Two rainbows and fireworks on a ship: Highlights of the 8th Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk

MINSK, 18 June (BelTA) – With 28 days remaining until the 35th edition of the International Festival of Arts Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk, BelTA continues its daily retrospective journey through the archives, revisiting the most striking moments from each edition of the festival year by year.

Today the spotlight falls on the 1999 festival. The eighth edition ran from 19 July through 25 July and drew participants from 21 nations. For the first time, the flags of Nepal and Syria were hoisted alongside the others on the main flagpole.

The visual identity of the main stage was crafted by Zinovy Margolin, one of Belarus’ most celebrated theater artists. The festival’s concept echoed the theme of deepening ties within the Belarus‑Russia Union State. Belarus Day served as the opening celebration, while Russia Day brought the event to a close.

At exactly 21:30 on 19 July, something miraculous happened over Vitebsk. Spectators in the Summer Amphitheater enjoyed the rare spectacle of two rainbows appearing simultaneously in the sky, a phenomenon that unfolded at the very start of the gala concert for young performers, aptly titled “Rainbow over Vitebsk.”

The song contest Vitebsk‑99 proved the most internationally diverse event of the program, with young vocalists from 16 countries stepping onto the amphitheater stage. The jury was chaired by Alexandra Pakhmutova, and the Grand Prix went to Željko Joksimović, marking the third time that the top honor had traveled to Yugoslavia.

A charitable concert for war and labor veterans, as well as for persons with disabilities, was given by the Russian Song ensemble and its director, People’s Artist of Russia Nadezhda Babkina. The performance took place at the Yakub Kolas Belarusian State Academic Theater, now known as the Yakub Kolas National Academic Drama Theater.

The Cultural and Business Center of OAO Kim, today the Vitebsk Concert Hall, hosted a concert by international festival guests under the title “Friends Welcome Vitebsk.”

Another highlight was the presentation “Fashion – Music of a New Generation,” devised to champion the work of young couturiers and to showcase the most innovative avant‑garde collections from designers across the Slavic world. Twenty fashion artists took part, including laureates and diploma winners from the Admiralty Needle student contest in St Petersburg, the Mammoth International Avant‑Garde Fashion Competition in Minsk, and the White Amphora event in Vitebsk. Papier‑mâché, straw, paper, wire, adhesive tape, furs and other materials were transformed into extraordinary constructions that reflected current trends, enabling the models to conjure stage images with a distinctly philosophical undertone. These creations conveyed both a farewell to the outgoing century and a greeting to the generations yet to come.

Later that evening, the amphitheater was converted into the city’s largest nightclub for the “Dance Until Dawn” music program. For the first time in the festival’s history, the events assumed a truly cosmic reach, with broadcasts relayed via satellite television.

A late‑night presentation was also mounted by the international union of pyrotechnic arts. The performance stage was none other than the deck of a ship moored to the riverbank at the point where the Western Dvina flows into the Vitba.

The core program of the 35th International Festival of Arts Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk is scheduled for 16 July through 19 July, with the first concerts beginning as early as 14 July.