Press releases

MINSK, 31 May (BelTA) - Great British Festival will be held in the historic down of Minsk on 16 June and will sweep across 10 thematic venues, BelTA has learned.

We are looking forward to the festival. This is our first experience of holding such an event but we will go big. We are planning to make use of not only Svobody Square but also adjacent streets and courtyards. We will post the schedule of the festival online and also will make it available in the form of a booklet with a map of the zones for sport, national cuisine, charity projects, and so on. We have outlined several areas in which the United Kingdom is proud of its achievements. In the Upper Town we will showcase culture, business, education, sports, fashion, food, music and theater arts, UK Ambassador to Belarus Fionna Gibb told a press conference.

The organizers expect the festival, which will last from 13.00 till 23.00, to draw at least 10,000 people. A parade of mini-cars will precede the festival launch event. We invite all drivers of mini-cars to join. The event starts at 12.30 at the Palace of Sports. The headliner of the festival Sian Evans will drive one of the cars, Ambassador Fionna Gibb said.

One of the draws of the festival will be a tennis court scaled 1:2 to the famous Wimbledon Stadium. Visitors will have a chance to take a free tennis lesson or choose a photo op with Max Mirny’s trophy or have a golf practice session. Microsoft will hold a FIFA World Cup using its Xbox videogame console for Manchester United and Liverpool fans.

Motorists will be happy to visit the showroom featuring the brand new Jaguar, Bentley, Range Rover and Mini and also the technology of Perkins Engines and JCB, the world’s leading manufacturers of diesel and gas engines and construction equipment.

The inner courtyard of the Monastyrsky Hotel will turn into a ‘branch of a British university'. Visitors will get a chance to brush up their knowledge of English, pass an IELTS language test, and participate in a spelling contest. One of the graduates of University of the Arts London will share her impressions of living and studying in England. Four book crossing stands of English classics will be available for book lovers.

The event will feature entertainment for children. Cafes and restaurants will offer a shepherd’s pie, fish and chips and five-o’clock tea biscuit desserts. Bars in the Upper Town will turn into British pubs to offer ale and whiskey. Minskers and guests of the capital will be entertained by British artists including Melodians Steel Orchestra and Sian Evans, the former front woman of Kosheen, a popular British electronic music group from Bristol. Visitors will also be invited to learn a traditional Scottish dance.

The program of the festival will include a fashion shows from David Longshaw, who designed for Alberta Ferretti and Max Mara. UK artists will recite fragments of Shakespeare's works. The Gorky National Academic Drama Theater will present its interpretation of The Twelfth Night play. Ben Tallon, a popular illustrator from Manchester, will come to Minsk to get familiar with the Belarusian street art and create an art object as a gift to the city.

The festival will wrap up at 23.00 with a party from the London club brand Ministry of Sound.

The event is organized by the British Embassy with the support of the Minsk City Hall. “Thousands of Belarusians will be able to experience the cuisine, music, culture, fashion, sports, education, and business opportunities of the United Kingdom,” coordinators of the cultural project said.