Press releases

Belarus Events Calendar: September 2017

Autumn in Belarus

International expo "Ultima ratio regum. Belarus in the Northern Wars in the mid 17th – early 18th centuries”

Artist and City project in Minsk

The project Artist and City featuring the copies of the best paintings of famous artists will open a new season in Minsk. It has something new in store for us this time! In previous years, visitors of the open-air gallery saw one-artist expositions dedicated to world-famous Marc Chagall, Kazimir Malevich, Nikolai Seleshchuk, Valentin Gubarev. The Artist and City 2017 project will feature a constellation of talented artists. The exposition named The Golden Collection of the Belarusian Fine Art which will traditionally adorn the Yakub Kolas Square in Minsk for four months will showcase the best works of 35 renowned artists representing various generations and artistic genres. These include Ruslan Vashkevich, Leonid Khobotov, Vladimir Savich, Zoya Litvinova, Anatoly Baranovsky… Besides, in 2017 the Artist and City project will become one of the largest triennial projects of the Belarusian art. It may become a major event in the cultural life of Belarus and will be dedicated to the 130th anniversary of the birth of Marc Chagall.

When: starting from 27 April
Where: Yakub Kolas Square, Minsk

Project "Art Islands" at Komsomolskoye Lake in Minsk

In 2015 the maiden project "Art Islands" became the country’s largest open-air museum of installations and gathered around 500,000 contemporary art enthusiasts. This year’s exposition dedicated to the 950th anniversary of Minsk features works of Belarusian and foreign artists. All in all, it presents 11 exclusive art objects which are more than five meters high and weigh several dozen tonnes! Among the most interesting is the legendary Battle on the Nemiga River, the interactive Locator made from vines, the floral Flower Bed and the transparent three-meter Screen by the German Tape That group. Visitors can take a journey in space and time, visit the planet of love, see miniature "life forms", catch a glimpse of the everyday life of Minsk residents, listen to the city’s secrets, and also try on giant glasses...

When: 15 June – 17 September
Where: Komsomolskoye Lake, Minsk

Heritage of Belarus. Celebrating the 950th Anniversary of Minsk

Heritage of Belarus, a unique fence art project that has been running for several years already, turns urban space into a museum and introduces fans of photography to the famous sights of Belarus. In the run-up to Minsk’s 950th anniversary, the authors of the project, well-known photographers, journalists, and winners of the award for spiritual revival (2005) Alexander Alekseyev and Oleg Lukashevich, invite Minskers to make a fascinating journey to the historical places of the Belarusian capital. The art gallery on the fence of Chelyuskintsev Park, features 40 reproductions depicting the architectural landmarks, including town halls, Orthodox and Catholic churches, manor houses with luxury interiors, items of decorative and applied arts, mural paintings.

When: 15 June 2017 – June 2018
Where: Chelyuskintsev Park, Minsk

Masters of Polish Drawings in Minsk

The exhibition Masters of Polish Drawings is a joint project of the National Art Museum of Belarus and the Polish Institute in Minsk. Belarusian art lovers will see more than 300 graphic works by Polish artists of the 19th and 20th centuries from the collection of the Podlaskie Museum in Bialystok and Suwalki District Museum. Visitors will see the works of Juliusz Kossak, Jan Matejko, Michal Elwiro Andriolli, Maksymilian Gierymski, Alfred Kowalski-Wierusz, Stanislaw Witkiewicz, Leon Wyczolkowski, Alfons Karny and others. The exposition will include portraits and cartoons, landscapes and sketches, historical scenes and phantasmagoria.

