Press releases

Belarus Events Calendar: September 2015

Kamayanitsa Folk Festival

Exhibition of reproductions of Nikolai Seleshchuk’s works The Artist and the City

The project The Artist and the City that became famous after the exhibitions of reproductions of works by the great artists Marc Chagall and Kazimir Malevich invites the residents and guests of Minsk to get acquainted with Nikolai Seleshchuk, an outstanding Belarusian artist of the 20th century who was a black-and-white artist, an illustrator, and a laureate of the State Prize of Belarus. He was one of the first Belarusian surrealists. The exhibition under the open sky features 30 reproductions of the works by the "Belarusian Salvador Dali" from the holdings of the leading Belarusian museums, including the National Art Museum of Belarus and the Mogilev Regional Art Museum named after Pavel Maslenikov. The visitors to the exhibition will see the artist’s most important paintings including Chronicle of One Day, Way Home, and Portrait  of a Girl …

When: from 14 May till 10 September
Where: Yakub Kolas Square, Minsk

Belarus in the UNESCO World Heritage List

The project, which was launched in the Chelyuskintsev Park in Minsk, allows getting acquainted with Belarus’ outstanding landmarks which are known all over the world. The large-scale open-air exhibition is a continuation of the Heritage of Belarus project and is dedicated to the jubilee events of 2015: the 70th anniversary of the UNESCO, the 60th anniversary of Belarus’s membership in the UNESCO, and 10 years since the Nesvizh Palace and Park was awarded the status of a UNESCO site. The exposition, which was on display on the fence of the park for a year, includes more than 60 photographs and shows four Belarusian sites on the list of the world cultural and natural heritage: Belovezhskaya Pushcha; Mir Castle; The Architectural, Residential and Cultural Complex of the Radziwill Family at Nesvizh; Struve Geodetic Arc.

When: from 22 May
Where: Chelyuskintsev Park, Minsk

Max Mirnyi’s expo in Mir Castle

The exhibition featuring Max Mirnyi’s trophies is dedicated to the life and sporting achievements of Max Mirnyi, one of Belarus’ most famous tennis players: the ten-time Grand Slam doubles and mixed doubles winner, Olympic champion. On display are about 200 sports trophies, medals, cups, rackets, watches, souvenirs, gifts. Among them is the very first award, the Oriental carpet from Uzbekistan, and the most valuable one, the gold medal which Max Mirnyi and Victoria Azarenka in the mixed doubles at the Olympic Games in London in 2012. In addition, the exhibition presents a unique collection of badges and pins which Max Mirnyi’s family collected at the Olympic Games, and the photos depicting the athlete during competitions, together with well-known personalities, among them Jim Carrey, Renata Litvinova, Igor Krutoy.

When: 10 June - 31 October
Where: Mir Castle, Grodno Oblast

Art Island in Komsomolskoye Lake in Minsk

The Art Island project is designed to create an interactive outdoor “museum” that will feature 14 sculptures reflecting various branches of modern Belarusian art. Visitors of the exhibition will be able to see unique art objects such as a bench looking like a clothes peg, a Babylon tower made of old beehives, “a frozen tune”, “a cheese chair”, an iron hockey player, a trash-art cat made of metal and screw nuts, a forged centaur, angel wings connected by a parachute… The authors of the unusual exhibits are 11 Belarusian artists: Konstantin Selikhanov, Piotr Kuzmich, Konstantin Kostyuchenko, Pavel Voinitsky, Valery Malakhov, Mikhail Shikov, Denis Barsukov, Vadim Matskevich, Tatiana Gomza, Igor Leontyev, and Viktor Aster. The project’s scale is also amazing: the total weight of the exhibits exceeds 20 tonnes while one of the works – the Stilt-Walker sculpture is six meters high.

When: 18 June – 14 September
Where: Komsomoltsev Island, Komsomolskoye Lake, Minsk

Fashion history exhibition

Marina Ivanova’s Fashion History Museum invites experts and art lovers to immerse into the atmosphere of Belle Epoque, one of the most important periods in the history of fashion that radically changed the idea of women's costume. The exhibition features more than 100 vintage dresses made between 1870 and 1930: wedding dresses, business suits, clothing for races and walks, velvet dresses, pearl embroidered gowns… The exhibition also displays the authentic accessories of the 18th-20th centuries: shoes, purses, hats, gloves, and umbrellas. Of particular interest is the evening wrap with a fern pattern and a sky-blue Irish lace dress made in 1910. The children’s section showcases children’s clothing, toys, dolls, prams, bicycles and other things.

