Press releases

Belarus Events Calendar: SEPTEMBER 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 - 16 September
Where: the historic center of Minsk

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

Musical weekends: Summer concerts in Alexander Garden in Minsk

In the heart of the Belarusian capital, near the Kupala Theater in Alexander Square, Minsk residents and guests of the city can enjoy concerts of famous folklore, vocal and dance companies of the country every weekend. In August, the audiences will be treated to concerts by the orchestra and vocal group of the Border Guard Service of Belarus (5 August), the Youth Variety Theater (12 August), the Belarusian State Academic Dance Company Khoroshki (19 August). A dedication concert from the Finberg National Academic Concert Orchestra in memory of the maestro and founder of the orchestra will be held on 26 August. The autumn chapter will open with the Musical Evening with the Bolshoi Theater (2 September) and the Music of Cinema program by the Zhinovich National Academic Folk Orchestra of Belarus of the Belarusian State Philharmonic Society (9 September).

When: 3 June - 9 September (Saturdays, 16.00–17.30)
Where: Alexander Garden, Minsk
More

Festival of academic organ and chamber music

The Great Art of the Organ will unite connoisseurs of organ and chamber music: in just three months three chamber groups and 13 concert organists will give 33 concerts. It is symbolic that the festival opened in Pinsk that has the country’s second largest historical organ (Roman Catholic Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin). The musical marathon will continue in the village of Medvedichi, Lyakhovichi District. The audiences will enjoy seven concerts and savor the sound of the hundred-year-old organ. The concerts will run on weekends until 10 September.

Where, when:
2 July - 10 September  – Medvedichi village, Lyakhovichi District
end of July – early September – master classes in Pinsk
24 August and 13 September  – concerts at the Vitebsk Regional Philharmonic
More

Karnei premiere at the National Theater of Belarusian Dramaturgy

The National Theater of Belarusian Dramaturgy will open a new season with a premiere Karnei directed by Alena Zmiter. It is a story of an eccentric rat-catcher who is looking for a place he belongs. One of key elements of the story is the House that symbolizes the connection with the native land and unites several generations. This is a symbol, a feeling, and a link connecting generations, experiences, times and trials. The performance is based on the story Kornei – Slayer of Mice by the famous Belarusian writer Vladimir Korotkevich, as well as excerpts from the prose, poems and essays of the author.

When: 1, 27 September; 8, 21 October
Where: National Theater of Belarusian Dramaturgy, 44 Kropotkina Street, Minsk
More

Lida City Day: 700th anniversary of the ancient outpost

The city of Lida that is home to one of the country’s most famous castles (Lida Castle was founded by Prince Hiedymin in 1323), is celebrating its 700^th anniversary this year. The celebrations will be running for three days and will begin with a food festival. On Friday, 1 September, visitors to the KharchFestPROSmak event will be able to try rare and classic dishes from enterprises of the region. On 2 September the Lidbeer music festival will kick-off. The festival will have several music venues, including pop, rock, electro, folk music venues... A medieval atmosphere will set in at the castle: visitors will see a weaponry workshop, a blacksmith’s shop, a knight's camp, a craft fair, a re-enactment of a princely hunt, the Lida Worriers equestrian tournament and a fire show in the evening.

When: 1-3 September
Where: Lida, Grodno Oblast

Science Festival in Minsk

At the onset of a new academic year, the country’s biggest popular science event - the Science Festival – will gather thousands of visitors of all ages in the Botanical Garden in Minsk (last year more than 10,000 people applied for a ticket!). By tradition, more than a hundred academic facilities, universities and industry giants of the country will showcase their top-notch solutions, including developments by fledgling scientists. The exhibition “100 innovations of young scientists” will be held on the main alley of the Botanical Garden. Visitors will see new plant varieties, study new technologies in various fields, and take part in exciting experiments and quizzes.

