The Ukrainian festivals in my area can be really chaotic sometimes, and I absolutely love that. As in the name, these events are festivals that celebrate Ukrainian heritage, with chaos included. There are many reasons I go to Uki fests, here are the main ones.
Coming in at number one is the food. When I tell you nothing hits better than potato perogies, some shishkabob, and a cheburek, nothing hits the spot better. Not only that, there are potato pancakes, cabbage rolls, borscht, and many different baked sweets that are mouth-watering. The biggest thing is how filling festival perogies can be, only three and you are already starting to feel stuffed, eat 5 perogies and you’re good for half the day. With the shishkabob, you can choose between chicken or pork, both are good. Then, of course, there are Chebureks, meat-filled half moons of dough that are usually fried. Those are delicious to eat.
Number two is Ukrainian traditional dance. I love coming to the festival and watching the traditional dances that they put on every year. Though the dance group is small in my area and doesn’t have many numbers, it is still so fun to see the people perform. When I tell you the things some of the dancers do are mind-blowing, they are.
Number 3, is alcohol and all the funny situations that come with it. Every festival in my area always has alcohol, and most of the alcohol is imported from Ukraine and is Ukrainian-branded. When you are 21 it’s fun to join the hundreds of other adults and have fun talking or playing a game of soccer or volleyball. If you’re underage, like me, you enjoy the chaos that ensues when watching intoxicated people try to play sports. One of the best things to experience in my area is the pull-up or arm wrestling tournaments that are held at 2 or 3 in the morning.
There are many other reasons to come to a Ukrainian festival, like souvenirs, meeting friends/family, or even learning some simple Ukrainian words. Yet, above were my top three reasons for going to a Ukrainian Festival. I hope these reasons encourage you to come and experience it for yourself and have a blast along the way. It never hurts to experience and learn something new.