Press releases

Belarus Events Calendar: MAY 2021

MAY 2021

Dear friends! We are sorry to inform you that we have to change the monthly Events Calendar on the belarus.by website. The coronavirus pandemic has led to border shutdowns, travel restrictions, cancellation or postponement of public events. People are willing to refrain from trips and entertainments to protect themselves and their families.

Belarus is taking all the necessary measures to prevent the spread of the infection. The country has not imposed strict travel restrictions. However, Belarus calls on EVERY PERSON to be extremely careful, follow the WHO and doctors’ recommendations, observe personal hygiene rules, and, most importantly, take care of each other. If you have returned from the worst-hit regions and countries, you should seek medical attention in case of the slightest deterioration in your health and, of course, isolate yourselves as soon as possible, in order not to spread any infection, not only COVID-19.

In view of this situation, large public events are canceled or postponed. Please, check out the information in advance. Organizers promise that tickets for all postponed events will remain valid. Please, remember to stay healthy!

Minsk tops CIS list of cities for virtual tours

Rarities of the National History Museum  project in Minsk

The National History Museum invites Minsk residents and tourists to visit an outdoor exhibition to see the rarities from its holdings. An unusual exhibition about the Belarusian nation and its historical heritage will be arranged on the fence of Chelyuskintsev Park (Independence Avenue) in early June. Seventy photo-banners will show the rarities from different eras: coins, weapons, national costumes, religious objects, works of fine art, arts and crafts, books, precious metals, awards, musical instruments and many more. This exposition features items presented by the five branches of the National History Museum – the Memorial House of the First Congress of the RSDLP, the Museum of Belarusian Cinema History, the Museum of Theater and Music Culture History, the Museum of Nature and Environment, and the Museum of Contemporary Belarusian Statehood.

When: 2 June 2020 – 1 June 2021
Where: Fence of Chelyuskintsev Park, Independence Avenue, Minsk
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Tadeusz Kosciuszko as an Artist

4 February marked the 275th anniversary of the birth of Tadeusz Kosciuszko, the national hero of Belarus, Poland and the United States. On this day, the Memorial Manor Museum in Merechevshchina in the town of Kossovo, the hometown of the outstanding military and political figure, rolled out a unique exhibition-project showing the creative side of the famous general. The exhibition features 16 reproductions of Kosciuszko's works made in different periods of his life. Among them is his first paintings - mostly copies of the works by other artists he made while studying at the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture in France, and replicas of the paintings from a later period. Despite the fact that Tadeusz Kosciuszko connected his life with the military, he continued to paint after the uprising of 1794. In America he gained fame as a portraitist.

When: 4 February – 31 March 
Where: Tadeusz Kosciuszko Memorial Manor Museum
108 Kosciuszko Street, Kossovo, Ivanovo District, Brest Oblast
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Festival of lights in Minsk Botanical Garden

This spring, the Central Botanical Garden in Minsk will host the festival “The Kingdom of Magical Lights”. The territory of the Botanical Garden will be decorated with 25 large sets of more than 200 art objects, which will turn the Botanical Garden into a fairytale. The festival will feature Cinderella in a golden carriage, Tinker Bell’s home Neverland, knights guarding the entrance to the magical park, and mysterious creatures in the park: witches making potions, spiders weaving nets, an evil ogre hiding nearby. The biggest light installation will be more than six meters high and ten meters long! Music, lighting, and special effects will immerse visitors of the festival in the atmosphere of a fairytale. The Botanical Garden will be decorated with thousands of diode lamps, several kilometers of diode ribbons, and hundreds of meters of satin. On the weekend, visitors of the festival will be invited to watch a spectacular fire show. There will be three shows: at 21:00 and 22:00. The program of the opening day of the festival on 12 March will include a show featuring a three-meter-long fire-breathing dragon at 19:00. The festival will work from 20:00 to 23:00. The giant light installations will come alive after dark. Visitors of the festival will also be invited to visit a food court and buy handmade items from artisans.

When: 12 March – 16 May, Tuesday – Sunday 20:00-23:00, closed Monday
Where: Central Botanical Garden of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, 2B Surganova Street, Minsk

Folding Fans exhibition in Vitebsk

The exhibition “The Thread Connecting Centuries” in the Vitebsk town hall is showcasing the unique exhibits of the 18th- 20th centuries - 47 hand fans from Mir Castle. Elegant accessories from Europe, Russia and China were made of various materials:  bone, mother-of-pearl, wood, tortoise shell, synthetic materials, and also paper, cardboard, fabric or lace. It is in the evolution of this accessory that we can trace back 200 years of fashion history and find reflections in embroidery, ladies' accessories, men's suit attributes from the collection of the Vitebsk Regional Museum.