When: 10 July – 6 September
Where: National History Museum, Minsk

International Festival Magnificat 2015

The festival of Christian films and TV programs promoting everlasting values will traditionally bring together directors and amateurs of cinema. This year the organizers of the festival received a record high number of applications: 50 documentaries and TV programs from 17 countries, including the festival’s newcomer Austria. The geography of the festival has expanded significantly: its opening will traditionally take place in Minsk, competing films and TV programs will be shown in Glubokoye, Udelo, Ives, Zadorozhye. For the first time the festival will include a children’s cartoon animation studio led by many-time winner of the festival, famous Polish animator Jana Poljak.

When: 30 August – 3 September
Where: Cathedral of Saint Virgin Mary, Minsk
Glubokoye District, Vitebsk Oblast
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Masterpieces from Tretyakov Gallery in Minsk

The National Art Museum of Belarus and the State Tretyakov Gallery, one of the largest museums in the world, will present the unique project "From Realism to Impressionism". This time the exhibition will showcase over 70 works by famous Russian artists of the 19th-20th centuries including Alexei Savrasov, Isaac Levitan, Ivan Shishkin, Vasily Polenov, Ilya Repin, Konstantin Korovin… Of particular interest will be the works of famous natives of Belarus who received international acclaim. Among them is Stanislav Zhukovsky, a celebrated landscapist associated with the Impressionist movement, and Ferdynand Ruszczyc, a student of Ivan Shishkin and Arkhip Kuindzhi.

When: 5 September – 11 December
Where: National Art Museum of Belarus
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Kamayanitsa Folk Festival

The 7th edition of the festival will bring together fans of Belarusian music and culture at the Belarusian State Museum of Vernacular Architecture and Ethnic Heritage where the unique wooden architecture of the 18th -20th centuries has survived. A large open-air concert will feature: the Estonian folk band Trad Attack!, the Polish group Dzikie Jablka, Ukrainian folk rock band Drimba Da Dziga, and the Belarusian folk bands Stary Olsa, Vuraj, Znich, Altanka and Yagorava Gara. The leader of the famed group Troitsa Ivan Kirchuk will present the one-man show "Confession under the roof” which will take the audience to ancient times and introduce them to the life of their ancestors. The Kamyanitsa 2015 program also features a big fair of folk crafts, Belarusian national cuisine, dances, games, and songs.

When: September 5
Where: Belarusian State Museum of Vernacular Architecture and Ethnic Heritage, village of Ozertso, Minsk District

Bread Festival in Minsk

The Bread Festival will gather lovers of pastries and confectionery in the center of Minsk for the first time. The fair will feature six bakeries of the Minskkhlebprom company. Minsk residents and guests of the city will get acquainted with the novelties of domestic producers, will taste freshly baked bread, attend master classes to learn how to bake bread, rolls and croissants, to cook puff pastry and make the original figures from yeast-leavened dough. In addition, there will be a lottery, various competitions and quizzes.

When: 5 September
Where: Gorky Central Children's Park, Minsk

Day of Belarusian Written Language in Shchuchin

The ancient town of Shchuchin, known for its architectural landmark – Palace of the Drutsky-Lubetsky Dukes, will host Belarus’ Written Language Days for the first time. Among the highlights of this year’s forum are the Year of the Youth, the 70th Anniversary of the Great Victory and the 500th Anniversary of the Belarusian Book Printing, which is to be celebrated in 2017. The program of the forum will include scientific conferences, roundtables, literature and music workshops, presentations of mass media outlets and publishing houses, exhibition projects, young reader competitions, theatrical and reenactment club performances, concerts. The city’s main performance venue will host an award ceremony for winners of the first National Literary Prize. A bookshop-coffee house will be opened to mark the event. Its visitors will be offered to get familiar with the best Belarusian book novelties that brought the country international recognition, including the photo album Castles of Belarus. This year the photo album won the Grand Prix of the 12th CIS contest Art of the Book.

When: 6 September
Where: Shchuchin, Grodno Oblast
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Living Classics at Belarusian Philharmonic Society

The State Academic Symphony Orchestra of the Republic of Belarus conducted by Alexander Anisimov invites classics amateurs to an opening night of the new season of the Belarusian Philharmonic Society. The program will include concerts for both adult and young worshippers of symphonic, piano and vocal music. The first part of the night will be dedicated to the presentation of the multimedia play Icarus on the Edge of Time after Brian Greene’s book (Philip Glass’ music). The symphony marathon will be continued by the legendary polonaise Farewell to Homeland of legendary composer Michal Kleofas Oginski whose 250th birthday is celebrated this year, as well as music pieces of Frederic Chopin and Carl Orff. Among the soloists of the night is Moscow virtuoso Alexander Gindin and Belarusian opera stars – Ilya Silchukov, Irina Krikunova and Yanosh Nelepa.