When: 2 September
Where: Central Botanical Garden of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, 2 Surganova Street, Minsk

Belarusian Written Language Day in Gorodok

This year Belarusian Written Language Day celebrations will be hosted by Gorodok, Vitebsk Oblast. Gorodok was known as ‘a town near Polotsk’ in the 13^th century chronicles. It was established that the town had a five-tower bastion castle that was destroyed during the Northern War ... In the run-up to the celebrations, building facades were decorated with images dedicated to the Year of Peace and Creation, poem Taras na Parnase [Taras on Mount Parnassus] by the famous native of Gorodok Konstantin Verenitsyn, as well as quotes from famous writers. The updated Verenitsyn Places tourist route will take tourists from Gorodok to the author’s ancestral home in the village of Ostrovlyane.

It is symbolic that the 30^th edition of Belarusian Written Language Day will be celebrated in Vitebsk Oblast, the homeland of outstanding educators Euphrosyne of Polotsk, Francysk Skorina, Simeon of Polotsk, Vasily Tyapinsky. One of the highlights of the celebrations will be the 140^th anniversary of the birth of Yanka Mavr, the ‘father’ of Belarusian children’s literature, translator and playwright, the first Belarusian author to write adventure stories and science fiction. The program will include an opening ceremony, a roundtable session involving Belarusian and foreign writers, the Gorodok Readings conference, the Live Classics children’s competition, the Road to the Shrine conference. Exhibition and trade pavilions of the Book and Press Festival will be working on the streets of the town.

When: 2-3 September
Where: Gorodok, Vitebsk Oblast

Belaya Vezha International Theater Festival

The Belaya Vezha International Theater Festival will be dedicated to the Year of Peace and Creation. This year it will bring together 28 teams from nine countries - Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Bulgaria, Denmark, Kazakhstan, Russia, Slovenia, Uzbekistan. The playbill of the theater forum will include productions in various genres from classical drama to experimental works. The festival will open on 8 September with the rock opera The Count of Monte Cristo by the Maxim Gorky National Academic Drama Theater. On the same day theater goers will be able to see the production Scenes from the House of the Dead by the Baltic House from St. Petersburg. The star participants will include director Sergei Fedotov whose production The Cripple of Inishmaan received the Grand Prix of the Belaya Vezha festival. This year he will present The Golovlevs staged by the Old House Novosibirsk Drama Theater.

When: 8-16 September
Where: Brest Academic Drama Theater, Brest Puppet Theater and the Regional  Community Center, Brest
More

City Day in Grodno

Grodno was a royal city in the 18^th century, it was also a western bastion of the country back in the day. It was first mentioned in the Hypatian Codex in 1128 as Garodnya, Garadzen when it was a center of a principality. The celebrations of the city’s 895^th anniversary will unfold at several venues at once. The Grodno downtown will turn into an interactive zone with an array of cultural events and entertainments. Other interesting activities will include performances by street musicians, exhibitions of artisans and an open-air restaurant.

When: 9 September
Where: Grodno

Minsk City Day: the Belarusian capital turns 956

The celebrations of the 956^th anniversary of the Belarusian capital city will be themed “My dear Minsk, the heart of Belarus”. Locals and visitors can count on a very exciting and diverse program. The Minsk Starazhytny history festival will unfold in the park area along Pobeditelei Avenue and will recreate milestone events from the city’s history starting from the famous battle on the Nemiga River in 1067.  The festivities near the Palace of Sports will include the International Olympic Day, a quest and the 7^th edition of the international competition Strongest Firefighter. The Minsk City History Museum will host Silhouettes of Old Minsk, a joint exposition with the Zair Azgur Museum. The Upper Town will play host to the Festival of National Cultures that will welcome representatives of more than 20 diasporas living in Belarus. The festival will feature great music, delicious national dishes and amazing dance workshops.

When: 9 September
Where: Minsk
More

Minsk Half Marathon 2023

The Minsk Half Marathon, the largest sports event in Belarus, will gather about 15,000 runners this year. The athletics event changed its location in 2022, and this time it will start at the Dinamo National Olympic Stadium for the second time in a row. The finish line will now be located in the center of the stadium. The event will feature 5km and 10km races and a 21.097km half marathon. The Family Run will invite  youngest participants to run together with their parents.

