Music festivals in ukraine

Music festival is periodically recurrent, social occasion in which, through a multiplicity of forms and a series of coordinated events, people participate directly or indirectly and to various degrees, all members of a whole community, united by ethnic, linguistic, religious, historical bonds, and sharing a worldview.

There are some recurring characteristics of festivals : festivals are bound to a specific location and limited timespan, are organized with a specific goal in mind, and are offering an unique experience (“ you had to be there”), and/or are comprising activities ‘ out of the ordinary’ like dancing, dressing up and staged performances that suspend daily reality in some way.

We consider music festivals as a specific subset of festivals covered by this definition in which musical performances are prominent. People’s motivation to visit festivals has been researched in some depth, often in connection to tourism where questions such as why people go on holiday, or how they decide on a holiday destination are prominent. In this setting, festivals are seen as a way to make a holiday destination more attractive.

There are seven basic motivations for festival visits: Novelty, the desire to have new experiences that are exciting, adventurous and unexpected, and lift boredom; Socialization, the desire to interact with people in a group; Prestige/Status, the desire to gain status; Rest & Relaxation, the desire to mentally and physically get rid of the stress of daily life and recharge the battery; Educational value / Intellectual enrichment, the desire to acquire knowledge and widen the intellectual horizon; Enhancing kinship and Relations / Family togetherness, the desire to be together with family and friends and strengthen relationships, and Regression, the desire to behave in the unrestricted way of youth and children. Music has the indescribable capability to transcend cultural, social, and language boundaries.

One of the best ways to experience a culture is through its music. Music festivals create the perfect opportunity to enjoy music while gaining a deeper understanding of the people that it came from. Even though music is only one facet of a culture, it has the inexpressible ability to reflect local culture as a whole. This phenomenon is only amplified in a music festival as attendees are treated to a plenty of different artists‘ interpretations and paradigms of the culture that they came from. Music festivals are undoubtedly a cultural experience unlike any other. Besides listening to music especially open-air and in a good company is healing and really about relaxing the nervous system.

Such music therapy has been used for centuries as a way to restore energy, improve mood, and even help the body heal more naturally. I want to present you two the most, magnificent, fascinating and popular among unformal youth music festivals in Ukraine. A lot of people: free-spirited hitchhikers, on foot, by trains and buses are rushing to get together there and prove that they are still exist. You can meet lots of strange and interesting young people of all modern subcultures that don’t afraid to express their interior and to be themselves. Festival ‘ Respublica antiMONEYfest’ taking place in Kamianets-Podilskyi is an anti commercial event, which focuses on cultural and social problems of small towns and country as the whole.

The idea of the festival – to show clearly that not everything painted on the wall is advertisement, not every singer sings only for money. The aim of the festival is also to show that quality artistic product is being created not only in the capital but also in small towns. During the festival a group of artists from different countries (Spain, Portugal, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus) paint two buildings (?? 500 square meters in total). The core of the project lies in the harmonious combination of ancient architecture and modern street art. Music of the festival sounds two days in the Old Fortress. Among the headliners are Lyapis Trubetskoy, Scryabin, Kozak System, Motor’rolla, The Vyo, Tabula Rasa.

Today Zakhid Festival is one of the premier music events in Western Ukraine which often offers every year a spectacular musical feast with performances by “ Skryabin”, “ Rolliks”, “ Zdob zi Zdub”, “ Boombox”, “ Noize MC”, “ The VYO”, “ O. Torvald”, “ Rocky Leon”, ‘ Kryhitka” and many others. Also expected as the special guestof the festival is the Belarusian rock band “ Lyapis Trubetskoy” whose newfound popularity is on the rise. With so many performers with different talents, there will be something for everyone. Besides listening to music there are also lots of things to do. For example, buying some interesting stuff, having fun on the teeter-totters, making drawings on the body or rearing the child. Taking the beginning in 2009, Zakhid has become a powerful art event in Ukraine.

Festival promotes musical and artistic ideas, trying to pull people out of the plastic, offices and laptops. On stage – music, poetry and theater. Festival Zakhid is a small, but very confident step towards creating a new conscious society – a new generation capable to think deep. What you need to have at this festivals: if you don’t plan to stay at the campsite – you should take a tent, sleeping bags, mat and warm clothes a flashlight – camping may not be illuminated food you have to cook by yourself on a fire or money to buy it right there. There are lots of places where you can get fresh and very tasty dishes prepared on big kettles good mood, a sense of humor and to be ready for surprises.