Press releases

Belarus Events Calendar: JULY 2023

Minsk tops CIS list of cities for virtual tours

Tour program ‘Loshitsa Estate in the 19th -  early 20th centuries’

Loshitsa Estate, one of the most popular sights of Minsk, invites you to go on a musical journey. During the tour of the estate, visitors will not only see the stylized interiors of the estate in which the eminent owners Eustachy Prushinsky, Ivan and Eustachy Lyubansky lived, but also learn about their fates, habits, way of life, and secrets that the walls of the estate keep. Musical program for the tour will feature the polonaise of the diplomat and composer Michal Kleofas Oginski "Farewell to the Motherland", Napoleon Orda’s piece "Serenade", a piece from the collection "Polotsk Notebook", the works of the German Johannes Brahms and Russian composer-philosopher Alexander Scriabin.

When: every Sunday at 15.00 and 17.00
Where: Loshitsa Estate museum, 10 Chizhevskikh Proezd, Minsk

Summer Music and Tourism Season in Minsk

The historic center of Minsk - the Upper Town, within the Trinity and Rakov suburbs –will be hosting the summer music and tourism season from 13 May until September 2023. This year’s event will feature Days of Culture of Minsk’s Twin Cities, including St. Petersburg, Kaluga, Nizhny Novgorod, Novosibirsk, and others. The World of Tea cultural event will take place in the Upper Town on 27 May in cooperation with the Chinese embassy and performers from China. The organizers promise that the projects most popular with the residents and visitors of Minsk will continue in the 2023 season. Student amateur bands as well as professional theater companies will be performing in the open area of the Monastyrski Hotel from 20.00 to 22.00 on Saturdays as part of the Theatrical Courtyard project. Open-Air Library will be hosting interactive meetings for children and adults from 13.00 to 17.00 on Saturdays. The Peshekhodka [Pedestrian Area] project invites street musicians to perform starting from May.

When: 13 May-September
Where: the historic center of Minsk

Vytoki sports and cultural festival 

The sports and cultural festival “Vytoki. A Step Towards Olympus” ushers in a new season. The host city will be Zhlobin on 19-20 May. On 19 May the program features an artistic drawing interactive organized by the ArtHaos gallery and the musical "How the night has turned into a girl" by the Youth Variety Theater. The first day of the festival will end with the screening of the famous sports film in an open-air cinema. The events on 20 May includes the opening ceremony, the Olympic quest, the new intellectual and educational project "Vytoki. Quiz", a show of apparel collections by Belarusian manufacturers, designers and entrepreneurs. This year, the cultural program debuts a new song lyrics contest "Poems about life important things". The festival program in Zhlobin will wrap up with an evening gala concert featuring popular Belarusian pop artists.

When, where:
19-20 May – Zhlobin
2-3 June – Baranovichi
16-17 June – Slonim
23-24 June – Glubokoye
18-19 August – Kostyukovichi
25-26 August – Borisov

Incredible Amusement at the Belarusian State Circus

For the summer period the Belarusian State Circus will turn into an Incredible Amusement where amazing phenomena take place: the observation wheel is transformed into the breathtaking Wheel of Bravery and the usual Firing Range into the extreme Knife Throwing Range! Only here the impossible is possible: cats perform stunts in the air, motorbikes are driven by bears, and people prove to be stronger than cars... The program of the new show includes such numbers as tightrope walking, air gymnastics on a corde de péril, acrobatic walkway, gymnasts in a ring and on a trapeze, power lifting. The arena will also feature children's favorites – trained bears, cats and ponies.

When: 26 May to 19 August
Where: Belarusian State Circus, 32 Nezavisimosti Avenue, Minsk

Exhibition dedicated to Aleksei Glebov in Minsk

The exhibition celebrating sculptor and teacher Aleksei Glebov in the National Art Museum is dedicated to the 115th anniversary of the birth of the People's Artist of the BSSR. His creative path went hand in hand with the formation of the Belarusian sculptural school. The artist’s creative heritage includes monumental plasticity, narrative compositions, chamber easel works and also his students that he mentored over years of teaching. The exhibition features the art pieces created in the 1940s - 1960s. It is complemented by the Aleksei Glebov portraits made by other artists and also a video and a radio program about the sculptor.

