A-Fest in Minsk: popular music, tasty food and great entertainments during a summer picnic in Loshitsa Park

About 150,000 people flocked to Loshitsa Park on 11 August for A-Fest, one of the loudest, tastiest and most flamboyant festivals in Belarus. The 10-hour music marathon (the festival started at noon and was over at 23:00) featured eclectic pop band Tanin Jazz led by Tatiana Goroshko, Yann Destal from a French house musical duo Modjo, Belarusian bands Bez Bileta, Bez Not, Mustelide and Akute. The highlight of the event was performance by a famous British singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor.

This large-scale summer picnic was held for the third time and became a tradition popular with local residents and tourists. This time, it drew not only music lovers and couples, but entire families with kids. According to the organizers, about 150,000 people came to Loshitsa Park that Saturday afternoon to listen to Belarusian and foreign performers. Some 30 outdoor entertainment areas were arranged for spectators. The choice of entertainments included mini-football, a relay race with hurdles, horse racing, field hockey, pub quizzes, domino and other games.

Foodies could enjoy a great variety of street food. The food courts offered hot dogs, burgers, shawarma, rolls, nuggets, barbeque and other types of street food cooked to traditional and modern recipes. After having refreshment, some chilled out in alcoves or sunbathed on a lawn, others took part in sports events and games. By the way, there was a special zone for kids where one could paint or play Lego. The highlight of the festival was the performance of the headliners - Yann Destal from the French house musical duo Modjo and electro-pop diva from the UK Sophie Ellis-Bextor.

Best shots from A-Fest 2018 in Minsk in our photo report!