When: 19 March - 21  May
Where: Vitebsk Regional Museum, 36 Lenin Street, Vitebsk

International Festival of Ancient and Contemporary Chamber Music in Polotsk

One of Belarus’ most established festivals will open with a concert of Honored Artist of Belarus Ksenia Pogorelaya and the Europe-Center chamber orchestra under the baton of Rail Sadykov. The program of the concert will span four centuries of classical music - from Bach to Jenkins. On 11 April, the concert in Saint Sophia Cathedral will feature pieces by Bach, Handel, Schubert performed by Moscow soloists - winners of international competitions Anastasia Bykova (organ) and Konstantin Limantsev (trumpet). On 16 April the brass quintet of soloists of the Bolshoi Theater of Belarus will perform the marvelous works of the 20th century composers - Stravinsky, Ravel, Kancheli. The Russian Romantic Song evening on 21 April will feature People’s Artist of Belarus Vladimir Gromov (baritone) and pianist Natalia Kotova. The festival in Polotsk will wrap up with a concert by the All Saints choir, the country’s only male church choir, with a program of church songs, folk and secular pieces, including those by Belarusian composers.

When: 28 March – 5 May
Where: Saint Sophia Cathedral, 1 Zamkovaya Street, Polotsk
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Pinocchio opera premiere at Bolshoi Theater

The Pinocchio opera is one of the most anticipated premieres of the Belarusian Bolshoi Theater. Since it was first staged in 2008, Gloria Bruni's masterpiece has already been performed in Naples, Parma, London and other European cities. The fairytale story will premiere on the Minsk stage during winter holidays. The production team include conductor Vladimir Ovodok, director Natalia Baranovskaya, and designer Lyubov Sidelnikova. Natalia Baranovskaya will debut in the capacity of director. According to her, “the story of the wooden puppet that became a real live boy is still relevant, because we all make mistakes, but fixing them helps us grow ...”

When: 16 May
Where: Bolshoi Theater of Belarus, 1 Parizhskoi Communy Square, Minsk

Exhibition project "108 minutes. The Road to Space"

In 2021, the planet celebrates the 60th anniversary of the event, which, without a doubt, was a turning point in the history of science and technology - the first human space flight. On 12 April 1961, Soviet pilot Yuri Gagarin went into orbit aboard the Vostok-1 spacecraft and made a manned flight lasting 108 minutes. The unique artefacts - the legendary spacesuit, photos from Yuri Gagarin's family archive - are being displayed in Minsk for the first time. Visitors will see the flight logbook of the world’s first female cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova and also the photos of the autographed front door to Room 305 of the Kosmonavt Hotel at the Baikonur Cosmodrome where Yuri Gagarin stayed before the flight. Among the exhibits are space gear, equipment, food samples. The exhibition also showcases the items telling about Belarusian cosmonauts Piotr Klimuk and Vladimir Kovalyonok and also Belarus’ native Oleg Novitsky, commander of the Yuri Gagarin spacecraft (Soyuz MS-18 mission), who went into orbit on 9 April 2021. The current 65th expedition to the ISS is symbolically dedicated to the 60th anniversary of the first human spaceflight. This is Oleg Novitsky’s third trip to space!
 
When: 15 April - 31  May
Where: National Historical Museum of Belarus, 12 Karl Marx Street, Minsk

Exhibition of Henri Matisse’s lithographs at Mikhail Savitsky Art Gallery

French artist and sculptor, leader of the Fauvists Henri Matisse occupies an exceptional place in the constellation of the 20th century artist of Western Europe thanks to his use of color and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. His creative range is truly fascinating - from painting, graphics, illustrations to monumental forms, theatrical scenery, sculptures, ceramics, tapestries and stained glass windows... This spring, 118 lithographs by Henri Matisse are on view in Minsk, and each is accompanied by texts from his articles, books, and letters.

When: 23 April - 20 June
Where: Mikhail Savitsky Art Gallery, 15 Svobody Square, Minsk

Exhibition of Easter postcards

One of the most beautiful and remarkable Easter traditions is the exchange of postcards on the eve of Resurrection Sunday. Today, a postcard can be sent anywhere in the world in a matter of seconds, however in the old days Happy Easter greetings had to be printed and sent by regular mail. The first postcards in the Russian Empire appeared in 1872 and were named ‘an open letter’. Visitors to the exhibition will be able to trace the history of postcards from black-and-white cards to photographs, unravel the secret of the color application technique, read the texts of greetings and messages from distant past and even create their own photographs based on the Easter ‘open sheet’ of the late 19th century.

When: 24 April – 12 May
Where: Memorial House of the First Congress of the RSDLP, 31a Independence Avenue, Minsk

TheaterHD: Screening of the world's best productions in Minsk

In May, the Tsentralny cinema house will continue screening the world’s best feature movies, opera and ballet productions and also documentary films as part of #АртЛекторийВкино project (art lectures on screen).