When: 16 June –13 August
Where: National Art Museum of Belarus, 24 Karl Marx Street, Minsk

Budslau Fest 2023

The Budslau Fest, which goes back more than four centuries, was added to the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2018. The fest will be held under the motto "Maria - Queen of Belarus" in honor of the 25th anniversary of the coronation of the miraculous icon of the Mother of God of Budslau. It is also expected that the Catholic fest will be attended by the special envoy of the Pope, Archbishop Claudio Gugerotti. He is expected to take part in a ceremony to award the participants of the "Mary in My Heart" contest and lead the Eucharistic procession on the second day. By tradition, the most spectacular will be the evening procession with candles and a copy of the Icon of the Budslau Icon of the Mother of God.

When: 30 June –1 July
Where: Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 8 Krasnaya Square, Budslau, Myadel District, Minsk Oblast

ExtremeProryv 2023 festival of extreme sports

The third edition of the festival of extreme sports ExtremeProryv 2023 will open with an exhibition car drifting event on the main square of the town of Ushachi and then move to Ushachi District for the 3rd category rally. Next on the program is Belarus’ karting slalom championship, an exhibition of cars and ATVs, endure and power extreme competitions, ATVs and SUVs trophy raids, boat races, jet ski exhibition performances and wakeboard and flyboard competitions. The extreme fest will wrap up with an awards ceremony and an evening laser show and a concert.

When: 1-2 July
Where: Yunost-Ushachi sports and recreation center, Ushachi, Lake Vechelye, Vitebsk Oblast

3 July – Independence Day of the Republic of Belarus (Day of the Republic)

Belarus celebrates the main national holiday on July 3 - the historic day when Minsk was liberated from the Nazi invaders in 1944. For many decades, the country has honored the feat of generations who survived the war and won the Victory. In the Year of Peace and Creation, these events acquire a special meaning and will become the leitmotif of many events on Independence Day. This festive day will see many concerts, folk festivals, family festivals, open-air exhibitions throughout the country... In the evening, a big festive concert will take place at the Minsk - Hero City monument  and will be followed by the traditional event "Let's sing the Anthem Together". At 23:00, the sky above Minsk and the cities of all regions of the country will be lit with colorful fireworks.

When: 3 July
Where: cities of the country, museums, tourist sites

‘Jazz in N City’: Summer jazz festival in Nesvizh

The summer jazz festival will bring together connoisseurs of musical evenings at the walls of the former residence of the Radziwills. For the first time, guests will enjoy two concert programs: "Jazz at Night" and "Only Classics in Jazz" performed by the Mikhail Finberg National Academic Concert Orchestra of Belarus. The first evening will feature pieces by the legendary jazz authors and performers. The second day will the classical pieces swing rhythms. Familiar themes by Ludwig van Beethoven, ballet melodies by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, waltzes by Johann Strauss, Valse triste by Jean Sibelius, pieces by Edvard Grieg, Scheherazade and Flight of the Bumblebee by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, tunes by Ennio Morricone will acquire a unique sound.

When: 7-8 July
Where: Nesvizh Castle, 2 Zamkovaya Street, Nesvizh, Minsk Oblast

Kupala Night Festival (Alexandria Gathers Friends 2023)

The Kupala Night Festival will bring tens of thousands of visitors to the picturesque bank of the Dnieper River! This season the gala concert will be held in the format of a folk music battle - a competition between two agricultural towns - Kopys and Alexandria. According to the scenario, folk characters Grandfather and Grandmother will have a dispute which agricultural town is more vocally gifted. Actors Vladimir Voronkov and Honored Artist of Belarus Olga Nefyodova will join this humorous duo on stage, while the audience will be the judges and will use
‘a big hand’ to vote. The concert will feature ensembles from Mogilev Oblast, participants in the TV projects Factor.by and Star Way, Aleksandr Solodukha, Zhanet, Alyona Lanskaya, Irina Dorofeyeva, Ruslan Alekhno, Aura group, Pesnyary ensemble, the soloist of the Zemliane group Sergei Skachkov, singer Zara, People’s Artist of Russia Nadezhda Kadysheva. In other words, the much-loved festival will delight visitors with interesting locations, thematic areas and various activities. The program will include an air show, 2-km long food courts, a concert of the Union State musicians. The festival will end well into the night with a light and music performance and a youth disco Kupala Mix.

When: 8 July (11:00)
Where: Agro-town Alexandria, Shklov District, Mogilev Oblast

International Arts Festival Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk

The most anticipated music event of this summer - Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk - will see guests from more than 70 countries. The motto of the festival held in the city of Marc Chagall remains the same: Through Art to Peace and Understanding. Over 5,000 artists from almost three dozen countries will take the stage of the Summer Amphitheater that was renovated for the festival’s 35th  anniversary. As always, the adult and junior music contests will be the highlights of the festival. Samir Yelchiev (SAMIR) from Orsha will represent Belarus at the Vitebsk 2023 song contest, while Sofia Rustamova from Brest will compete in the International Children’s Song Contest.

