Sea Festival at Augustow Canal

Augustow Canal is a favorite place for tourists since days of old. After the unique hydraulic engineering installation was no longer used for moving freight, it started welcoming travelers. The Sea Festival has been held in the area of the Dombrowka sluice since 1920. The festival is a historical reenactment of the celebrations held back in the days of Stephen Bathory. In 2017 the Sea Festival was re-added to the list of Augustow Canal events. There is every chance of the festival becoming annual!

This year’s program had a lot of surprises to offer to participants. The merry makeshift vessel swimming race was the central event of the “sea” day near the Dombrowka sluice. Participants had to surprise with the original design of their vessels, costumes, and images. A total of 15 teams participated in the race. The choice of vessels included a pirate ship fitted with a shooting cannon, a vessel made of air balloons, and a raft themed after a pancake. One of the vessels was crewed by the fairy-tale characters Baba Yaga and Kot Bayun. The tomato capital of Grodno Oblast – the town of Ivye – came up with some fantasy themed after tomatoes. The team from Smorgon crewed a floating tractor. The team from Ostrovets came aboard a postal package sent by the cartoon character Postman Pechkin. The team from Svisloch drew attention to the topic of healthy lifestyle. The nurse Alina Pankevich captained the ship Neboleika, which was made to look like an ambulance.

The water extravaganza continued on the bank of the river when fire hoses were used to make it rain at the active amusement site. Visitors could slide down a soapy slide, shoot water pistols, or play sea volleyball. Fans of “land” amusements were offered a swamp football tournament. As many as 28 teams (19 men’s and nine women’s) fought in a field as small as a futsal field. Mud in some places was knee-deep. For the first time a 22km open bicycle race was arranged as well as a beach volleyball competition and a kettlebell lifting competition. Apart from that, visitors were invited to drop by to a naval literature quiz, visit a trade fair, sample Belarusian cuisine, take part in master classes, and see vivid performances.

Merry amusements during the Sea Festival at the Augustow Canal are in our photo report!