I. Metshin: “Sabantuy on the Lebyazhie Lake will be held on a luxurious site”

(KZN.RU, June 22, Ekaterina Vislavskaya). The Sabantuy will be held tomorrow at two sites: in the Berezovaya Roscha in the Mirny Settlement and at the Lake Svetloye Lebyazhie. Ilsur Metshin, the Mayor of Kazan, inspected the equipment of the second one on the eve of the holiday. The “Plow Festival” has not been held here since 2015. This year a large holiday with folk amusements, national farmsteads and a performance on the main maidan on the shore of Lake Svetloe Lebyazhie is organized for guests.

Ilsur Metshin was told about the thematic zones and landscaping of the site by Sergey Mironov, the head of the Kirovsky and Moskovsky districts’ administration. The city and the government allocated funds for paving the route to the holiday site, so now a new road leads to it. Through the main arch, guests will enter the photo zone with architectural structures from boxes, bicycles, flower pots, photo stands by the project “Remember how it all began”, and then a small football field that is a tribute to the World Cup, which is taking place now in Kazan and 10 cities of Russia.

The Mayor was shown the log buildings, which by tomorrow the masters will turn into carved figures of the wolf Zabivaka and other characters. Today, the installation of pavilions continues along the central alley. The exhibition-sale of crafts, decorative art and souvenirs will be held there, as well as more than 40 outlets and food courts will be located, where guests will be offered dishes of Tatar national cuisine.

The central avenue leads to a small maidan. There are a small stage and seats. The playground is located nearby for national games: pole climbing, bagging, tug-of-war, pot-fight, running in sacks, running with egg in a spoon. In total, 11 competitions will be presented at Sabantuy. In addition, a batyr will be chosen, who will receive a ram as a traditional prize. By the side of the lake, the spectators will enter a zone with national farmsteads. Today, the work is also underway there. The participants clean up the wooden houses built for the holiday, set up fences, place beehives and decorations. Guests from different regions of the republic including Kamsko-Ustinsky and Novosheshminsky will show the wealth and traditions of the native land. Ilsur Metshin went to one of the houses, inspected the process and promised to come here again and try the treats that the holiday participants prepared for the guests.

The main maidan is located on the shore of Lake Svetloe Lebyazhie. Thanks to the program of integrated eco-rehabilitation, it got a new life. In the course of the work, the bottom of the lake system was deepened and strengthened. In October of the last year, the water filling of the Svetloe, Bolshoe, and Maloe Lakes was started.

The concert venue is framed by an asphalt path and a lawn. There are wooden benches for spectators on the slope between the pines. The stands for guests with the capacity of 3 thousand people were erected for the holiday. Ilsur Metshin suggested that the organizers of the holiday make several changes to the arrangement of the forest park territory in order to make the site more comfortable. For example, to equip parking for bicycles and to remove some fences.

Young dancers from the creative collectives of Kazan, such as “Crystal” and “Nardugan”, are already rehearsing tomorrow's performance. They have to participate in the theatrical prolog that starts at 11 am and perform during the day. The entertaining program was prepared by other well-known artists in Tatarstan, including people's artists of Tatarstan Guzel Urazova and Irke. “The site is splendid”, said the Mayor and wished the artists luck and inspiration.

In general, the festive events will begin in the forest park at 10 am, and the holiday will end about 3 pm. Kazan citizens and tourists can get to Lebyazhie by buses №36, 46, and 72. They start at the bus stop “Rempler” in the Zalesny Settlement. From there, free buses with holiday signs “Sabantuy 2018” will run every 5 minutes. Transportation on these routes will be carried out until the end of the holiday, about 4 pm. Buses running along the Gorkovskoe Highway will operate in an enhanced mode. The route will have 72 more units of rolling stock. The parking will be organized for residents and visitors of the city. Cars can be left in the parking lot near the residential complex “Zalesny City”, near the camp “Solnechny”, on the site near the ski base “Dynamo” near the lake Maloe Lebyazhie.

Igor Kulyazhev, the deputy head of the Committee for External Improvement, Azat Abzalov, the head of the Kazan Department of Culture, Nail Minvaleev, the first deputy head of the Kirovsky and Moskovsky districts’ administration, and others also attended the event.