When: May
Where: Tsentralny cinema house, VOKA CINEMA by Silver Screen, Minsk

Vytoki Festival in Belarus

This large-scale festival will be held from May to August 2021 and will span six cities: Lida, Orsha, Kobrin, Mozyr, Bobruisk, and Zhodino. The festival is themed around the Year of People’s Unity. The organizers of the festival offer a number of themed platforms. The central one will be the sports platform Vytoki. A Step Towards Olympus. Everyone will be able to take part in competitions and contests of the Olympic quest, test their strength in various sports. The festival will boast a large-scale cultural and educational program. The Wheel of Time exhibition will tell the story of the unique works of Belarusian artists. A lecture-presentation on modern Belarusian visual arts will be held as part of the exhibition. The festival will also feature a unique organ recital, master classes and meet-the-artist events. Professional dancers will offer a master class in old Belarusian dances and modern choreography. The festival will wrap up with a night gala featuring popular artists, flashmob dancing, and a disco from the best DJs of Belarus.

When: May - August
Where: Lida, Orsha, Kobrin, Mozyr, Bobruisk, Zhodino

International Exhibition of Health and Beauty Industry InterSTYLE

InterSTYLE, Belarus’ only professional exhibition of health and beauty industry, will bring together some 120 companies this year. The program of the forum will feature spectacular presentations, contests, shows and master classes. The exposition will showcase beauty and aesthetic medicine, including dermatology and cosmetology, pharmaceuticals, perfumes, professional and decorative cosmetics, phytotherapy, aromatherapy, beauty salon services, and floristics. The event will also provide information about the services of the best beauty salons, SPA-centers and popular Belarusian health resorts. Visitors will be able to buy fashion accessories and jewelry, specialized publications.

When: 5-8 May
Where: Football Arena, 20/2 Pobeditelei Avenue, Minsk

9 May – Victory Day

This year Victory Day will be held under the sign of the 80th anniversary of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, which became a tragedy and a time of the incredible feat for many peoples. In the run-up to the main historical date of May, thematic exhibitions and concerts, meetings and rallies, car races across places of military glory and memorials of mourning are organized all over the country.

A unique project - a mock-up of a restored fragment of a burned village - was presented at the Khatyn Memorial Complex. A group of students of Minsk gymnasium No.75 under the guidance of fine art teacher Tatiana Voitenko worked on it since October 2020. Houses, front gardens and trees, a draw well, a church and an ancient cross… Every detail of the life of the pre-war Khatyn has been recreated with incredible care. This is despite the fact that almost no photos, drawings, plans or schemes of the village have survived. Students collected the information piece by piece: pre-war maps of the area, recollections of the survivors, images of villages of the 19th century. The result is a heart-touching mock-up of a ghost village that has everything except for residents: who were burned down by the Nazis!

On 9 May, all regional and district towns will feature meetings and flower ceremonies at the obelisks and memorials. The festive program will also include parades, Belarus Remembers campaign, sports and cultural events across the country.

A parade and a wreath ceremony at the Victory Monument will take place in the Belarusian capital in the morning. On 9 May 2021, Belarus will also celebrate the Day of the State Flag and Coat of Arms, which is marked on the second Sunday of the month. Celebrations are planned on State Flag Square to mark the holiday. The Victory Day celebrations in Minsk will culminate with an open-air gala concert The Feat of Arms is Immortal in the famous square and spectacular fireworks at five locations of the capital, scheduled to start at 23.00.

When: 9 May
Where: squares, prospects, concert venues, parks and gardens of Minsk and other Belarusian cities, the country’s memorials

Victory Day celebration in Zabrodye village-museum

The Zabrodye village-museum has hosted a war commemorative event for 38 years. The unique museum that has been created by the family of artist Boris Tsitovich is dedicated to World War I. But it has a close historical connection with another major war of the 20th century. In order to feel the presence of war heroes at the commemorative event, the museum invites visitors to bring photos of their relatives who participated in the Great Patriotic War. Their names will be remembered during a religious service at the mass grave, and their portraits will be carried together with banners and icons in a religious procession to Saints Boris and Gleb Chapel. The photos will then be exhibited at the Palisade of Memory. The program of the event will also include a concert and master classes.

When: 9 May
Where: Zabrodye village-museum, Minsk Oblast

Valentin Elizariev’s Swan Lake at the Bolshoi Theater of Belarus

The world’s most famous ballet - Swan Lake – has remained one of the most popular productions since its premiere in 1877. The ballet attracts both seasoned connoisseurs of the classics and younger generations. At various times it has been staged by outstanding choreographers Marius Petipa, Lev Ivanov, Alexander Gorsky and Asaf Messerer, Yury Grigorovich. For the time time in many years the author's version of Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s ballet has been presented at the Bolshoi Theater of Belarus by USSR People's Artist, Art Director of the Theater Valentin Elizariev who has also staged such masterpieces as Creation of the World, Carmen Suite, Spartacus, Passion (Rogneda), Sacred Spring, Romeo and Juliet.

