Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk

History

The predecessor of the festival was the "" (). Vitebsk was chosen to host the festival according to the agreements with Polish city Zielona Góra where the "" () was held since 1965. The main venue of the present-day festival, the Amphitheatre, was constructed especially for such occasion in 1988.

Only two editions of the "Polish Song Festival in Vitebsk" were held: in 1988 and 1990. After the Dissolution of the Soviet Union the cultural ties between the former Soviet bloc countries have broken. So there emerged an idea to organize a cultural arrangement in order to show the cultural diversity of Slavic nations. The first Slavianski Bazaar was opened on 18 July 1992. It was organized by the Belarusian Government with the financial support from Russia and Ukraine. The main goal of the very first festival was an attempt to acquaint the Belarusian audience with pop and folk trends from Slavic countries.

In 1993 the festival became a member of the International Federation of Festival Organizations (FIDOF).

The festival was awarded the diploma 'FIDOF Festival of the Year 2000' "for impeccable quality of organization, professionalism, hospitality, and promotion of noble humanistic aims on the international level".

The contest

During the festival, a contest for the young singers is held. It has two stages, each held on a separate day. On the first day, the contestants should perform the song in a national language of the country the contestant represents. All vocals are sung live using backing track. On the second day, the contestants perform the song written by a composer from any Slavic country in any of the Slavic languages. On this stage all vocals must be sung live with the National Concert Orchestra of Belarus.

Children's contest winners

The children's contest during the festival in Vitebsk was first held in 2003, an expansion of the cultural and artistic diversity of the event. It has become one of the mainstay events in the Eurasian Region (North Asia, Eastern Europe, Central Asia) for child performers making their way to Junior Eurovision Song Contest.

Notes

References

References

1. "XXXII Международный фестиваль искусств "Славянский базар в Витебске"".
2. "5 интересных фактов про площадь Звезд в Витебске".
3. "Алла Пугачева взорвала «Славянский базар» зажигательными танцами со зрителями".
4. "Славянский базар в Витебске".
5. "От классики до рока".
6. "International Federation of Festival Organizations Praised Slavonic Bazaar in Vitebsk". Mfa.gov.by.
7. "Moldova’s Carolina Balan named winner of Vitebsk Song Contest 2024".
8. "The Grand Prix of the Vitebsk Children's music competition is leaving for Uzbekistan".