When: 20 July – 20 September
Where: National Art Museum, Minsk
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Festival of National Cultures at Minsk Town Hall

Upper Town, the historic center of Minsk, is undoubtedly one of the main tourist attractions of the Belarusian capital. Svobody Square near Minsk Town Hall gathers thousands every summer weekend. The square hosts music nights, theater performances, arts and crafts fairs… A new tradition to celebrate national cultures emerged last year. In 2017 the tradition continues and has even expanded its geography. The Days of Sweden, Russia, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Finland, Korea, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Armenia, and India were held in June-August. September promises more events. The program of the national culture days organized under the auspices of the embassies of the participating countries include local traditions, songs and dances, national cuisine, entertainment and souvenir sales.

Where: Svobody Square, Minsk
When:

2 September – Day of Georgian Culture
3 September – Day of Italian Culture
16 September – Day of Polish Culture
17 September – Day of Jewish Culture
23 September – Day of Greek Culture
24 September – Festival of Belarusian and Chinese Culture
30 September – Day of Moldavian Culture

Time: 12.00 – 18.00

Belarusian Written Language Day in Polotsk

One of the most important cultural events of the year – the Belarusian Written Language Day 2017 – will be held in the ancient Polotsk, the birthplace of the legendary philosopher, humanist, enlightener and "father" of the Eastern European book printing Francysk Skaryna. The main theme of the forum is the 500th anniversary of the Belarusian book printing and the 1155th anniversary of the city, and also the 135th anniversaries of the national literature classics Yanka Kupala and Yakub Kolas, anniversaries of famous writers Tsishka Hartny, Ales Harun, Yanka Bryl, Pimen Panchanka… The program will open with a solemn procession which will be followed by a kaleidoscope of events: international roundtable of Belarusian and foreign writers, scientific conference "Polotsk Readings", the final of the young reciters contest Living Classics, the historical and cultural project "Three Sophias", the festival of books and printed media, art exhibitions and book expositions, presentations by media outlets and publishing houses and the Third National Literary Awards ceremony.

When: 3 September
Where: Polotsk, Vitebsk Oblast
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The Belarusians of the World Festival in Minsk

The large-scale festival will gather in Minsk about 300 representatives of the Belarusian diaspora registered at the Belarusian embassies abroad. The opening ceremony will take place in the Belarusian State Philharmonic on 7 September. The concert will bring together internationally renowned artists, musicians and art teams founded by natives of Belarus. It is expected that representatives of the Belarusian diaspora will go on a three-day tour around the country and give concerts in district centers and agricultural settlements. In addition, the National Art Museum will host an exhibition of the works by the Belarusians living in other countries.

When: 7 – 10 September
Where: Belarusian State Philharmonic, Minsk

Belaya Vezha Theater Festival

The 22nd edition of the Belaya Vezha festival in Brest will gather 29 theater companies from 14 countries: Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Hungary, Moldova, Macedonia, Czech Republic, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Finland. The forum will feature the best plays in 11 languages: classical and experimental, music and choreography, innovative performances, based on the works of contemporary playwrights. The playbill 2017 will feature well-known names. The Moscow Youth Theater will present Rothschild's Violin, a winner of the Golden Mask Award. The play will feature People’s Artist of Russia Valery Barinov. A special guest of the forum, famous Russian actor Alexander Baluyev will bring his interpretation of Marc Camoletti’s play Do not Dress for Dinner.

When: 8 – 16 September
Where: Brest Academic Drama Theater, Brest

950 years of Minsk: events program

In the second weekend of September the Belarusian capital Minsk will be marking 950 years since its first mention in the chronicles. According to the historical chronicle, the Tale of Bygone Years, the legendary battle between the troops of Prince of Polotsk Vseslav the Sorcerer and the Yaroslavich dynasty took place on the Nemiga River in Mensk on 3 March 1067. The City Day celebrations will be the culmination of the large-scale cultural program of 2017. The festival will include a tilting match reenactment, art exhibitions, presentations, music festivals and theater performances, sport competitions and marathons, public and patriotic campaigns, parades and concerts… More on dates and venues, and also on the most interesting projects about the birthday of the city is in our billboard.

