Press releases

Belarus Events Calendar: MAY 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

CINEMASCOPE: A retrospective of New Hollywood films

6 May – A Woman Under the Influence (1974)
13 May – Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974)
20 May – Days of Heaven (1978)

When: April 15 – May 20
Where: Monochrome space, 16/3 Oktyabrskaya Street, Minsk

Fifth national festival Gastrofest. BOOKS 2023

This time, Gastrofest will bring together fans of cuisine from different eras and literary bestsellers. The focus of the festival is modern and classic works of fiction. The chefs of the participating organizations offer to travel back in time and find themselves at the table with the characters of their favorite books and, for example, taste Giacomo Casanova’s favorite delicacies, enjoy the Mad Hatter Snack from Alice in Wonderland, go to the central market of the French capital of the 19^th century described by Emile Zola in his novel The Belly of Paris...

When: April 20 – May 7
Where: Minsk, Brest, Vitebsk, Gomel, Grodno, Mogilev

Bird Festival in the Pripyatsky National Park

Birdwatching has millions of fans around the world, including in Belarus. This season, the Bird Festival will be held in the Pripyatsky National Park, which has an international status of a key ornithological territory. It is home to 256 species of birds (which accounts for 79% of the avifauna of the whole country). 65 species of them are listed in the Red Book of Belarus. In addition, the floodplain of the Pripyat River is the largest migratory channel of migratory birds in Europe. Guests of the festival will go bird watching on the Turov meadow where he will be offered entertaining excursions, workshops and an entertainment program.

When: April 30 – May 1
Where: Pripyatsky National Park, Lyaskovichi agro-town, Petrikov District, Gomel Oblast

Retro concert "Black and White Cinema" at the Belarusian State Philharmonic

The era from the first 48-second film presented by the Lumiere brothers in 1895 to a color short film in 1935 has a special charm and aesthetics of noir, which to this day evokes nostalgia among fans of cinema art. The Zhinovich National Academic Folk Orchestra of Belarus invites you to travel back to the era of black-and-white cinema and feel it again through your favorite music pieces of that time. The program will feature melodies and songs from Soviet films of the 1930s and 1970s.

When: 3 May
Where: Belarusian State Philharmonic, 50 Nezavisimosti Avenue, Minsk

Bashkir Opera at the Bolshoi Theater: Giacomo Puccini's Turandot

Giacomo Puccini's opera about the love of the cold Princess Turandot and Prince Calaf was first presented to the Belarusian audience in 2013. This time, the soloist of the Bashkir Opera and Ballet Theater, People's Artist of Tatarstan Ilham Valiev will perform the part of Calaf. People's Artist of Bashkortostan Artem Makarov, already known to the Belarusian public, will be conducting. The audience of the Minsk Bolshoi has warmly welcomed the chief conductor of the Bashkir Opera since the very first production of Giuseppe Verdi’s Macbeth.

When: 4 May
Where: Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theatre of Belarus, 1 Paris Commune Square, Minsk

HANS ZIMMER'S UNIVERSE in Minsk Arena

The Imperial Orchestra will present a new project at Minsk Arena, the largest venue of Belarus. Hans Zimmer's Universe is a tribute to the most successful Hollywood composer who has become a legend of modern cinema. His creative legacy includes soundtracks for more than 200 films, including "Gladiator", "Pearl Harbor", "Mission: Impossible", "The Lion King", "Pirates of the Caribbean", "Inception", "The Last Samurai", "Dune", "The Da Vinci Code", "Batman", "Interstellar"... The show from the creators of Cinema Medley is a unique chance to immerse yourself in the atmosphere of your favorite films and relive unforgettable emotions to the accompaniment of virtuoso musicians of the Imperial Orchestra and the choir from St. Petersburg.

When: 4 May
Where: Minsk Arena, 111 Pobeditelei Avenue, Minsk

International rally of retro and classic cars Retro Minsk 2023

One of the largest car festivals in the post-Soviet space Retro Minsk, which has been held since 2008, invites owners of rare cars that were produced more than 40 years. The main program will take place on 6 May: the participants will drive from the Republican Olympic Training Center Raubichi to the BelExpo exhibition center in Pobeditelei Avenue (the length of the run will be 35km). Then, after the grand opening and the hour-long exposition (11:00-12:00) in the open air, they will drive to Victory Square. The retro cars will make a circle of honor around the monument and will go to Oktyabrskaya Square for an exhibition and presentation.

When: 5–7 May
Where: BelExpo exhibition center – Victory Square – Oktyabrskaya Square, Minsk

Jurauski Karahod spring rite in Gomel Oblast

The spring folk rite of Jurauski Karahod included in the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage is held in the village of Pogost, Zhitkovichi District, Gomel Oblast. The tradition of celebrating St. Yuri’s  Day (St. George’s Day), who was considered the patron saint of shepherds and agriculture, has been known since ancient times, when our ancestors took cattle to pasture after winter, catered to winter crops, plowed the first furrow and - in times of paganism - appeased the god of fertility, spring and love Yarila. This beautiful spring rite signified the hopes of Belarusian farmers for a generous harvest year.

