Press releases

Belarus Events Calendar: SEPTEMBER 2022

Minsk tops CIS list of cities for virtual tours

Music and tourist season in Upper Town in Minsk

The new tourist season is dedicated to the 955th anniversary of Minsk and the Year of Historical Memory. The season kicked off on 21 May and will be running until September. Every Saturday visitors will be offered an array of activities. The 2022 program includes jazz evenings, the Classics at the Town Hall project, a concert by the Khoroshki dance company. In addition, this season students and professional actors will perform at a theater patio near the Monastyrsky Hotel. Local residents and visitors will also be offered open-air film screenings and will be able to see popular films by the Belarusfilm studio. Minsk libraries will arrange a creative promenade where people will be able to see new arrivals and meet with authors.

When: 21 May – 17 September
Where: Svobody Square, Upper City, Minsk

Vulitsa Ezha 2022 in Minsk

Vulitsa Ezha will celebrate its seventh season with three festivals. In a picturesque location within the Botanical Garden grounds, visitors will get a chance to try a special menu of the food court, drop into cocktail bars with a chill-out area, visit the Local Food Market with fresh farm products, learn how to cook new dishes from chefs, and purchase unique things at the arts and crafts market. Visitors will also be invited to enjoy interesting films in the open-air cinema, DJ sets and live music concerts. Entertainment and great locations for instagram photo shoots will be part of the program.

When: 18-19 June, 23-24 July, 3-4 September
Where: Central Botanical Garden of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, 2B Surganova Street, Minsk

‘Artist and City. Mikhail Savitsky’ project in Minsk

For eleven years the project "Artist and City" has been introducing the audiences to outstanding representatives of Belarusian art. Since last year, the exhibition has moved to the pedestrian Komsomolskaya Street in the center of Minsk. This summer season the project presents Hero of Belarus - People's Artist Mikhail Savitsky, whose 100th anniversary is celebrated in 2022. The exhibition features 34 works: 15 - by Mikhail Savitsky and 19 - by graduates of the Creative Academic Workshops of Painting, Graphics and Sculpture, which was set up in Minsk in 1981 thanks to Mikhail Savitsky’s  efforts. The exhibitions displays works by well-known artists of the country: Viktor Alshevsky, Igor Barkhatkov, Vladimir Goncharuk, Viktor Dubrava, Roman Zaslonov, Vladimir Kozhukh, Yuri Krupenkov.

When: 30 June – 30 September 
Where: Komsomolskaya Street, Minsk

‘Beauty and Fashion. 20th Century’ exhibition in Grodno

The history of ups and downs of the 20th century captured in accessories, jewelry, outfits, shoes and even perfumes is on display at an exhibition in Grodno's New Castle. The exposition is based on items from the retro collection of Belarusian Tatiana Fedosova. According to the owner, each exhibit is valuable not because of expensive fabrics or designer names, but in stories that are told by dresses, handbags or bottles that witnessed many events of the 20th century. Among the gems of the collection are a wedding costume made of batiste of 1918, a dress of Hollywood diva of the 1930s Kay Francis, a hat with feathers of the 1930s from the Krupskaya Moscow poultry farm, a Schiaparelli horsehair hat of the 1950s, a dress from the wardrobe of the American Pratt family of the 1920s, "trophy" dresses of the 1940s from Germany. A special draw of the exhibition is a evening dress by British fashion designer Murray Arbeid, who created dresses for Princess Diana.

When: 20 July - 23 October
Where: Senators' Hall, New Castle, 20 Zamkovaya Street, Grodno

Photo exhibition to mark the 160th anniversary of Belarusian Railway

Unique photos are on display at the largest railway stations across Belarus as part of the exhibition project "Belarusian Railway. 160 years”. The project hails the 160th anniversary which will be celebrated on 27 December. Under the slogan "In our history all events are important" the project showcases the milestones in the sixteen-decade history of railway transport in Belarus. The exhibition is on display at railway stations in Minsk, Baranovichi, Brest, Vitebsk, Gomel, Grodno, Orsha, Mogilev and at the Porechye station, which is regarded as a starting point in the history of rail transport on the Belarusian land.

