Alexandria is again gathering friends
Alexandria Gathers Friends festival is being held for the 14th time these days: thousands of guests are coming to the Shklov District to enjoy an authentic programme. Over the years, the event has become a real cultural brand, one of the main holidays of the summer, and also a calling card on this Belarusian corner. Starting in 2010 as a local holiday, it has grown into an international fest – attracting tens of thousands of people.
In 2010, about 3,000 guests from the surrounding villages, as well as from Orsha, Shklov, Mogilev and Minsk gathered in Alexandria, the homeland of the President of Belarus – to enjoy a unique concert programme: Kupala Night Over the Dnieper. Andrei Kuntsevich, the First Deputy Information Minister (who was then the Deputy Chairman of the Shklov District Executive Committee), commented, “13 years ago, it was really difficult to imagine that a modest but very sincere holiday organised on the banks of the Dnieper River would become one of the most iconic cultural events of our country. Importantly, it is now the festival that has seriously grown in scale and status, but has managed to maintain its original sincerity and cordiality. The Belarusian President’s personal participation and support of the festival makes this holiday a bright event of the summer.”
Back in 2010, the festival infrastructure was limited only to a small strip of meadow along the Dnieper. “There were several tents for artistes and a stage. By now, the territory has grown significantly, and we have already a dozen of locations. Apart from festival zones, we now have venues for craftsmen to demonstrate their skills,” Mr. Kuntsevich said.
The main thing is that Alexandria continues to gather friends. “Russian and Ukrainian artists come here, and folk craftsmen communicate with each other, thanking Belarus for an opportunity to meet. I believe the original idea — the unifying force of the Dnieper, which connects our three Slavic states, the desire of Belarus for peace — will still play its role,” the official added.
Mr. Kuntsevich is sure that the holiday is multifaceted, therefore it annually attracts tens of thousands of guests. “It is possible to see and touch our ancestral folk crafts here, and masters from Russia are coming to Alexandria to demonstrate their culture as well. In addition to folk traditions, a gala concert with the participation of domestic and foreign artistes always arouses great interest. Tickets are well sold out, and this year has not become an exception. This confirms a level of the holiday,” he noted.
Over the years, delegations from Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland and Germany, as well as guests from the Unite Kingdom and Japan, have attended the Kupala Night celebrations in Alexandria. In 2022, 70 thousand people visited the festival, and the organisers assert this figure may be several times larger this year.
