On September 25-26, the unique urban festival of the peoples of the Volga
region “Itil” will be held in the capital of Tatarstan for the first time. It
will take place in front of the Kazan Family Center and will combine music,
theater, traditions and modern art of the peoples of the Volga region. Singer
Manizha, the participant of the Eurovision – 2021, will become a headliner of
the festival deputy head of the Executive Committee Guzel Sagitova said today
at the Business Monday.
“Itil is the historical Turkic name of the Volga River. We have been
choosing a name for the festival for a long time. This word in different
variations is still used in many Turkic languages – she noted. - Itil is a
river that gives strength, food, and fills with spirit all the peoples and nationalities
living on its banks”.
The festival will take
place at the Family Center Kazan on September 25-26 from 12:00 to 20:00. The
visitors will have an opportunity to watch performances of Tatar synthpop,
Udmurt grunge, as well as Chuvash jazz. Local artists, as well as musicians
from Udmurtia, Mordovia, Chuvashia, Mari El and Bashkortostan will perform at
the event.
Family workshops will
take place on a separate site, where citizens will be able to create souvenirs
or to practice a new craft. Clothes, jewelry, handmade goods can be purchased
at the fair of the peoples of the Volga region, and at the food court the
national cuisine will be presented.
A few days before the
opening of the festival, an exhibition by artist Andrey Lyublinsky “Friendship
of Peoples” will start working near the Kazan Family Center. Installation will
consist of 15 sculptures made in the style of eight-bit games, depicting
representatives of the peoples of the former Soviet Union. Several art objects
will become an excellent area for photo shoots. One more art object will be
installed in the water area of Kazanka. After the end of the festival, it is
planned to burn it, marking the end of summer.
The tourism
committees of the republics and cities of the Volga region will organize hospitality
areas at the festival, where more information about the peoples of the Volga
region, their culture and attractions will be presented.
The Mayor of the city
Ilsur Metshin supported the idea of holding an ethno festival. “We believe that
the new Itil festival will have a long history and will become a cultural event
of Kazan for years to come”, - the head of the city noted.