Valery Leontiev is ready to perform the festival song of "Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk".

July 9, Vitebsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA /. The opening act of the 18th International Festival of Arts "Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk", Valery Leontiev, is already preparing for his solo concert, which will kick off the festival events today (less than 24 hours before the official opening). The concert rehearsal is in full swing at the Summer Amphitheater, the festival directorate informed a BELTA correspondent. Valery Leontiev's concert, lyrically titled "I Love, I Miss, I Wait!", will be the first in a series of night performances at the "Slavianski Bazaar". Six such performances are planned for this year. Sofia Rotaru, Philipp Kirkorov, Valery Meladze, and Boris Moiseev will present their solo programs, while the "Dance Till Morning" concert will bring together popular young performers. Guests are arriving in festival-bound Vitebsk. The most impatient turned out to be the Belarusian participants. The day before the official opening, children's and adult dance ensembles, the famous "Syabry" ensemble, and Petr Elfimov arrived. The organizers expect a surge of guests on July 10. The Moscow-Polotsk train has already been dubbed the "festival train," and not only the directorate but also journalists and fans are preparing to welcome it. Russian celebrities are expected to arrive on this train. The Vitebsk airport is also preparing to receive foreign stars. Alexander Rybak, the hero of this year's Eurovision, will arrive on a charter flight directly from a concert venue in Norway. In total, over 5,000 guests are expected to arrive in Vitebsk during the festival. Rehearsals for the participants of the opening ceremony concert are scheduled literally minute by minute. Already at 9 a.m. on July 10, the voice of the chief director of the opening ceremony concert, Honored Artist of Russia Mikhail Vysotsky, will be heard in the Summer Amphitheater. The festive ceremony itself will begin at 8:30 p.m. -0-