When: From 19 August till the end of the year
Where: largest railway stations

TheatreHD: Broadcasts of the world's best performances in Minsk

In September the Minsk cinema houses will continue screening the world’s best productions, including drama, opera and ballet, and documentary films as part of the #АртЛекторийВкино project (art lectures on screen) about outstanding artists. The September bill features: Salvador Dali: In Search of Immortality, Plataea, The Taming of the Shrew, La Traviata, Globe: Doctor Faust, Arena di Verona: Il Trovatore, and others.

When: September
Where: VOKA CINEMA by Silver Screen, MOOОN Palazzo, Tsentralny cinema house, Boutique Cinema, Minsk

100th anniversary of the National Library of Belarus

The main book treasury of the country celebrates its centennial anniversary in 2022. The holdings of the National Library include 9 million copies, including rare and old printed books. The program of the celebrations features interesting events: a postal sheet dedication ceremony, the 9th international congress "Library as a Phenomenon of Culture", the Book Age exhibition in Dobrush, ceremonies to launch the editions “Librarianship in Belarus in persons", "Librarianship of Belarus in documents" and a traveling photo exhibition "National Library of Belarus: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow" in the CIS countries.

When: September
Where: National Library of Belarus, 116 Nezavisimosti Avenue, Minsk

Belarusian Written Language Day in Dobrush

The city of Dobrush will host the Belarusian Written Language Day on the first weekend of September. The program includes more than 20 thematic platforms and dozens of events, including a roundtable of Belarusian and foreign authors, an exhibition of regional print media "Gazetny Boulevard", a platform "History of the Press in Gomel Oblast", a festival of books and printed media, literary pavilions… The opening ceremony will be held in the central square. Guests will also enjoy the international festival "Slavic Literary Dozhinki", Turovsky regional literary award ceremony, the regional holiday of brass bands "Fanfares of Gomel Oblast", a solo exhibition of the honorary citizen Dobrush - Honored Art Worker of Belarus Vladimir Prokoptsov, the creative project of students and teachers of the Gomel Art College "Dobrush through the eyes of artists". The highlight will be the events to celebrate the anniversaries of the classics of Belarusian literature Yanka Kupala and Yakub Kolas, and People’s Writer Ivan Shamyakin, the famous native of the Dobrush region.

When: September 3-4
Where: Dobrush, Gomel Oblast

Grodno City Day

The 894th anniversary of the founding of Grodno will be celebrated on 3 September with a large-scale festive program. The festivities will begin at 12.00 and will continue late into the night. At 22.00 the sky of the city over the Neman will light up with fireworks. Several venues will be organized during the day. This year, the program will feature an exhibition of flowers, giant watermelons, a performance of medieval knights, a fire circus, live sculptures, Argentine tango festival, quests and games. The evening fireworks will be followed by a concert of the Korni group.

When: 3 September
Where: Grodno

Brest Half Marathon 2022

The Half Marathon in Brest will be held for the 4th time and will bring together both professionals and amateurs. The event will feature three distances: 21km, 10.5km and 5km, and routes for children. The starting point will be at the main entrance to the Brest Hero Fortress memorial. The route will pass along Zubacheva Street, Gogol Street, Beresteyskoye Highway, Masherov Avenue, Lenin Street and the new embankment. According to the organizers,  the Brest Half Marathon is one of the stages of preparation for the most popular marathon event in Belarus - the Minsk Half Marathon, which will be held on 11 September this year. 

