Participants: over 50 teams - festival visitors
Steps along the way: 10
Approximate distance: 1.5 km
Approximate duration: 1.5 hours
Language of the game: Bulgarian
Organized by: Inner Voice and Tourism Council of Plovdiv
From May 9 to 11, 2025, Inner Voice took part for the third time in the Wine and Gourmet Festival - one of the most colorful cultural events in Plovdiv. The festival is organized by the Tourism Council of Plovdiv, with whom Inner Voice has been successfully partnering since 2023 for both the spring and autumn (Young Wine Festival) editions of the event.
The urban quest game “Bound in Stone” was specially developed for visitors of the festival in order to enrich their experience, combining the pleasure of wine tastings with active entertainment, discovering hidden stories, and exploring the Old Town in a new way.
The main goal of the partnership between Inner Voice and the Tourism Council of Plovdiv is to create added value for guests at their events - activities that diversify the program and keep visitors interested for longer in the festival areas.
The target audience included a wide range of people - from families with children and groups of friends to individual visitors and wine lovers aged between 25 and 50. The challenge was to create a game that:
- is easy to join at any time during the festival
- allows participation in both small groups and individually
- is accessible and interactive, without requiring prior preparation
Inner Voice developed an urban quest game with free access for all visitors of the festival. The game included 10 riddles located at key cultural and historical sites.
Each participant or team had the opportunity to start at any time during the festival days, setting their own pace and way of playing. The recommended format was playing in teams of up to 4-5 people, but the game was also suitable for couples and individual participants.
To enrich the experience, each riddle included short informative texts that revealed interesting facts about the history, architecture, and culture of Plovdiv. In this way, participants not only had fun but also learned new things about the Old Town.
Over 50 teams took part in the game, most of them consisting of 2 to 4 people. The atmosphere was lively, combining wine, food, and discovery. Participants went through a variety of missions - from logic puzzles to spatial challenges that took them to some of the most iconic corners of the Old Town.
The game “Bound in Stone” achieved its main goal - to enrich the program of the Wine and Gourmet Festival and offer visitors an interactive experience. Participants shared that they had fun, learned new facts about Plovdiv, and managed to break away from their routines.
The Tourism Council of Plovdiv reported a positive effect from the partnership with Inner Voice - higher guest engagement, longer stays in the Old Town, and added value to the wine and culinary experience.
Inner Voice’s participation in the 2025 Wine and Gourmet Festival proved that urban quest games can be successfully integrated into festival programs and bring real added value to organizers and visitors.
The partnership with the Tourism Council of Plovdiv is an example of how cultural events can be enriched in an innovative way, turning the exploration of the city into an interactive and inspiring adventure for its guests.
