The XIII Republican Festival of National Cultures will be held in Grodno on June 3-4

Festivals of national cultures are a symbol of peace and interethnic friendship on Belarusian land, the unity of nations and nationalities, their spiritual wealth and creative potential. This is a unique opportunity to observe a real constellation of talents of representatives of different nationalities who live and work in Belarus. The holiday affirms the significance and demand for every citizen of Belarus, which determines the unity and cohesion of the entire people, and the preservation of social stability in society.

The main goals of holding festivals of national cultures are the further harmonization of interethnic relations and the development of centuries-old traditions of national associations of Belarus, the popularization of the best examples of poetic, musical, choreographic, visual, decorative and applied arts, and national cuisine of ethno-cultural associations.

Due to the unfavorable epidemiological situation, the XIII Republican Festival of National Cultures opened only four years after the previous one – on September 11, 2021, in Minsk. This event coincided with the capital's birthday and became part of a grand celebration. Representatives of 25 nationalities took part in the large-scale opening concert. Their culture, including traditional costumes and handicrafts, musical, choreographic, and culinary art, was presented by: Azerbaijanis, Armenians, Afghans, Belarusians, Bashkirs, Georgians, Dagestanis, Jews, Irish, Italians, Indians, Koreans, Chinese, Lithuanians, Moldovans, Germans, Poles, Palestinians, Russians, Tatars, Turkmen, Ukrainians, Roma, Chuvash, Estonians. It is noteworthy that the festival guests could not only watch but also try on some national costumes.

The concluding events of the festival, for which over 800 participants qualified based on the results of regional qualifying rounds, will traditionally take place in Grodno from June 3 to 5, 2022.

On the eve of the grand opening, the preparation of the general program of events is being completed, and work plans have been approved. The Grodno Regional Executive Committee and the City Executive Committee have established a headquarters with the participation of all interested services for

for prompt resolution of emerging issues. A layout scheme for the main facilities, concert and other venues, sketches for the artistic design of the event territory, and sketches for printed materials have been developed. The sketch of the main prize has been approved.

Places for 17 homesteads representing 30 nationalities have been identified and are being prepared in the courtyards along Sovetskaya, Zamkovaya, Vilenskaya, and Ozheshko streets.

The year 2022 has been declared the Year of Historical Memory, making it symbolic that with the participation of honored guests of the Festival, a ceremony of laying flowers and wreaths at the mass grave of soldiers and partisans who died during the Great Patriotic War will take place in Gilibert Park. Following this, a round table discussion "Belarus – Our Common Home: Unity of Nations and Generations" will be held in the Tizengauz Gallery. Additionally, another round table discussion "Unity of Culture and Literature: Belarus – a Platform for Peace" will be held concurrently at the E.F. Karsky Grodno Regional Library, and a dialogue platform on tourism "PRO-TOURISM: Industry Analytics and Trends 2022" will take place in the New Castle.

Exhibition projects "Unity of Peoples – a Guarantee of Great Victory" and "Belarus – Our Common Home," as well as books "Sisters of Khatyn" and "Festival of Life," dedicated to the history of the forum, are planned for presentation.

A total of about 50 events are included in the festival program. Among them are a theatrical procession of national-cultural public associations "Wreath of National Cultures," opening and closing ceremonies of the festival, and the operation of the Belarusian homestead "Home Hearth," which will showcase all regions of our country. Furthermore, all regions of the republic will present their tourism potential at the "Belarus Through the Eyes of a Tourist" venue. Numerous concert programs by professional and amateur creative groups, as well as stars of Belarusian pop music, will be held.

Film enthusiasts can enjoy open-air cinema screenings, which will be organized in the cinema courtyard of the "Krasnaya Zvezda" cinema. There, on the second day of the festival, spectators will have the opportunity to participate in master classes and creative programs.

For the young guests of the festival

will be invited to participate in the concert and entertainment program of children's creative groups "Musical Harmony" and "Festival Colors". They will be reminded of safety rules on the site organized by the Ministry of Emergency Situations "Safety Fair".

For the youth audience, "Festival Kaleidoscope" is offered – a concert program by a cover band, the "Festival Lights" fire show, and a concert and entertainment program by foreign students of Grodno universities "Wreath of Friendship".

During the festival days, you can taste dishes of different national cuisines in an open-air restaurant.

The Ministry of Communications and Informatization has developed and approved the design of a "festival" envelope with an original stamp, and its cancellation is planned as part of the festive program. The Ministry of Sports and Tourism, together with the Grodno Regional Executive Committee and the Grodno City Executive Committee, is preparing a street extreme sports festival with the participation of representatives from the regions of the republic. City enterprises have organized the production of goods with the Festival logo (bread, dairy and meat products, alcoholic beverages, etc.).

To participate in the creative platform "Student Round Dance", the participation of student creative groups with the involvement of foreign students has been organized. The operation of more than 170 non-stationary trade facilities and non-stationary public catering facilities with more than 3 thousand seats is planned. The design of trade stands, uniforms in the form of national costumes, elements of employee uniforms, price tags, and badges with the festival emblem are being prepared.

On Sunday, June 5, the festival will invite everyone to the Augustów Canal. Gastronomic festival, wheelbarrow racing and valenki throwing competitions, "chicken races", sausage and draniki eating contests. For children, "Fairy Tales on the Grass" will be organized, and they will be offered to try themselves as builders and designers of a "mini" Augustów Canal, and build a real Native American "Teepee" dwelling. For extreme sports enthusiasts, the organizers have prepared a real "Strongmen Show" – twisting a metal shovel into a tube and tying steel nails into a knot.

Active measures are being taken to properly welcome guests.

repair work on about 110 buildings and landscaping of adjacent territories is being carried out. The placement of over 110 decorative structures is planned using thematic banners and flag structures, and flowers, which will be located both in the central part of the city and at its entrances from different directions.

49 "pyramid" structures will be placed on the city's transport interchanges, and "sphere-ball" structures will be used on split traffic rings. 40 new types of decorative structures have been manufactured ("Rhythm", "Triumph", "Festive Pylon", festival bicycle parking). A grand opening of the building complex built on the principle of historical reconstruction, "Fisherman's House" at Zamkovaya St., 12, is planned.

The information partner of the festival is CJSC "Stolichnoye Televidenie".