When: 4 September
Where: Brest

Belaya Vezha theater festival

Brest welcomes autumn with its favorite theater festival Belaya Vezha which is set to please fans with a variety of genres this season. Among the participants will be drama, musical, street and puppet theaters from Belarus, Armenia, Bulgaria, Greece, Denmark, Kyrgyzstan, Poland, Russia, and Uzbekistan. The program will include 28 performances of 24 theater companies from nine countries. The highlight of this year's festival will be a record-breaking number of puppet performances for adults and children: the spectators will see the performances based on the classical works of Gogol, Ostrovsky, Platonov, and Chukovsky. The festival will open with Do not Leave Me play, a production of the Brest Academic Drama Theater based on Alexei Dudarev’s work. The National Theater of Belarusian Drama will present Pachupki at the closing of the festival on 16 September.

When: 9-16 September
Where: five venues in Brest - the small and large halls of the Brest Academic Drama Theater, Brest Puppet Theater, Lenin Square and the Army Club of Brest Fortress

The 10th international choreographic art festival Sozhski Karagod in Gomel

Sozhski Karagod is a significant festival for Gomel Oblast. Two years later the festival returns to the cultural playbill and promises to bring new surprises to guests and a new record – about 650 participants from Belarus, Russia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. A competitive program featuring amateur circus art groups will be this year’s novelty. The center of attraction remains unchanged: a large-scale opening ceremony, which will involve about 1,000 people, will take place at the central stadium in Gomel. The forum’s chief director Piotr Sverdlov also revealed the star lineup of the ceremony participants: the Belyye Rosy ensemble, the National Academic Folk Choir of the Republic of Belarus named after G.I. Tsitovich, Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk 2022 Grand Prix winner Anna Trubetskaya and the music band Aura will charge the audience with a festive mood.

When: 9–11 September
Where: 1 Vosstaniya Square, Tsentralny Stadium, Gomel

Minsk turns 955: A Big day in the life of the country's main city

Minsk is preparing to celebrate its anniversary on a grand scale. The first mention of the city in historical chronicles dates back to 1067 in connection with the famous battle on the Nemiga River between the armies of Polotsk Prince Vseslav the Sorcerer and the Yaroslav sons. Today Minsk is a modern metropolis with a population of about 2 million and  satellite cities (Dzerzhinsk, Zaslavl, Logoisk, Smolevichi, Fanipol, Rudensk). This summer archaeologists found unique artifacts at the site on the Menka River, which, among other things, indicate that Minsk may be much older.

This year, the organizers of the festivities decided to show the versatility of Minsk as a cultural, economic, educational, sports, musical, and spiritual center. Festive events will start on 3 September and will be running until 11 September.

3 September: family festivals in Minsk districts, Open Doors Day at Belarusian circus.
5-11 September: guided tours to the historical center and landmarks of the Belarusian capital, Open Doors Days in museums, presentation of My Name is Minsk exhibition in the restored building (17 Rakovskaya Street) of the Minsk City Museum.
8-10 September: presentation of the pedestrian and bicycle route “The Road of Memory”, the exhibition of achievements of the industrial sector of Minsk on Oktyabrskaya Square.

10 September:

• Vernissage in the Trinity Suburb in the historical center of the city;
• Open Doors Days in Minsk theaters;
• International Olympic Day at the Palace of Sports: Olympic quest, entertainment interactive program; The Strongest Firefighter and Rescuer international competition;
• Festival of Belarusian cuisine, concert of the Syabry ensemble with the participation of Honorary Citizen of Minsk, People's Artist of Belarus Anatoly Yarmolenko in the Upper Town;
• the Youth of Minsk venue in the Podeba museum and park complex;
• a ceremony to present the Minsk Resident of the Year and Best in Profession awards;
• a gala concert in the Yanka Kupala Park; fireworks near the Palace of Sports (23.00).

When: 10 September
Where: Minsk, cultural, sport and entertainment venues of the city

Minsk ELECTRO 2022 Rally

Electric cars are becoming increasingly popular in Belarus. There were only 27 electric cars in the country at the end of 2015. In 2021 the number of electric cars in Belarus reached 4,000. The share of electric vehicles in passenger transport is also growing and now exceeds 20%. In late 2021 there were 25,100 people per one electric bus in Minsk (36,450 people in Berlin). The first electric rally in Minsk, which will take place to mark City Day, will cater for electric vehicle owners. The program will feature a 75-kilometer distance, urban routes and test range challenges. The program will also include an electric rally and a drifting show, electric scooter races, a show from the Driving Maneuvers Center, and an exhibition of electric vehicles.

