There are not so many ethnic [folk or world music] festivals in Russia. Most of those I wrote about a year ago do not exist or will be held every two years, like the Taibola Festival and White Noise, skipping 2018. Also, many have not yet published their promo with the line-up announcement 2018, but it doesn’t prevent people from planning their trips and buying tickets in advance.
Kamwa festival
27 – 29 of July, Perm region
Kamwa festival celebrates 13 years old this year, and this was the first ethno festival I attended in my life 13 years ago. I always compare other festivals I go to with Kamwa. The festival is held in an unrealistically picturesque place – in the museum of wooden architecture of Khokhlovka, a few kilometers from Perm. All Russian ethno-musicians and many foreign ones performed here, for example, Trad.Attack!, Oratnitza, Vedan Kolod, Merema, Sattuma, Namgar, Volga, Kila, Authentic Light Orchestra and many-many others.
Wild mint
9 – 11 of June, Tula region
The biggest multi-genre festival of Russia. This year more than 70 bands from around the world will perform within 3 days on Wild Mint: Mgzavrebi, Mujuice, OLIGARKH, Aveva, but not so many folk bands as before.
Folk Summer Fest
20 – 22 of July, Kaluga region
Saltatio Mortis, The Rumjacks, Russkaja, Heidevolk, Kalevala, Spire, Teufelstans, Nytt Land, Gilead, Midvinterblot, and more than 50 other bands from all over the world mostly playing pagan metal or Viking folk.
Nebo I Zemlya
8 – 12 of June, Tyumen
There you’ll be able to participate at 700 master classes, to listen to over 200 invited speakers with lectures on health, relationships, needlework, business, cultures from all over the world, 400 events for children, 50 concerts Russian and foreign artists; Holi holiday, fire shows and many other things.
WAFEst
1 – 5 of August, Nizhni Novgorod
WAFEst – this is Water-Air-Fire-Earth-festival! This is not a purely musical festival – there are fire shows, master classes, the quality and quantity (more than 400!) are unprecedented, so you can call it educational too.
Mir Sibiri
13 – 15 of July, Shushenskoe
Since 2003, Shushenskoye has become a place of unprecedented musical, ethnic, cultural leisure for thousands and thousands of guests, whose number and geography increases every year. The first name of this festival was Sayan Ring, later changed into Mir Sibiri, now the biggest ethno festival in Russia.
What Etno
19 – 22 of July, Altai
International EcoCultural festival WhatEtno it is three-day event, consisting educational and cognitive meetings dedicated to world music, festival also organizes tours for musicians in Siberia.
Ustuu-Huree
18 – 22 of July, Republic Tuva
XIX International Festival of Live Music and Faith “Ustuu-Huree -2018” will be held in Chadan of the Republic of Tuva from 18 to 22 July. Festival was established in 1999, during the realization of the idea of restoring the ruins of the once magnificent Buddhist temple Ustuu-Huree.
Tamga
24 – 26 of August, Bashkortostan
This is the chance also to visit one of the biggest (and almost endless) lakes in Bashkortostan, the lake Aslykul. There is no entrance fee, the festival made by volunteers and enthusiasts. Tribal mood and a lot of beautiful fire shows with live folk and electronic music.
Solar Systo Togathering 2018
17 – 21 of May, Saint-Petersburg
Quite small and private festival that annually changes its location. This year, the “ecological meeting” Solar Systo Togathering took place on the picturesque shore of the Finnish Gulf, 120 kilometers from St. Petersburg towards Primorsk. This year’s headline includes Ikarushka, Testo, Noid and many other folk-electronic projects.
Voice of nomads
20 – 21 of July, Buryatia Republic
International Music Festival near Baikal lake. Invites local stars like Namgar as well as International world music stars like Casuarina from Brazil, the bands from Mongolia, China, Ukraine, Hungary, Norway, USA, Japan, Belgium, Brazil, Zimbabwe, France come there regularly.
Headline photo: Kamwa festival
Author: Daryana Antipova
Daryana Antipova has been working as a journalist since 2001 and is involved in radio (Scythian horn program), print (The Moscow News, Russia Beyond the Headlines, Fanograf) and online media related to world music. Drummer in Vedan Kolod folk band, director at Scythian horn agency and label. Her main focus is on traditional folk music, Siberian music and Russian world music in general.
