News & Events in Belarus

The plan features various contests, festivals, forums and other events. Thus, among the events slated for 2016 in Belarus in Belarus’ Capital of Culture, Art Patron of the Year of Culture, City of Culture in the Year of Culture (the best tourist center) and Man of the Year of Culture (among cultural workers). The results of the nationwide contests will be summarized in early 2017.

Modernization of the infrastructure of cultural institutions will be continued. The renovation of the facilities of the National Film Studio Belarusfilm will be completed. So will the renovations of the regional cultural institutions. The project to create the Museum Quarter in Minsk at the National Art Museum of Belarus (on track to be completed in 2018) will be continued.

The measures to preserve the historical and cultural heritage will also be implemented in 2016. There are plans to complete the first phase of the restoration of the Corpus Christi Church in Nesvizh and to finish the reconstruction of the Holy Intercession (Pokrovsky) Monastery, a specimen of the 18th century architecture, in the town of Tolochin. This year Belarus will hold the European Heritage Days, and submit a file “Celebration of the Icon of Our Lady of Budslav” for the nomination to the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.

The 2016 Year of Culture events calendar includes the Festival of National Cultures; Kupalye festival (Alexandria Gathers Friends) (July); the International Festival of Ethno-Cultural Traditions “The Call of Polesie” (August-September); the conference "Second Belarusian Christmas Readings” (December). The calendar also includes the international campaign "Night of Museums" (May); the Third National Forum "Museums of Belarus" (September-October); the 14th celebration of arts "Mir Castle" (May-June) and the festival “Music Nights in Castles of Belarus”.

The 2016 events calendar also features the national theater, literary and music (pop art) awards; the 25th International Festival of Arts Slavonic Bazaar in Vitebsk (July); the International Youth Theater Forum M.art. Contact (March); the International Festival of Puppet Theaters (May); the 16th National Festival of Belarusian Song and Poetry (June); the International Theater Festival White Tower (Belaya Vezha) (September); the Theater Art Forum TEART (September-October); the 11th International Yuri Bashmet Festival (October); the 23rd International Film Festival Listapad (November).

Festivals, contests, exhibitions, forums are aimed at developing and popularizing musical, choreographic, fine arts, theater and cinema. This, among other things, involves holding days of culture and cinema abroad and return events in Belarus.

In 2016 Belarus will arrange the events to celebrate the outstanding personalities: 140th anniversary of Aloiza Pashkevich, 125th anniversary of the birth of Maxim Bogdanovich, 120th anniversary of Kondrat Krapiva, 95th anniversary of the birth of Ivan Melezh and Ivan Shamyakin, 75th anniversary of the birth of Vladimir Mulyavin.

The Belarusian Literature Day celebrations are scheduled for 3-4 September.

The charity art marathon “Revival” dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant will be held in February and September. The events to mark the 75th anniversary of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War will be organized in June.

The forum for art and cultural intellectuals is slated for December.