When: 8 – 10 September
Where: Minsk

Tankman’s Day in Minsk

Tankman’s Day, co-organized with Belarus’ biggest developer of online games Wargaming, will bring together fans of the 20th-century military hardware and the online saga World of Tanks in the center of the capital, Pobedy Park (Victory Park) for the first time. The open air ground will feature 60 playing stations for individual virtual competitions, and zones for family entertainment. The event will also include meetings with World of Tanks developers, performance from well-known Belarusian artists and musicians, a food court and a souvenir market.

When: 10 September
Where: Pobedy Park, Minsk

Rakauski Fest

The second installment of the festival of cultures Rakauski Fest will bring together representatives of Belarusian, Lithuanian, Polish and Jewish cultures in Rakov. The formal opening will take place in Svobody Square and will be followed by a concert of art groups from Belarus, Lithuania and Poland. The thematic exposition will showcase the countries and art projects while traditional farmstead pavilions will offer dishes of the national cuisines. The historical quests lovers will get a chance to travel back in time to see the heyday of the multi-ethnic Rakov, which was a frontier town on the border between Poland and the USSR in the 1930s.

When: 10 September
Where: agro-town Rakov, Volozhin District, Minsk Oblast
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Minsk International Half Marathon 2017

Minsk Half Marathon that received the bronze label road race status from the International Athletics Federation (IAAF) in 2016 is growing increasingly popular drawing more and more participants. Organizers of the race 2017 hope to draw around 30,000 fans of running from different countries. By the way, the first to register was two-time winner of the Minsk half marathon Olga Mazurenok, who won the silver medal at the home European 10,000m Cup in June. This year the start line and the routes of the 5.5km, 10km and 21.1km have been changed in accordance with the international requirements. According to the tradition, the Minsk half marathon will feature representatives of the local authorities, and prominent public and cultural figures, media people.

When: 10 September
Where: Minsk
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Zori nad Pinoi arts festival in Pinsk

The arts festival Zori nad Pinoi (Sunrise Above the Pina River) which has been a calling card of the town since 1964 will once again draw together famous Belarusian and foreign singers, musicians, dancers, filmmakers, theater actors and artists. It is symbolic that the festival will get a new lease of life on the occasion of the most important event in the history of the town, the 920th anniversary since the first mention of Pinsk in the chronicle. According to organizers, partaking in this year’s festival will be art groups from Pinsk and the Polesye region, including artisans, circus artists, actors, dancers, and singers. There will be four venues for the festival in Pinsk, the main events will take place on the barge on the bank of the river.

When: 15 – 17 September
Where: banks of the Pina River, town park, Pinsk

Alexandre Vassiliev’s Age of Fashion exhibition in Minsk

Fashion historian, art critic and collector Alexandre Vassiliev has won the hearts of Belarusian fashionmongers and art connoisseurs. The well-known TV host has given lectures and organized exhibitions in different cities of the country. He has designed costumes for the Laurencia ballet in the Bolshoi Theater of Belarus. His new project Age of Fashion will feature a collection of more than 1000 clothing items, accessories, and jewelry that recreates the atmosphere of the last century. The exposition displays evening, ball and ceremonial dresses, costumes of famous theater and cinema artists, world-renowned fashion icons of the 20th century, among whom is Yves Saint Laurent, Coco Chanel, Paul Poiret, and Mariano Fortuny…

When: 15 September 2017 – 10 January 2018
Where: National History Museum of Belarus, Minsk
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International fire festival MIFF 2017

The international fire festival MIFF is going to gather the best fire theaters and solo performers from Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine in the Belarusian capital. The famous fire breather Zerg, a two-time Guinness World Records title holder, is expected to give a performance. The festival will offer a diverse selection of acts: a pyrotechnic show, flaming figures and arrangements, fire swords and fire breathing, performances by dancers, acrobats, and stuntmen, breathtaking shows with “living” fire and light effects, and probably the most unbelievable thing – a real fire pipe organ. The guests are to decide on the best acts and winners of extreme competitions. The festival’s highlight will be a fire show.

