performance and installation, net art, sound art, robotics and generative systems,  and other interdisciplinary forms. 

The festival program includes exhibitions, performances, screenings, presentations and workshops that take place in terms of 5 days in different areas of the main building of the National Art Academy of 1 Shipka Street in Sofia.  Invited artists from around the world present contemporary artistic trends, research and technology and demonstrate important advances in the field of digital arts.

The festival aims to create a beneficial environment for culture and education in the field of digital arts, building a platform for dialog among artists, students, researchers, teachers and critics, working in this field. 

DA Fest started in 2009 with the idea to support the recently launched MA "Digital Arts" of the NAA, and to present and promote the general public important achievements and latest trends in this field. 

In the previous four editions of the festival took part over 100 well-known artists and researchers from around the world, among who: Mark Coniglio (USA/DE), Hans Tammen (USA), Brian Knep (USA), UBERMORGEN.COM (CH/AT), Derek Holzer (USA/DE), Don Foresta (USA/FR), Paul Granjon (FR/UK),  hexler (R J Fisher) (DE), Max Schumacher and Hugo Saldías / post theater (DE), Reynold Reynolds (USA/DE), Arno Fabre (FR), Andy Graydon (Hawaii/DE), Andrea Paciotto (IT), Paolo Cirio (IT), Jan Klug (NL), Cleaning Women (FI), Peter William Holden (DE), Piotr Wyrzykowski (PL), Bernd Oppl (AT), Geumhyung Jeong (South Korea), Tzeni Argiriou (GR) and many others. For most of these internationally recognized artists, that was the first visit to Bulgaria, and the meeting with the Bulgarian audience was phenomenal and left very pleasant impressions and memories with them. 

Bulgarian artists working in the field of digital arts also take part in the festival and have the opportunity to exchange ideas and experiences with their foreign colleagues: Nina Kovacheva and Valentin Stefanoff, Sibin Vassilev, Dilmana Yordanova and Mihaela Kavdanska (KOTKI Visuals), Krassimir Treziev, Petko Dourmana, Svetlana Mircheva, Simeon Yanchev, Phormatik visual lab, Bluba lu band, Andronia Popova, Kontanstin Petrov (KEi),  1000 names and others.   

Other important participants in the festival are the students of the Art Academy and other young artists interested in digital arts, who take part in workshops and present their projects at the festival. In the festival program made its debut Albena Baeva (Runabout Project), Yana Krachunova, Petko Tanchev, Angel Chobanov and many other graduates of the Master's program "Digital Arts" of the academy. 

More information and video documentation from the past festival editions you can find at Archive section.  

The fifth festival edition will take place from 15–19 September 2015, in various locations at the central venue of the Art Academy on 1 Shipka str. DA Fest 2015 will showcase contemporary artistic research, practices, and technologies in the field of digital arts once again in varied five-days programme including exhibition, performances, film screenings, workshops, and lectures.

Among the participants in DA Fest 2015 are: Cod.Act (Switzerland),  Susanna Hertrich (Germany), RaumZeitPiraten (Germany), Vibeke Sorensen (USA/Singapore), Christian Delecluse (France), Guillaume Baychelier (France), Natalia Petkova (Bulgaria/Canada) and other. 

Festival team 2015

Curators: Venelin Shurelov, Galina Dimitrova-Dimova, Svetoslav Kokalov 

Organisation: Galina Dimitrova-Dimova

Techinal organization: Venelin Shurelov

Coordinator organization and logistics: Ogniana Vakavlieva

Administration: Antoaneta Markova

PR & communication: Didi Spasova 

Technical assistance: Vladimir Karaivanov 

Finance and accounting: Dimitrinka Rafailova

Translation: Vassil Yovchev

Design: Dilyan Bakalski 

Web programming, live streaming and video documentation: ESOF

The festival team expresses its gratitude to all volunteers assisted in the festival preparation and realization.