When: 8 September
Where: Shirma Small Concert Hall, Belarusian State Philharmonic Society, Minsk

International Theater Festival Belaya Vezha 2015

Over the years, the international theater festival Belaya Vezha in Brest has become a calling card of this Belarusian city. The jubilee 20th edition of the forum will feature the greatest performances in its history. Partaking in the international festival will be 15 theater troupes – grand prix winners of different years – from Bulgaria, Germany, Israel, Tajikistan, Tunisia, and Czechia. Brest residents and guests will see 25 productions from the repertoire of Belarusian and foreign theaters based on plays by such world's greatest playwrights as Alexander Pushkin, William Shakespeare, Lewis Carroll, Jean-Baptiste Moliere, and Adam Mickiewicz. The program of the festival will also include the first night of Adam Mickiewicz’s poem Dziady. The theater forum will finish with the legendry Pavlinka staged by the Yanka Kupala National Academic Theater. The theater will celebrate its 95th anniversary this year.

When: 11-19 September
Where: Brest Drama Theater, Brest Youth Art Center, Brest Puppet Theater, Lenina Square in Brest.
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Race of Biathlon Legends in Raubichi

The project Race of Legends – Biathlon Stars for Peace will gather world’s greatest athletes on the tracks of the National Winter Olympic Training Center Raubichi. This year, the center successfully hosted the IBU Youth/Junior World Championships. The three-time champion and a bronze medalist of the Olympic Games, the Hero of Belarus Darya Domracheva will welcome the participants and guests during the opening ceremony of the sports festival. The program of the event features a super sprint race and a mixed relay event with the participation of such world’s legends as Sven Fischer, Michael Greis, Ricco Gross, Lars Berger, Anna Carin Zidek (Olofsson), Helena Ekholm (Jonsson), Yuri Kashkarov, Nadezhda Talanova, and Yelena Zubrilova…

When: 12 September
Where: National Winter Olympic Training Center Raubichi, Minsk

Minsk City Day

The festivities to mark the 948th anniversary  of the Belarusian capital will kick off with an award ceremony for the winners of the skills contest. The motto of this year’s celebrations is My Native Minsk, You are the Heart of Belarus! By tradition, the celebrations will start with a flower ceremony at the Minsk City Hero Memorial on 12 September. Throughout the day there will be free entertainment in central streets, squares and parks of the city. Among the highlights is the international reenactment festival  Ancient Minsk, which will take place on the day of the city’s first mentioning in 1067. The program of the festivities will also include concerts and exhibitions on the Town Hall Square, a powerlifting tournament, a roller-skating championship,  sailing competitions, Minsk Polo Marathon, a family and youth festival A Fairy City, a City of Dreams!", an exhibition fair The Town of Craftsmen... The celebrations will conclude grandiose 12-minutes fireworks near the Minsk Hero City Stele.

When: 12 September
Where: squares, parks, concert venues of Minsk
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September Night at National Art Museum

The National Art Museum of Belarus will celebrate the Minsk City Day with the project September Night, an autumn version of the international campaign Night of Museums. For one night only, one of the biggest museums in the country will turn into an interactive platform divided into a number of zones that will host lectures, poem recitals, film screenings, and music performances. Visitors of the cozy Art Cafe will enjoy modern poetry. Several Belarusian documentaries filmed in recent years will be screened in the movie zone. The project will also feature a unique exhibition of copies of antique statues created in the middle of the 20th century. The works were handed over to the museum in 1976 by the famous artist and art patron Nadezhda Leger. She was born in Belarus and was the wife of the renowned French expressionist Fernand Leger.

When: 12 September
Where: National Art Museum of Belarus, Minsk

Valentin Gaft’s night in Minsk

The famous Soviet and Russian artist Valentin Gaft, who has been starring in many movies as a villain from the very start of his career, is fondly remembered thanks to the vividly played characters in Eldar Ryazanov’s immortal films Garage and Say a Word for the Poor Hussar… Apart from that, the famous actor is an unrivalled master of epigrams, the author of the books I Gradually Learn, Theater is My Life, Garden of Forgotten Memories… One of the most remarkable projects is the one-man show I was Dreaming, which is a joint production with the outstanding director Roman Viktyuk. The show is based on pieces of poetry, reminiscences, and brief repartees the maestro said during rehearsals. In Minsk the actor will tell a story of his life and art, will share mastery secrets and will read out the best of his words.