When: 15, 16, 30 May
Where: Bolshoi Theater of Belarus, 1 Parizhskaya Kommuna Square, Minsk

ZIVERT in Minsk

Life, Zelenye Volny, and Credo are Russian singer ZIVERT’s hits that have topped the charts of the leading radio stations and made part of music fans’ playlists. The fans also like the singer’s retro-style video clips. The trend began with the video for the track Life that brought soaring popularity to the former flight attendant Yulia Zivert. In Minsk the singer promises a great show and her best compositions from Vinyl #1 album.

When: 19 May
Where: Falcon Club Arena, 20 Pobeditelei Avenue, Minsk

Medieval culture festival Golshany Castle 2021

A festival of medieval culture will take place near the ruins of the Golshany Castle famed by Belarusian writer Vladimir Korotkevich in his novel “Black Castle of Golshany”. The 2021 edition of the festival will kick off with a festive procession. The program will include a concert by Belarusian folk bands and the play “Legend of the Old Castle” performed by the Barysfen theater company from Mogilev. The play tells a fascinating story about the castle, its ruler, the spirit of the Maiden, a battle with the demon of darkness, and a young duke exploring mysteries. The festival will also feature tournaments of archers and knights, buhurts, mass fights, ‘storming’ of the castle, a horse show, and fire show. Visitors will be invited to a park of medieval attractions, a fair selling artisans’ goods, and master classes in folk crafts. A food court will offer dishes of old and modern Belarusian cuisine, including sbiten [a traditional hot drink] and Golshany pryaniks [cookiers]. Most importantly, visitors will be able to enter the recently restored Northern Tower of the Golshany Castle and explore its exhibitions.

When: 22 May
Where: Golshany, Oshmyany District, Grodno Oblast

International children’s art festival Golden Bee 2021

Since its establishment in 1996, the Golden Bee festival that is held in the run-up to World Children’s Day has become a significant event for many Belarusian artists. The main program of the festival includes competitions in vocal art (pop and folk singing), choreography (pop, contemporary, folk), and visual art (painting and drawing). The festival brings together children and teenagers aged 9-18. The program of the festival will be busy. The event will wrap up with a festive procession, an awards ceremony, and a gala concert in a park.

When: 28-30 May
Where: Klimovichi, Mogilev Oblast

#Continuation show of Alla Duhova's Todes Ballet

Alla Duhova's famous Todes Ballet that has already celebrated its 30th anniversary is returning to Belarus with the show #Continuation. The ballet’s trademark is the combination of choreography and acting, scrupulous costume design, well-produced acts, and the use of cutting-edge technologies. The new show will also feature all these elements and make viewers experience a wide range of emotions, from passion to excitement. Todes Ballet will show humorous scenes, lyrical performances, and folk motives. The new show is described as a story about strong feelings, the most exciting moments, and incredible worlds.

When: 30 May
Where: Community center, 41 Kozlova Street, Soligorsk

Surganova & Orchestra in Minsk

The most cultured Russian rock band Surganova & Orchestra, which celebrated its 15th anniversary in 2019, will present a new concert program Na Kontraste. The title is symbolic because the program includes only songs and no string music. The leader of the rock band admits that they spent the last few years experimenting with concert and studio sounds and inviting various musicians to work with them. However, now they want to get back to their origins and play contrasting music, allow their listeners to appreciate the original sound and the special energy of the favorite songs. Over the course of their career the musicians have tried various genres starting with rock and roll and ending with pop songs and classical music while preserving their essence, lyric, and sincerity.

When: 31 May
Where: Palace of Culture of Trade Unions, 25 Nezavisimosti Avenue, Minsk

A road tour of Gennady Gladkov’s Territory of the Musical Theater in Vitebsk

Gennady Gladkov’s Territory of the Musical Theater will present the play An Ordinary Miracle in Vitebsk. The story about love based on a play by Yevgeny Shvarts and accompanied by Gennady Gladkov’s music has won hearts of millions of viewers thanks to the movie An Ordinary Miracle. The scenic version will feature a romantic plot, dynamic choreography, and an impressive series of visuals: what can you say about a steam engine that rolls around without an engine driver or a quadcopter that soars right above viewers’ heads?! According to the authors’ plot, Wizard turns Bear into a man, who falls in love with Princess to only become a wild animal if he dares kiss the girl… What will be the outcome? Viewers are in for a captivating journey into the world of fantasy, steampunk, and true love.

When: 31 May
Where: The Yakub Kolas National Academic Drama Theater, 2 Zamkovaya Street, Vitebsk