Life despite war: Ukraine hosts festivals

Ukrainian culture is developing despite the war. The next half of the summer in Ukraine will be full of legendary music and memorable festivals, a selection of which has been collected by Ukrainska Pravda.Zhyttia.

VydelkaFest, July 14-16, Vylkove, Odesa

The festival was created by Serhii Hnezdilov, a military man of the Ukrainian Armed Forces from Vylkovo, as a memory of his fallen comrade. For the Ukrainian defender, this festival is about memory and life during the war.

“The idea arose spontaneously. I used to think about such a several-day event – half jokingly, half seriously. In May, a comrade in my unit died at night, so I didn’t say goodbye to him – we just said to each other, “Well, good luck.” And in a few hours, I was informed that he was no longer there. It was around 3 in the morning. I created a chat on Telegram, added my closest friends there and wrote: “We are holding the first VydelkaFest on July 14-16 in the city of Vylkovo,” Serhii Hnezdilov says.

Protasiv Yar festival in honor of Roman Ratushnyi, until the end of summer 2023, Kyiv, Protasiv Yar Park

The festival is held in honor of the activist and soldier of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Roman Ratushnyi, who died last year in June in the Izium sector. The event “will be held on the lawn of Protasiv Yar – a part of the green zone that Roman, together with the Protect Protasiv Yar NGO, defended (and continues to defend even after his death since the trials are ongoing) in the fight against “black” developers.” The program includes discussions, performances by musicians and film screenings, which Roman has held in Protasiv Yar since 2019.

She.Fest 2023, August 26-27, Moryntsi, Cherkasy Oblast

The festival is dedicated to the Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko and the war, struggle, and confrontation theme. The event will take place in the small Motherland of the artist, Moryntsi.

“In 2023, “She.Fest” will not have a large entertainment part. The slogan is “Shevchenko is resisting”, since a third of the organizing committee is currently at war, including the head of “She.Fest” Dmytro Kolosha himself. However, the organizing committee decided to hold the event,” the journalists write.

Bouquet Kyiv Stage, August 17-20, Kyiv

This festival of high art has already been held in Georgia and the United Kingdom this year. Kyiv is next. The event gathers intellectuals, artists, and connoisseurs of artistic leisure in the National Sanctuary “Sophia of Kyiv.”

“The value of what is happening now has increased many times. When you see your people, the public communicating with each other, you understand that life goes on. After all, when we hold festivals now, we broadcast the main message: we exist, we work, we create, and we lay meanings for now and for the future. We are alive, and we just are. Our voice is heard. It used to be difficult to plan an offline meeting, and everyone considered it a disaster. And now, when there is simply an opportunity to meet, and it is not interrupted by alarms or shelling – it is about the value of living life in war conditions,” music specialist Olha Lozynska says.

Read about other festivals that will take place in Ukraine this summer here.