When: 6 May
Where: Pogost village, Zhitkovichi District, Gomel Oblast
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Telekhanskaya Drygva trophy race

The Telekhanskaya Drygva trophy race, which will be back in action for the 15th time in IvatsevichiDistrict, attracts some 100 off-road and quad bike racers. The rules are simple: 24 hours are given to cover 100 checkpoints in the woods and swamps. It is a distance of nearly 200km! The Telekhanskaya Drygva has a harsh terrainthat includes real swamps. Spectators are able to watch racers at the start as well as at several checkpoints.

When: 6-7 May
Where: the village of Telekhany (Lake Volkovskoye), Ivatsevichi District, Brest Oblast

9 May – Victory Day

The country’s main holiday of May is celebrated with numerous events – flower ceremonies at monuments and memorials to the heroes of the Great Patriotic War, meetings with war veterans, concerts, military hardware exhibitions. Traditionally the 9 May celebrations will be wrapped up with spectacular fireworks in the evening at six locations in the Belarusian capital:

• Yanka Kupala Park (Tsentralny District);
• Pavlov Park (Moskovsky District);
• Hugo Chavez Park (Frunzensky District);
• on the embankment of the Drozdy reservoir (Tsentralny District);
• Near Chizhovka Arena (Zavodskoi District);
• Near the National Library (Pervomaisky District).

Where: all cities of Belarus, memorial complexes, museums

Art Minsk 2023

The festival of Belarusian contemporary art Art Minsk discovers new names. The largest exhibition of the year presents more than 450 works of art by authors from all over the country. For the first time in the five years since the festival was launched, it has received more than 1,000 applications and 3,000 works! There are both big names and young experimental artists. The works are made of textiles, paper towels, blank canvases and even shells. Visitors will be able to buy the pieces they have liked t (90% of them are available on the Artcenter.by online platform) and support artists by voting.

When: 12 May –18 June
Where: Palace of Art, 3 Kozlova Street, 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-September
Where: the historic center of Minsk

Slavonic Theater Meetings

Since its launch, the international festival Slavonic Theater Meetings has supported the main values such as peace, humanism, friendship and, of course, love. In different years, its stage has hosted the leading theater companies from Minsk, Kiev, St. Petersburg, Moscow, Smolensk, Bryansk, Ryazan, Taganrog, Kishinev, Odessa, Krakow, Vilnius and other cities of the CIS and non-CIS countries. This year the forum will be held in Gomel under the motto “Theater to the World. World to the Theater!”.

When: 16-21 May
Where: Gomel Oblast Drama Theater, 2 Lenin Square, Gomel

Night of Museums in Belarus

When: 18-28 May
Where: museums, ethnographic complexes, castles, palaces, family estates

The Night of Museums, which was first held in Berlin in 1997, won the hearts of Belarusian art connoisseurs. The NOC of Belarus will open the museum relay race 2023. It invites you to go on a journey through the Olympic history of the country. Guests will see a collection of torches, awards and meet their owners - famous athletes, prize-winners of the Olympic and European Games.

The famous sights of Belarus will join the marathon.

On 19 May the Novogrudok Local History Museum will open its doors at 18.30 to introduce visitors to Belarusian mythology, offer them interactive sites, quizzes and games and then take them on a romantic walk around the town. The next day, the Adam Mickiewicz house museum will host a poetic soiree “An Intricate Pattern of Bygone Days".

On 20 May (19:00-22:00) Nesvizh Castle will immerse you in the mystical atmosphere of secret chambers, corridors and dungeons of the former residence of the Radziwill family. Visitors will be offered a theatrical tour with historical characters and performances by the Trio Time piano music group and the Khoroshki ensemble.

On 20 May (19:00-22:00) Golshany Castle will invite those who get thrills from mysticism and historical detectives to fly “On the Wings of Music, History and Love”, to visit the “Ghost Territory” during an interactive tour, and watch Mikhail Ptashuk’s film Black Golshany Castle based on Vladimir Korotkevich’s same-name novel.

On 20 May (19:00-22:00) the Gomel Palace of the Rumyantsevs and the Paskeviches will invite visitors to embark on a journey into the museum world and become its guardian for a while. The program includes exhibitions, light shows, music performances, an architecture parade, a poetic soirйe, sand painting, excursions, games, salon entertainment.

On 26-27 May Lida Castle will present the Magic of Fire and Light project. Visitors will see an exhibition of rare cars “Exotic Nesvizh-Lida”, performances by fire theaters and solo artists, and take part in master classes from the best firemen.