When: 15 – 17 September
Where: Dreamland amusement park, Minsk

Kamyanitsa 2017 Folk Festival

The 9th edition of the Kamyanitsa Folk Festival will gather experts and amateurs of the Belarusian ethnography at the Belarusian State Museum of Folk Architecture and Rural Lifestyle. This year’s headliner will be the Ukrainian band ONUKA well-known for their original sound combining electropop and folk instruments. The band’s debut album reached top spots of the Ukrainian iTunes beating Okean Elzy. A year later, ONUKA won the YUNA 2015 national music award for Discovery of the Year. They are no strangers to the Belarusian stage: ONUKA gave a successful concert in Minsk in 2015 in support of the new album VIDLIK dedicated to the anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster. In summer 2016, the band performed at the open air Mirum Music Festival.

When: 16 September
Where: Belarusian State Museum of Folk Architecture and Rural Lifestyle, the village of Ozertso, Minsk District

Cranes and Cranberries of Miory District festival

Guests of the eco festival Cranes and Cranberries of Miory District will spend a weekend in the famous wildlife reserve Yelnya. The biggest harvest of cranberries in Belarus is gathered in this region which is home to Europe’s biggest raised moors. In Yelnya you can also see graceful grey cranes on their autumn migration. The program of the eco festival includes the opening of the Crane Faith sculpture, the theatrical and concert program Crane Note, the youth art project Generation NEXT, the artisans fair Crane’s Treasury, the exhibition Crane Enlightener, the presentation of rural estates and local farmsteads Crane Market, and a Belarusian cuisine workshop…

When: 17 September
Where: Miory, Vitebsk Oblast

The world’s best waltzes by the Olympia Klassika Symphony Orchestra

Conducted by Mikhail Snitko, the Minsk symphony orchestra Olympia Klassika will open this year’s season with the premiere of the program The World’s Best Waltzes. Mikhail Snitko has been taught by the people’s artists of Russia Gennady Provatorov, Ilya Musin, and Gennady Rozhdestvensky. Fans will be able to appreciate a romantic journey accompanied by music composed by Johann Strauss, Verdi, Puccini, Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev as well as tunes from popular movies, operettas, and musicals. The program will end with a medley of ancient French and Russian waltzes. The concert will feature leading soloists of music theaters and choreographic companies of Belarus. Before the concert begins, guests will be able to learn some moves during workshops hosted by professional dancers. The most talented guests will be able to sing and dance together with participants of the concert in the audience hall.

When: 19 September
Where: Minsk Concert Hall

14th international festival of student theaters Teatralny Kufar

The only international festival of student theaters in Belarus which has become one of the most prestigious festivals in Eastern Europe has already had a record big number of participants – 250 theater groups from 60 countries. The contest program of the 2017 festival which will take place under the motto Traditions. Search. Experiment will feature the best productions of student theaters, debut projects of young playwrights and directors from Belarus, Russia, Lithuania, Poland, Bulgaria, Georgia, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Italy, Mexico, Tunisia, the Philippines, Chile. The main prize – the Big Kufar – will be presented to the winner of the public voting. The forum will also include creative meetings, master classes with actors and directors, discussions, presentations of experimental plays of the KufarDramaLab theater workshop.

When: 21 – 27 September
Where: Belarusian State University, Minsk
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Minsk International Circus Art Festival

The first Minsk International Circus Art Festival dedicated to the city’s 950th anniversary will gather over 100 artists from throughout the world. A gala concert will include 25 most spectacular acts from the festival’s program to be judged by professional jury comprising reputable foreign experts and representatives of the Belarusian circus. Minsk residents and guests of the city will see a fabulous extravaganza putting together all the current trends of the circus art. The organizers hope to discover new names worth climbing the top of the world circus.