When: 14.00, 10 September
Where: Testing ground for mobile vehicles of the United Institute of Machine Building of the National Academy of Sciences, 23 the Fifth Kilometer of the Minsk Ring Road (the outer side of the Minsk Ring Road (M9), exit at the glazed pedestrian bridge (opposite the Angarskaya district)
Coordinates: 53.897799, 27.702019

Gomel turns 880

Belarus’ second largest city and one of the oldest ones celebrates its 880th anniversary this year. A large-scale program on City Day, 10 September, will feature the international festival of fire theaters, exhibitions and concerts, performances of cover bands on the waterfront of the Sozh, colorful performances and installations.

As part of the 8th International Festival of Fire Theaters, the best performers from all over Belarus and beyond will come to congratulate the residents of Gomel on the anniversary of their beloved city. Each of them will present a colorful program with a variety of effects. The Kresiva fire circus from Minsk and Live Lights from Bryansk will be the headliners of the festival. Radio 107,4 FM and the First City TV channel will traditionally prepare an exciting program.

When: 10 September
Where: Gomel

The taste and mood festival MyasoMolFest in Gomel

Gomel residents have come to love the MyasoMolFest festival. The festival will be a gift from the local meat and dairy industry ahead of Gomel City Day and the city’s anniversary. Entire families traditionally come to see the festival because the program features many activities for children and adults. By the way, in 2021 teams of dairy plants held a shashlik battle, competing in cooking and decorating shashliks, steaks, and bone-in ribs. In 2022 the teams will cook meat, cheese and a traditional Belarusian dish – draniki (potato pancakes)!

When: 10 September
Where: a site outside the Ice Palace, a festival zone in Borodina Street, Gomel

H.O.G. Rally Minsk 2022

The international festival H.O.G. Rally Minsk will bring together bikers from different countries to mark the end of the motorcycle season. The bikers will start their ride at the Mound of Glory Memorial at 10:00. Then the participants of the festival will travel along Pobeditelei Avenue to the center of Minsk. A large-scale program will be held near the Palace of Sports featuring exhibition performances of motorcyclists, Harley-Davidson stunt riders, a road and traffic safety for children program, a multimedia program on road safety and many more

When: 10 September
Where: Mound of Glory - the venue near the Palace of Sports in Minsk

Minsk Half Marathon 2022

The famous Minsk Half Marathon, which has been held since 2013 and traditionally coincides with the celebration of Minsk City Day, aims to hit a new record in terms of the participant numbers - more than 11,000 runners. That is not counting their families, judges and a big team of organizers and volunteers - about 15,000-16,000 people in total! The program of the sports festival includes a 5km race, half of 10km half-marathon, the most important 21.097km race – a classical half-marathon, and also a 500m distance for kids. For the first time, the start and finish will be held at the Dinamo Stadium, and the route will run along the central streets of Minsk, past the main attractions of the Belarusian capital. Among them are Victory Square, Town Hall, the Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theater, the Palace of Sports, the Museum of History of the Great Patriotic War…

When: 11 September
Where: Dinamo Stadium, 8 Kirova Street, Minsk

"I am not afraid!": Sergei Lazarev in Minsk

After a successful concert show as part of the N Tour, the two-time winner of the Eurovision Song Contest, winner of the TV project "Dancing with stars" Sergei Lazarev created a new program that can do better than the previous one. It includes both new adaptations of the hits the public already loves and so far unknown compositions. Spectators will enjoy exceptionally live performance, the powerful energy of the artist and his team, an opportunity to dive into the atmosphere of the show with bright decorations and 3D installations.

