The Kyiv Post offers a guide to the events coming up as Kyiv emerges from a long winter.
French Spring
The 13th annual French Spring, one of the most remarkable cultural events in Ukraine, dedicated to French culture, starts on April 2. This year the festival, as has become a new tradition, opens with an outdoor light show, this time titled “Les Anooki,” which will be displayed on the façade of the Ukrainsky Dim (Ukrainian House) exhibition center on European Square. Unlike the previous two years, the show will be comedic. The 13-minute show is about the adventures of two small, easygoing Inuits who set off in search of spring.
The festival’s organizers plan to introduce the Ukrainian audience to various modern French cultural creations – new French cinema, mime performances, and rap and classical music concerts. The feast of French culture will also include several photo and art exhibitions.
Besides Kyiv, the festival will be held in Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Lviv and Odesa.
See full schedule of the French Spring events in Kyiv at www.institutfrancais-ukraine.com/ua/programmation.
Docudays Festival
The 13th international documentary film festival on human rights kicks off on March 25 and will last until April 1 in Kyiv’s Cinema House (6 Saksahanskoho St.) and other theaters. Breaking through illusions is the main topic of the films presented in the festival’s main program.
Opening the festival is a film by famous Russian documentary film director Vitaliy Mansky, “In the Light of the Sun,” about life in North Korea. The festival visitors will be treated to a total of 93 films from 43 countries.
“Mykolayivka,” a documentary about the lives of children who have experienced war, the Guardian documentary films project, and the “Ukrainian Dream,” photo exhibition of Michael Friedman are among the festival’s attractions.
March 25 – April 1. Ticket price for afternoon cinema shows is Hr 20. For more detailed information visit docudays.org.ua
Kyiv Coffee Festival
The first-ever Coffee Festival in Ukraine will bring together the best foreign and local baristas, who will introduce the most recent coffee trends to festival guests. Coffee lovers will enjoy sampling coffees prepared in various ways, and will learn how to brew the perfect cup of coffee at home.
April 1-3. Platforma Art-Zavod (1A Bilomorska St.). Hr 50
Balloon Festival
The “Montgolfier – Happy Birthday Cup” might be the best event of the year for those who love the open sky and the joy of flight. Over two days, festival visitors will be entertained by a glider flying show, a balloon flights show and a sky-diving exhibition. Aviation fans will also enjoy the light aircraft exhibition.
The festival’s organizers have prepared a special surprise – a flight on a balloon for free on May 28-29 – but only for people who have birthdays on these days. Those lucky enough to qualify have to register in advance on www.letsfly.com.ua to book their places on the flights. The festival will also feature food courts and a children’s playground.
May 28-29. Chayka Airfield. 5 Antonova St., Petropavlivska Borshchahivka village. Hr 100 – 150.
Etnosvit Festival
The second international Traditional Cultures Festival Etnosvit will be held on May 19-22 in Mystetsky Arsenal. It will be dedicated to the Day of Europe, celebrated on May 1. The festival aims to introduce the world’s diversity and cultural richness to Ukrainians. More than 250 participants from Ukraine and abroad will present their national traditions and crafts. Singers and music bands from Georgia, Italy, Estonia, Poland, Lithuania and the United States will be among Etnosvit guests.
Clay and pottery are the main focuses of this year’s festival. Visitors to Etnosvit should look out for the archeological exhibition, as well as a hand-made goods fair and folk dance shows.
May 19-22. Mystetsky Arsenal (10-12 Lavrska St.). Ticket prices to be announced. Keep up with the festival updates at www.artarsenal.in.ua/event186.html.
Kyiv Print Fest
Kyiv’s Izone co-working place will host the first Ukrainian graphic arts festival on April 9-10. Clothing designers, street artists, art critics and art illustrators will present and discuss modern Ukrainian graphic design. Visitors will be able to both enjoy the works of leading Ukrainian graphic artists and buy selected works. Masterclasses and workshops from leading Ukrainian illustrators should prove a draw to those who want to improve their skills and deepen their knowledge of design and graphic arts.
April 9-10. Izone (8 Naberezhno-Luhova St., 4th floor). Free