The theatrical program will include the premiere of a production about Ilya Repin’s life in Zdravnevo and a theater laboratory where teachers from GITIS (Russian Institute of Theater Arts) will be holding master classes throughout a week. The theatrical program will also feature the performance We Are Gypsies by the Romen Moscow Music and Drama Gypsy Theater, the musical Guryanov by the Youth Variety Theater, the play Cherry GARDEN by TriTformaT, a rock opera The Count of Monte Cristo by the Gorky Theater. The KVN comedy show will return to the stage after a four-year break. During the theater forum, a puppet quarter will open at the Belarusian Theater Lyalka and a number of locations titled On the Seven Winds will also be working during the festival.

Four concerts will be held on the stage of the Vitebsk Regional Philharmonic. The Grand Melody Orchestra under the baton of Alexander Yakovlev will play on 12 July. The folk music performer Alyona Petrovskaya will shine on stage on 14  July. A day later Barcelona Guitar Trio and Dance will delight the audience with Spanish flamenco. On 16 July opera lovers will be able to enjoy a concert by artists of the Bolshoi Theater of Belarus.

The main festival venue - the Summer Amphitheater - will host the opening and closing ceremonies, Union State Day, the Golden Hit retro music concert, the Russian Radio Stars concert, a KVN comedy show featuring teams of the KVN Supreme League from different years, a Chanson TV - ALL STARS gala show, as well as solo concerts by Sergey Lazarev, Vladimir Presnyakov, Dmitry Malikov, Stas Piekha.

When: 13–16 July
Where: Summer Amphitheater, Vitebsk Concert Hall, Vitebsk Regional Philharmonic, Vitebsk

Legendary Epochs reenactment festival

The reenactment festival Legendary Epochs gained popularity in just two years and attracted some 10,000 visitors in 2022. This season the location remains the same - a field near the old mill in Zelva, where the audience will be able to experience living history. Hundreds of reenactors will recreate four historical eras and their key events: the arrival of the Vikings, medieval chivalry, confrontation with Napoleon's army and the battles of the Great Patriotic War. This time visitors can expect bugurts and single duels, jousting tournaments and tactical maneuvers. The festival will also feature interactive zones and plenty of entertainment, including archery and crossbow shooting ranges, medieval games, and a city of craftsmen…

When: 15 July
Where: Zelva, Grodno Oblast

Summer Music Nights in Mir Castle 2023

Summer Nights in Mir Castle in July will continue with the San Remo-style Music Show featuring soloists of the Belarusian State Academic Musical Theater. With the legendary castle in the background the organizers will recreate the atmosphere of an Italian resort town that hosts the world-famous music festival every year. It was its stage that revealed such stars as Toto Cutugno, Adriano Celentano, Ricardo Foli, Al Bano, Romina Power, the Ricchi e Poveri... The audience will get a chance to take a trip back into the brilliant world of pop music of the 1980s with the famous hits performed by the leading soloists of the theater and the symphony orchestra.

When: 15 July, 21.00
Where: Mir Castle, Mir, Korelichi District, Grodno Oblast

Our Grunwald 2023 reenactment festival

The country’s largest reenactment festival will celebrate the 613th anniversary of the legendary Battle of Grunwald. The festival recreates the legendary battle with the Teutonic Order, the victory over which made the Grand Duchy of Lithuania one of the most powerful and influential states of medieval Europe. The event will feature knight tournaments, bugurts, archery and halberd tournaments, dance and theater performances, a medieval music concert, as well as medieval entertainment, a fair and arts and crafts master classes…

When: 22-23 July
When: Dudutki museum complex, the village of Ptich, Pukhovichi District, Minsk Oblast

Cherry Festival in Glubokoye

The ancient city in the very center of the Belarusian Poozerie, the “cherry capital of Belarus” - Glubokoye - invites everyone to a traditional festival it hosts every July. In more than a decade, this delicious festival has become a cultural and gastronomic brand of Vitebsk Oblast. Cherry blossom trees spring to life all over the region every summer. This comes thanks to the local breeder Boleslav Lopyr, who in the second half of the 20th century selected new varieties of cherries that were more resistant to cold and shared them with the inhabitants of the area. Visitors will be able to join a theatrical procession and plenty of “cherry” entertainment (song and dance, photo and drawing, hairstyle competitions). They will also choose a “cherry princess” and, of course, taste berries at the cherry fair.

