Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Ivan Kupala
An exhilarating pagan celebration of midsummer involving fire jumping, maypole dan-
cing, fortune-telling, wreath floating and strong overtones of sex. Celebrated 7 July, head
for the countryside for the real heathen deal.
Kazantip
The huge, seaside Kazantip rave festival (
Click here
;
www.kazantip.com
)
kicks off in
late July and runs for five weeks, into August. It's held in Popovka north of Yevpatoriya
and attracts over 100,000 party people.
Kraina Mriy Festival
This free festival of ethnic music (
Click here
;
www.krainamriy.com
) attracts traditional
musicians from across the world. Performances take place on several stages erected in
the park next to Kyiv's Kyevo-Pecherska Lavra.
August
Crowded and super-heated, Crimea is still the place to avoid during
August. Colossal sunflower fields are a gobsmacking sight across
Ukraine's agricultural heartlands this month, and by the end the harvest is
in full swing.
Festival 'Under the Rock'
Held in the tiny village of Pidkamin (meaning 'under the rock'), this popular ethnic mu-
sic, jazzy-type festival (
Click here
)
is held around a huge hilltop rock formation. It's one
of the most popular festivals in the west with a tent city and loads of side events.
Independence Day
On the 24th, cities across the land lay on festivals and parades with performances and
special events. But the place to be is Kyiv's maydan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Sq),
which bops to an evening pop concert followed by a mega firework show.