When: 10 September
Where: Dinamo National Olympic Stadium, 8 Kirova Street, Minsk

Bolshoi Theater of Belarus invites: Russian Hamlet, Turandot, Spartak

The Bolshoi Theater of Belarus invites connoisseurs of classical opera and ballet to enjoy performances from the repertoire of the Russian Mariinsky and Rostov Theaters. The program will open with the Russian Hamlet play by People's Artist of Russia Boris Eifman who is called a choreographer-intellectual and a director-philosopher. The prototype of the main character in his production is Emperor Paul I, one of the most enigmatic and controversial characters in Russian history. The choreographer-director shows the tragic confrontation of an extraordinary and mentally fragile personality with a hostile world built on violence, treachery and lies.

When: 12, 22, 23 September
Where: Bolshoi Theater of Belarus, 1 Parizhskaya Kommuna Square, Minsk

Arts Festival of Belarusians of the World

After a six-year hiatus, the Arts Festival of Belarusians of the World will unite over 250 like-minded people - representatives of the national diaspora from different countries. Among the participants of the festival will be amateur art bands, individual performers, artists, sculptors, designers, artisans, photo artists and photographers, prose writers and poets – all of them are Belarusians living abroad. The festival will feature concerts of Belarusian folklore and contemporary music, exhibitions of painting and arts and crafts, photo exhibitions, meetings with the heads and representatives of the Union of Writers, the Union of Artists, the Union of Artisans, workshops in traditional culture.

When: 19-24 September
Where: Minsk and regions of Belarus
More

International Watercolor Festival in Vitebsk

The International Watercolor Festival will gather about 30 artists from the regions of Belarus and Russia in the homeland of Marc Chagall. The opening of the forum will feature a exhibition by Vitebsk watercolorists, and a fashion show with a watercolor collection. The draw of the 2023 edition will be a plein air in the Museum-Estate of Ilya Repin "Zdravnevo" in Vitebsk District. The plein air participants will have a sightseeing tour of the city, climb to the observation deck of the Town Hall  and visit the Art Museum. The forum will also comprise watercolor workshops, meetings and art platforms. Young Vitebsk watercolor artists will also join the festival.

When: 22-24 September
Where: Vitebsk Oblast Local History Museum, 36 Lenina Street, Vitebsk
More

Machine Builder's Day in Vitebsk

Machine Builder's Day in Belarus is traditionally marked on the last Sunday of September. The tradition of celebrating this holiday in different cities of the country was launched last year, and the first of the cities to do it was Gomel. The holiday celebration concept is constantly improved and expanded. In the Year of Peace and Creation the Machine Builder's Day events will reflect the milestones in the industry's history, its present and future. The large-scale feast will be held at several venues of the regional center and will welcome guests and participants from all over the country. The program will include a ceremony to honor the best workers of the industry, an exhibition of equipment of enterprises, entertainment shows, a trade fair of culinary products, and a concert of singers and bands of the cultural centers of the Industry Ministry enterprises.

When: 22 September
Where: Vitebsk

Cranes and Cranberries of Miory District eco-festival

Held since 2012 the Cranes and Cranberries of Miory District eco-festival has become one of the most recognizable brands of Vitebsk Oblast. It is timed to the cranberry harvest time. Belarus' largest bog Yelnya ranks first in terms of cranberry reserves. Every year Miory District becomes a transit point to some 4,000 gray cranes and tens of thousands of geese of different species on their way to warmer countries. Visitors to the festival will get a chance to admire the nature of Yelnya and observe birds, take part in ecological games, choose the best farmstead of the region as well as the best Miory Cranberry, taste cranberry drinks and snacks.

When: 23 September
Where: Miory, Yelnya Wildlife Reserve, Vitebsk Oblast

Yazyl Ten running festival

The 35^th edition of the national running festival Yazyl Ten will welcome more than 2,500 professional and amateur runners. The sports festival will feature a number of events: Five Hundred (500m), Corporate Run (2,500m), Sports Run (2,500m), Yazyl Ten (10km), Starodorozhskie Races (60m), Family Relay (3x500m). The festival events are open to people of different ages depending on the distance (12-13 years old, 14-15 years old, 16-17 years old; 10km men and women). Those crossing the finish line will receive medals and souvenirs.

When: 29-30 September, 10.00
Where: Starye Dorogi, Minsk Oblast