When: 22-24 July
Where: Glubokoye, Vitebsk Oblast

12th Bard Music & Fishing Festival

The slogan “There is enough fish soup and songs for everyone” will bring together fishing and bard music lovers from different countries on the banks of the Chigirinka Water Reservoir. The festivities will begin with the author song and poetry contest “Our Circle”, casting competition “Queen of Bard Fishing”, a ceremony of placing boulders into a bard trail and will continue with evening concerts of the folk music project Paparats, the project Station Siberia, Vyacheslav Korsa (Klimovich) & his music band, author rock music. The second day will feature fishing competitions, a beach volleyball tournament, a competition in cooking fish soup and fish dishes, the finals of the “Queen of Bard Fishing” competition, a concert “It’s fun to walk together...”, solo concerts by Olga Chikina, Sergei Matviyenko and Irina Surina, a concert-presentation of the Songs of Our Circle project.

When: 28-30 July
Where: Chigirinka Water Reservoir, village of Chechevichi, Bykhov District, Mogilev Oblast

Brest City Day

The famous outpost city, which is known throughout the world for the heroic defense of the Brest Fortress in June 1941, will turn 1,004. Traditionally the holiday is celebrated on 28 July in memory of events of the year 1944 when Brest was liberated from German occupation by troops of the 1st Belarusian Front. The festivities will feature a variety of events in the main venues of the city, including some of the most popular locations visited by residents and tourists. On the evening of 29 July, the Brest-born singer, composer and TV presenter Igor Kornelyuk will give a concert.

When: 28-30 July
Where: Memorial complex Brest Hero Fortress, Sovetskaya Street, Skaryna Embankment, areas near the track and field arena, the Water Sports Palace, the Ice Palace, Brest

VIVA BRASLAV 2023

One of the biggest open air festivals Viva Braslav invites you to visit a land of picturesque lakes, which is called the “blue necklace” of Belarus for its extraordinary beauty. Within just 10 years the festival grew into a two-day event, with better infrastructure, more activities and food courts. And last season around 32,000 people attended it! The program traditionally includes beach activities such as volleyball, football and cross-country running. And of course, the key part – music! Performances of Belarusian and foreign music bands, DJs of various genres will last until dawn.

When: 28-29 July
Where: Braslav, Vitebsk Oblast

The 10th ethno festival To Visit the Radzimichis (Radzimichi Festival)

The ethno festival To Visit the Radzimichis has been taking place since 2014 at the site of a former castle in the agrotown of Radomlya. It is dedicated to events of the early Middle Ages and borrows heavily from the culture and way of life of the Radimichi tribe, which lived in the area a thousand years ago. There is also an open-air museum where you can see half-dugouts - traditional dwellings of the Radimichis, a temple of Slavic gods created by Mogilev Oblast craftsmen, a gate for producing living fire, and an outdoor oven for firing ceramic goods. During the festival you will be able to see ancient rites of the Radimichi tribe, actions related to the everyday life of the ancient tribe, take part in workshops on medieval and everyday dances and traditional crafts.

When: 29 July
Where: agricultural town of Radomlya, Chausy district, Mogilev region

Vulitsa Ezha: Summer Season 2023 in Minsk

Vulitsa Ezha 2023 presents four festivals. The first one kicked off in May at the cozy gastronomic venue LUCHshaya Ulitsa which opened to the public last year. The other three will take place under the shade of the trees in the Botanical Garden. The program will feature master classes, interactive activities, tastings, live music and dancing under the open sky. A large food court with street food will be the draw of the festivals.

When: 24-25 June, 22-23 July, 2-3 September
Where: Central Botanical Garden of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, 2в Surganova Street, Minsk

Masters of Art Olympus: Chaim Sutin and Marc Chagall Exhibition in Minsk

Belarus-born Chaim Sutin and Marc Chagall - artists of the 20^th century, representatives of the famous Paris School - became the heroes of Oleg Popelsky's works created in a unique technology using natural stones. Paintings presented in various combinations of stones are called hommages, which in French means a tribute to the artist's work. The Road to Eternity series tells about Chaim Sutin’s life, childhood in his native Smilovichi, Jewish traditions, rites and family way of life. The second series, Warm Home of the Soul, celebrates Marc Chagall’s works, where the main element is a synagogue, and the composition is complemented by the characters of the artist’s works – residents of his native city of Vitebsk.

When: till 1 October
Where: Minsk City History Museum, 17 Rakovskaya Street, Minsk