Museum Night 2023 in Minsk

On 20 May (16:00-24:00) the National Art Museum will present the Museum Quarter project. In addition to that, the museum will offer the exhibition “Stanislav Zhukovsky. An estate as a point of attraction”, a lecture on the history of art museums, master classes in Chinese calligraphy, painting, woodcuts and linography. There will also be concerts of baroque and jazz music, a poetic performance “Less Than One” by actor Aleksandr Mitskevich and, of course, excursions, museum quests, open talks, games for children.

Leonid Shchemelev Art Gallery celebrates two anniversaries this year - the 20^th anniversary of its foundnation and the 100^th birthday of the national artist and founder of the museum. On the evening of 20 May (19.00-23.00) art lovers will have a chance to enjoy an exhibition of paintings and graphic arts, see the works of the front line artists and join an art talk with painter’s wife Margarita Shchemeleva.

Maksim Bogdanovich Literary Museum will take its visitors into the world of creativity on 20 May (17.00-02.00). Visitors will learn how to make cartoons, take part in a literary quiz, try to find answers to Belarusian riddles, enjoy a concert of Mikhail Baranovsky on the poems by Vladimir Korotkevich, Maksim Bogdanovich and Aleksandr Navrotsky, learn about the history of the puppet theater and try their hand in batleika!

On 18-20 May (11.00-21.00) the Museum of Earth Sciences of the Belarusian State University invites everyone to an Amazing Journey into the Magical World of Minerals, explore the “born in space” meteorites, acquire the skill of mineral diagnostics, amber processing, see a variety of amber types, and join a tour to uncover the mysteries of the planet Earth and meet silent witnesses of different geological eras.

On 20 May (20.00-24.00) the Minsk City History Museum will take its visitors on a trip to the planet M - the name of the capital. A space quest will be a draw. Its participants will interact with a droid and humanoid, travel through time and see the city at different times. The trip will wrap up with a lecture on Space in World Cinematography which will show how the visual image of space has changed over time. In the evening everyone will have a chance to go up to the balcony of Minsk Town Hall to admire the sparkling lights of Minsk.

Vytoki sports and cultural festival 

The sports and cultural festival “Vytoki. A Step Towards Olympus” ushers in a new season. The host city will be Zhlobin on 19-20 May. On 19 May the program features an artistic drawing interactive organized by the ArtHaos gallery and the musical "How the night has turned into a girl" by the Youth Variety Theater. The first day of the festival will end with the screening of the famous sports film in an open-air cinema. The events on 20 May includes the opening ceremony, the Olympic quest, the new intellectual and educational project "Vytoki. Quiz", a show of apparel collections by Belarusian manufacturers, designers and entrepreneurs. This year, the cultural program debuts a new song lyrics contest "Poems about life important things". The festival program in Zhlobin will wrap up with an evening gala concert featuring popular Belarusian pop artists.

When, where:
19-20 May – Zhlobin
2-3 June – Baranovichi
16-17 June – Slonim
23-24 June – Glubokoye
18-19 August – Kostyukovichi
25-26 August – Borisov

Concert of old Belarusian music in Nesvizh Castle

The residence of the Radziwill family invites everyone to experience the baroque era with the melodies from the famous Polatski Sshytak collection. It contains ancient secular music of the 16^th-17^th centuries - over 200 canzones and dances from the Renaissance and Baroque periods. The main characters of the choreographic performance by the Kharoshki dance company look as if they have been taken from picturesque canvases and engravings - magnates, townsmen, artisans, poor people, and actors... The visitors of the festival will enjoy the sound of original instruments, singing and dancing skills, virtuoso performance of compositions and, of course, magnificent stage costumes. The program will include Skamarokhi, Menestreli, Hawking, Capriccio, Artisans Dance, Celebrations in the Suburbs, Princess, Wherever You Are, My Love, Song to the Mother of God Ruzhentsova...

When: 20 May
Where: Nesvizh Castle, 2 Zamkovaya Street, Nesvizh

Myadovy Falvarak festival in Gomel Oblast

One of the ancient crafts of the Polesie residents - tree beekeeping - received the status of intangible cultural heritage of Belarus in 2017. In 2020, tree beekeeping culture of Belarus and Poland was inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Tree beekeepingis practiced nowadays in the villages of Lelchitsy District, Gomel Oblast, located on the banks of the Uborti River. Here they carefully keep the secrets of their ancestors, using tools and devices for climbing trees, techniques for attracting and tending bees in the hollows of trees. Forest hives are inherited and given as the most precious wedding gift.
...The Myadovy Falvarak festival, dedicated to this unique craft, invites visitors to the agro-town of Simonichi. The festival will feature secrets of local bee keepers, honey tastings, healing bee products (featherbed, propolis, wax), workshops from artisans, performances, and tasty honey treats.