When: 21 September
Where: 1 Oktyabrskaya Square, Palace of the Republic, Minsk

Belarus’ Post-War Architecture in Archive Materials in the Great Patriotic War History Museum

Soviet troops liberated Minsk from Nazi invaders on 3 July 1944. About 80% of the Belarusian capital had been destroyed by then. The most important buildings of the city were damaged during the war. For example, the Seat of Government, half of which had been blown up, the House of the Red Army (the Central House of Officers now), the building of the Opera House. Nezavisimosti Avenue (formerly known as Stalina Avenue, Leninsky Avenue) was actually built anew. Results of this amazing restoration are seen today by residents and guests of the city, but not everyone knows the details. Together with the Belarusian State Archive of Scientific and Technical Documentation, the exposition will present names and designs of the architects who restored the face of Minsk, authors of the post-war real estate development campaign of 1945-1955. The exposition also features many interesting photos that show the heroic labor of Minskers and residents of other cities.

When: 23 September – 24 October 
Where: Belarusian State Museum of History of the Great Patriotic War, 8 Pobeditelei Avenue, Minsk

Military song festival Citadel.by in the Brest Fortress

It will be the first time the Brest Hero Fortress will offer a live setting and a site for the military song festival and contest Citadel.by, which is timed to the Year of Historic Memory. The contest will feature such nominations as solo, duo, trio, quartet, and ensemble (up to 12 people). Participants will have to perform two songs focusing on different topics: a topical song (wartime works, songs about the Great Patriotic War, the Victory, the Brest Fortress) and a song of the participant's choosing (with the approval of the organizing committee). Performances will be judged by a jury, which will include professional artists, pedagogues, and representatives of the organizing committee.

When: 24 September
Where: Brest Hero Fortress, 60 Geroyev Oborony Brestskoi Kreposti Street, Brest

Cranes and Cranberries of Miory District festival

The national landscape reserve Yelnya is known for gathering record-high amounts of cranberries every September. Over 4,000 grey cranes and dozens of thousands of geese of various kinds come to Miory District in autumn for a stopover on the way to the south. Therefore, in addition to visiting the famous landscape reserve and getting familiar with its flora and fauna everyone who comes to the ecofestival joins in an exciting activity – bird watching (specifically, crane watching) and, of course, learns how to pick up healthy and delicious berries. In addition, festival guests will be able to take part in ecological games, choose the best farmstead in Miory District in the nomination "Yelnya’s riches in our courtyard", buy souvenirs made by local craftsmen, and enjoy cranberry juice and cranberry sweets, and even choose Miory Zhuravinka [Miory Cranberry].

When: 24 September
Where: The national landscape reserve Yelnya, Miory, Miory District, Vitebsk Oblast

The 18th international festival of student theaters Teatralny Kufar

Although this spring festival had to be rescheduled to autumn, one of the most influential youth theater forums in Eastern Europe will bring together creative teams from various countries. Every year about 20 theaters from different parts of the world take part in the forum, 12,000 spectators come to enjoy fresh experiments and creative productions. The theater festival Teatralny Kufar already celebrated an anniversary date - the 15th anniversary - in 2019 with the Brand of the Year title and a silver medal as well as an impressive number of participants: representatives of more than 65 countries have appeared on the historical stage of the Lyceum of the Belarusian State University since the festival was founded!

When: 26 September – 2 October
Where: Belarusian State University, Minsk

Giselle ballet premier in the Bolshoi Theater of Belarus

The Bolshoi Theater of Belarus is getting ready to open its 90th anniversary season with new opera and ballet performances. The entire world loves the Giselle ballet. It is expected to be one of the most anticipated and innovative productions. It will be directed by the chief choreographer, Honored Artist of Russia Igor Kolb, who began working with the Belarusian troupe in April 2022. In his words, he himself danced the part of Albert and Hans and borrowed a lot from the ballet’s different productions staged by the Mariinsky Theater. Therefore, the audience is in for a truly amazing performance as envisaged by the new choreographer.

When: 28 September
Where: National Academic Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theater of the Republic of Belarus, 1 Parizhskoi Kommuny Square, Minsk

print version

make home page

add to bookmarks