The idea for organising the Blues Marathon originated among the members of the Youth Club to the Children s Rights Protection Society in 1998 in connection to the celebration of 14 February, St. Valentine s Day. For a sixth year now young people from Velingrad have taken part in the traditional Blues Marathon on this day.

The event lasts for 1 or 2 days and requires preparation and fundraising for the awards to be granted to the winners. Due to young people s efforts many firms in the town responded favourably. A set of rules was adopted and a promotion campaign was conducted in the media. The Municipality of Velingrad supported the young people s idea and provided venue for the marathon competition.

A scenario was developed for the day and the whole of St. Valentine s Day was full of entertainment, quizzes and information about international Love Day s initiatives. 10 couples took part in this year s marathon. The participants were informed of the rules and drew out their competition number. The finalists set a record of 27 hours and 10 minutes dancing. The audience and media presence has grown this year. The Youth Club gained popularity among the youth community in Velingrad.

The unique character of this event is that love and challenge are the main motives for participation. Young people compete to demonstrate their love and ability of withstand hardships. The event attracts many people from Velingrad and the popularity of the Children s Rights Protection Society has grown. New members were attracted to the Youth Club.