When: 21 May
Where: the agro-town of Simonichi, Lelchitsy District, Gomel Oblast

“Guiding and burial of the arrow” ritual in Gomel Oblast

One of the original regional rituals in Gomel Oblast – the Guiding and Burial of the Arrow — is an intangible historical and cultural value of Belarus. This ritual takes place on Thursday on the 40^th day after Easter and is closely connected with the fertility of the earth, with propitiation of the natural element - the arrow-like lightning. On this day women put on holiday clothes, gather in the center of the village and start a circle dance, then form up lines and walk towards the wheat field while holding hands. This is where the climax occurs - the burial of the arrow: the participants take buttons, coins and other metal objects and bury them in the ground while making wishes. From this point forward spring is considered to be over, so the women return to the village singing summer songs and songs unrelated to the ceremony.

When: 25 May
Where: The agrotown of Neglyubka, village of Kazatskiye Bolsuny, agrotown of Stolbun, agrotown of Yanovo, Vetka District, Gomel Oblast

Night of the Ad Eaters 2023 in Minsk

Night of the Ad Eaters is ashowcase of commercials from around the world that the eccentric and creative Frenchman Jean-Marie Boursicot has been creating for almost 40 years. Thanks to the founder’s efforts, advertising comes across as an independent form of creative content in its own right, full of ideas, insights and artistic masterpieces. Every year Night of the Ad Eaters becomes a cultural event designed to be a source of good humor and professional inspiration. The 2023 program features humor from different countries, art and creativity, social advertising. Viewers will see videos from the world’s most exotic countries and for the first time the program will feature commercials by Belarusian directors.

When: 26 May, 22:00
Where: Palace of the Republic, 1 Oktyabrskaya Square, Minsk

Incredible Amusement at the Belarusian State Circus

For the summer period the Belarusian State Circus will turn into an Incredible Amusement where amazing phenomena take place: the observation wheel is transformed into the breathtaking Wheel of Bravery and the usual Firing Range into the extreme Knife Throwing Range! Only here the impossible is possible: cats perform stunts in the air, motorbikes are driven by bears, and people prove to be stronger than cars... The program of the new show includes such numbers as tightrope walking, air gymnastics on a corde de péril, acrobatic walkway, gymnasts in a ring and on a trapeze, power lifting. The arena will also feature children's favorites – trained bears, cats and ponies.

When: 26 May to 19 August
Where: Belarusian State Circus, 32 Nezavisimosti Avenue, Minsk

The gentry festival Pearl Star in the Umyastovskys Palace

The land of Zhemyslavlis famous for its landmark - the residence palace of the princely family of Umyastovskys, which is over 140 years old. The owners of the manor – Vladislav Umyastovsky and Yanina Ostrog-Sadovskaya – even created their own Venice next to the palace on the Gavyer River in the late 19^th century by laying out special canals framed by trees. In the beautiful park there was a mill while swans and ducks swam in the canals and the ponds... Guests of the May festival will learn the history of this architectural jewel of the region and the fate of its owners, take a walk in the old park, enjoy a literary and theatrical performance, a concert programby local amateur groups, learn dancing and traditional crafts at master classes, and visit an exhibition and fair of folk art and souvenirs.

When: 27 May
Where: The agrotown of Zhemyslavl, Ivye District, Grodno Oblast

Folk art festival Augustow Canal Invites Friends 2023

The Augustow Canal Invites Friends for the opening of the summer tourist season 2023, which means that guests will once again be treated to a memorable entertainment program. The festival will open with a procession involving ensembles from Grodno District and a concert of folk ensembles while local community centers will organize their missions. The motto of the festival stage is “More music! More songs and dances!”.Visitors are invited to take a scenic tour of the canal museum and a boat trip while those dabbling in arts and crafts will take part in master classes in pottery, straw weaving, embroidery and painting.

When: 27 May
Where: Augustow Canal, Dombrovka lock, Grodno District

Naliboki Running Marathon 2023

The Naliboki Amateur Track and Field Marathon will bring together enthusiasts and fans of active lifestyle for the 15^th time. The marathon features a wide variety of events. For example, riding a distance on bicycles - cycling ultra-marathon (200km), cycling marathon (100km), and cycling half-marathon (42km). There are also running distances such as a trail ultra-marathon (100km), a trail half-marathon (42km) and a trail half-marathon (21km) as well as a 40km water marathon. A multi-marathon combining cycling (100km), trail (42km) and rafting is also on the programfor mixed events. Young athletes from 0 to 15 years old can take part in the children’s 1km trail.

When: 27-28 May
Where: the ecological trail of the national landscape reserve Naliboksky, outside the village of Belokorets, Volozhin District, Minsk Oblast