When: 21 – 24 September
Where: Belarusian State Circus, Minsk
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Mashina Vremeni in Minsk

The renowned rock band Mashina Vremeni which has become a Soviet and Russian rock legend will return to Minsk with a big concert program Love Rules the World. It marks the 48th anniversary of the band. For almost a half of a century, the band has been famous for its unique eclectic style combining rock’n’roll, classical rock and non-mainstream music. In Minsk, Andrei Makarevich’s band Mashina Vremeni will sing the hits of 1970-1980 as well as the songs from the new album You released in 2016 to thank fans for support. By the way, Andrei Makarevich frequently mentioned his Belarusian roots. His ancestors were peasants from the village of Pavlovichi (now Bereza District, Brest Oblast).

When: 22 September
Where: Palace of the Republic, Minsk

7th TEART International Theater Forum

One of the most spectacular and anticipated theater projects of the autumn, TEART 2017 is going to present 19 productions from 8 countries: Belarus, Russia, Latvia, Slovenia, Kyrgyzstan, France, Germany, and Italy. The festival will have three sections: International Program, Belarus Open, and The School of TEART with lectures, meetings with directors, workshops, and other educational events. The festival will open with a wordless production of Nikolai Gogol’s Marriage staged by Russian director Sergei Zemlyansky. The audience will be treated to the production Ivanov by Moscow-based Theater of Nations, directed by Timofei Kulyabin. The show starring Chulpan Khamatova, Viktor Verzhbitsky, Yelizaveta Boyarskaya, Igor Gordin, and People’s Artist of Russia Yevgeny Mironov is expected to become the highlight of the festival. Wrapping up the festival this year will be wordless comedy Pension Belvedere staged by Matteo Spiazzi (Italy).

When: 27 September – 16 October
Where: Minsk

12th Yuri Bashmet International Music Festival in Minsk

The Yuri Bashmet International Festival once again opens the musical season in the Belarusian capital, inviting fans to appreciate world classics as performed by the best vocalists and musicians of today. The festival will open with a concert by the state symphony orchestra Novaya Rossiya conducted by the maestro himself — the People’s Artist of the USSR and Russia Yuri Bashmet. The entire list of participants is a secret for now, yet we know that a concert from The Legends of the Stradivari Violin series involving the East-West Chamber Orchestra conducted by Rostislav Krimer will be the final chord. By the way, last year the legendary team already gathered a full house. According to the Mastatstva magazine and fans, it was one of the brightest pages of last year’s program.

When: 28 September – 8 October
Where: Belarusian State Philharmonic, Minsk

Varekai show of the Cirque du Soleil circus in Minsk

The internationally recognized circus Cirque du Soleil, which first came to Minsk in 2013 and redesigned the definition of circus art for many people, will bring to the Belarusian capital a new show Varekai, which has already been seen by over 10 million spectators in 130 cities across the globe. Belarus’ largest stage will host a magnificent performance staged by the playwright, script writer, and stage producer Dominic Champagne. The plot is based on a captivating story of a lonely young man, who overcomes fears and comes to know his soul by going through trials in the mysterious forest of Varekai, which is home to enigmatic spirits and characters. Live music is an excellent addition to the production: the composer Violaine Corradi combines songs of French troubadours of the 11th century, traditional gospel music, Armenian melodies, and rhythms of Hawaiian rites in one show.

When: 28 September – 1 October
Where: Minsk Arena

30th national marathon Yazyl Ten

The 30th national marathon Yazyl Ten is part of the international calendar of tournaments and competitions. The event will bring together the best fans of running from Belarus and the CIS states. This year’s competition will include several age groups and various nominations: 500m, School Team Race, Corporate Race, Family Relay Race 3x500m, Staryye Dorogi Race and finally the 10km race Yazyl Ten. Participants and fans of the sport event will be treated to multiple kinds of entertainment: contests and quizzes, lotteries, sampling of home-cooked foods…

When: 29 – 30 September
Where: Staryye Dorogi, Minsk Oblast