Opinions & Interviews

ALEKSANDRIA, 8 July (BelTA) - Alexandriya is ready to host the highest guests for Kupala Night festival (Alexandriya Gathers Friends). The event will be held in the agro-town Alexandriya, Shklov District on 9-10 July, Chairman of the Mogilev Oblast Executive Committee Vladimir Domanevsky said following the session to discuss the organizational issues on 7 July, BelTA has learned.

All services involved in the preparation of the festival did well. A large and beautiful tent city was built on the banks of the Dnieper River, the traditional venue for merrymaking. All necessary measures have been taken to make Kupala Night Festival comfortable and safe. “The event will feature a busy cultural program with many different creative projects and activities. We are sure that the guests will see here genuine hospitality of the region, and will have only good impressions of their visit,” the Governor said.

According to Deputy Chairman of the Mogilev Oblast Executive Committee Valery Malashko, over the past six seasons Kupala Night has grown into a large-scale multicultural project that gains popularity each year, drawing more and more participants and guests from different countries. In addition to many-hour music program featuring Belarusian and foreign pop singers, which will last till dawn, Kupala Night festival will offer many more interesting events. For example, a fair of the Belarusian, Ukrainian and Russian cuisine will debut this year. Drukara Pavilion, which will give the start to the celebrations to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the Belarusian book printing, will give a chance to anyone to print out a page from the Bible of Francysk Skaryna using an old machine.

About 700 artisans from Belarus, Russia, Ukraine and Lithuania will gather for the arts and crafts fair "The Dnieper is the River of Friendship". It will showcase a wide choice of souvenirs reflecting the culture and traditions of the participating countries. The program of the festival also includes equestrian exhibition shows, DOSAAF demonstration flights, children's attractions, Kupala bonfires, fireworks and a laser show.

“The main draw of the festival (9 July) will be a gala concert, titled as Kupala Tale, that will feature well-known Belarusian and foreign pop singers. The show will treat the audience to spectacular special effects that will recreate a magic world of the Kupala night,” Valery Malashko said.

Festivities on the second day (10 July) will culminate in an awards ceremony of best agro-industrial performers in Mogilev Oblast. The ceremony will feature the Tsitovich National Academic Folk Choir of Belarus and the Ivanov Folk Instrument Orchestra of the Mogilev Oblast Philharmonics. A concert featuring Marina Devyatova and Alexander Solodukha will wrap up the day.