When: 15 September
Where: Trade Unions Culture Palace, Minsk

K.U.K.L.A (D.O.L.L) project by the Zapashny brothers in Minsk

The new show K.U.K.L.A by the Zapashny brothers has already been seen by over 350,000 people. The scale of the show is truly impressive — the budget is close to $10 million, over 250 artists are employed as well as 800 custom-made costumes and exclusive masks, over 200 tonnes of modern equipment. Visitors will be treated to a magnificent circus performance, during which the captivating story about “each and every one” will be combined with large-scale scenes and mesmerizing tricks featuring about 60 four-legged artists, including predators — lions and tigers. Starring will be the people’s artists of Russia Edgard Zapashny and Askold Zapashny, honored artists of Russia Yelena Baranenko and Yelena Petrikova. As part of the show the international charity marathon Kukla (Doll) will take place. The action will bring together children and “ambassadors of art” from various countries of the world, including a representative of one of the most powerful Belarusian families — Prince Matsei Radziwill.

When: 16-20 September
Where: Minsk Arena

4th national ecological festival Cranes and Cranberries in Miory Land

The captivating ecofestival will gather bird watchers and fans of Belarusian nature in the famous wildlife sanctuary Yelnya where over 4,000 grey cranes and 10,000 geese stay over during autumn migration… As part of the excursion visitors will be able to watch the gracious birds as they fly for an overnight stop. Visitors will be able to walk along an environmental path and see flocks of cranes in the fields. The program includes a cranberry collection competition, a fair of folk crafts, and a presentation of Miory District farm tourism estates. The holiday will end with a concert by Belarusian pop stars and finalists of the national singing contest New Voices for the Beloved Land. Following the established tradition visitors will be treated to delicious meals cooked by the local citizens using cranberries, which medicinal qualities have been in use since times immemorial.

When: 20 September
Where: Miory, Vitebsk Oblast

Africa!?! Show at Belarusian State Circus

The circus show Africa!?! will feature the mysterious world of the “dark continent” populated with dark-skinned aborigines and exotic animals. Visitors will take a fascinating journey through endless deserts and meet with trapeze artists, pole climbers, jugglers, equestrian vaulters, animal trainers with fierce crocodiles and lions, snakes, funny apes, donkeys and dogs. The show will feature the world’s only chorus of giant crocodiles in Alexander Orlov’s Egyptian Gambit act, the breathtaking act In the Constellation of the Lion of Olga Borisova, the representative of one of the oldest lion tamer dynasties, the funny act An Eccentric and a Monkey of Aidyn Israfilov, the winner of the Silver Clown Award and two special prizes of the 1997 International Youth Circus Festival in Monte Carlo…

When: 25-30 September
Where: Belarusian State Circus, Minsk

10th Yuri Bashmet International Festival

Minsk will host one of the greatest music festivals in Belarus featuring the best modern artists for the 10th time. Masterpieces of classical music will be performed by famous violinist Yulian Rakhlin, one of the best Mozart interpreters and legendary pianist Paul Badura-Skoda, and the Russian folk instrument company Terem-Quartet which performed in front of the 120,000-strong audience in Vatican City, Pope John Paul II and Mother Teresa, the Ural Philharmonic Orchestra led by People’s Artist of Russia Dmitry Liss. At the opening ceremony of the 10th anniversary forum soloists of the Bolshoi Theater, the Mariinsky Theater and the Theater of Salzburg accompanies by the New Russia State Symphony Orchestra and People’s Artist of Russia Konstantin Khabensky will present Yuri Bashmet’s author version of Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s opera Eugene Onegin.

When: 28 September – 9 October
Where: Belarusian State Philharmonic, Minsk
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5th International Theater Forum TEART 2015

The International Theater Forum TEART will feature the best theater projects of renowned directors from all over the world, including Swiss choreographer Daniele Finzi Pasca who became world-famous thanks to his productions for Cirque du Soleil and Cirque Eloize, staging of the closing ceremony of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, friend and successor of Pina Bausch Pippo Delbono, head of the leading German theater Schaubuehne Berlin Thomas Ostermeier and art director of the Maly Drama Theater – Theater of Europe in St. Petersburg Lev Dodin. The program of the festival will also include productions of young talented directors, namely two-time winner of the 2014 Golden Mask Award Timofei Kulyabin and famous student of Lev Dodin Dmitry Volkostrelov. This year all productions included in the program of the festival are still divided into various genre categories such as classical and experimental drama, documentaries and physical theater.

When: 29 September – 23 October
Where: Minsk