Festival of National Cultures in Grodno

Smiling people of different complexion and eye shape. Favorite tunes from various countries. The liveliest dances from around the world. The most beautiful national costumes and the tastiest authentic dishes. The kindest words towards Belarus in different languages. All this could be seen and heard in the cozy streets, squares and gardens of Grodno, one of Belarus’ most multinational cities. For a few days Grodno turned into a huge celebration venue to host the Festival of National Cultures for its 12th time. This large-scale festival united representatives of 36 diasporas.

The festival traditionally kicked off with a theatrical parade: a multiethnic group, including Cubans, Chinese, and the Tamils marched from Lenina Square to Sovetskaya Square. The participants carried a symbolic figurine of a stork, the wings of which were decorated with national ornaments. The main theme of this year’s parade was national songs, dances and mini performances.

A number of inaugurations took place as part of the festival. Among them was a panoramic platform with a magnificent view of the central streets, and the monument to legendary duke David of Grodno. On the first summer day the festival featured gala concerts, open-air film screenings and a stunning 3D-mapping show on the walls of the New Castle. Spectacular fireworks wrapped up the celebrations.  

Taking part in the festival on its first day were about 120,000 people. Thanks to Belarus’ visa-free rules, the number of foreign tourists has notably increased. The city welcomed its 25,000th visa-free visitor, Magne Versland from Norway.

The second day of the international festival marked the opening of the Festivalny cultural center in one of the city’s historical buildings. The center houses an interactive museum dedicated to the Festival of National Cultures, and also an exposition about the history of Grodno. The draw of the expo is a miniature city designed by local historian Igor Lapekha.

The festival continued with an international flashmob where hundreds of guests could ‘hug’ a square symbolizing Belarus in a round dance. Visitors could also get familiar with a great variety of cultures. Grodno played host to 19 national pavilions.  Two of them were multinational and were symbolically named West and East.

For the first time the festival spilled beyond the borders of the city. The celebrations continued at the Augustow Canal on Sunday. Guests were entertained with unusual competitions near the Dombrovka Sluice. The program included chicken races, Beer starts and a sausage speed eating contest.

Big festival of friendship and national unity in our summer photo story!