"Parade-fest" festival about right to city
Modern Kharkiv is a meeting place of different ideologies and communities. Pride parades happen here and street performances are banned here. World-renowned street artists work here and illegal constructions multiply here. We want communities to be able to change the city just like those in power, and every voice to be protected and heard. That's exactly why we're creating Parade-fest!
What is Parade-fest?
Parade-fest is a festival about the right to the city through the lens of theater and urbanism. The first Parade took place in 2018 and ran from May 16 to 20.
Our goal is to initiate changes in the urban environment, stimulate the development of civil society and democracy in Kharkiv and Ukraine.
How exactly? Through international laboratories, art actions in public space, master classes, dialogue with government structures and work with activists.
We believe that culture and people power is that explosive mixture that can truly change reality for the better.
History of Parade-fest
The first Parade took place in 2018 from May 16 to 20. Then the festival combined installations in urban space, educational and urban blocks, a music program from "Sound Culture" and contemporary performances by artists from Kyiv, Lviv and Kharkiv. All events were united by a call to rethink the Soviet past and jointly reformat the city, which became the festival's main message. Then 6 performances were shown, one performance, about 10 thematic lectures and discussions were held, a quest about the "Word" house was created.
Already in 2019 (festival dates - September 18-23) among our partners were Kharkiv School of Architecture and Art Factory "Mechanica", and the educational, theater and urban programs reached international level and international audience. In total, about 9 performances were shown, 9 educational lectures and discussions were held, 3 performances by bands Zapaska, Zbaraski and Mantra Kerouac were organized.
Our goal is to make a festival about the right to the city that will encourage positive changes in urban space and cultural sphere.
During these two years we created street performances with foreign directors (Max Schumacher, bazaar europa, Nick Acorn), talked about post-memory, urbanism and inclusion, explored "Word" house, Derzhprom and attended parties with Music Day in Kharkiv.
Parade-fest experience proves: we can make the city as we want to see it!
More about the festival's history can be read on Kharkiv media LUK.
Our goals in 2021
The theme of Parade-fest in 2021 is "Culture of Transition". This means that in honor of the 30th anniversary of Ukraine's independence, we are preparing a powerful program that will summarize and analyze the changes that have occurred in our culture, cities, consciousness since 1991.
Festival dates: September 9-11, 2021. Details and program are published on social media and festival website https://paradefest.com.ua/parade-fest-2021/
We dream of creating a unique educational event that would allow us to talk about "culture of transition" and Kharkiv in the 21st century without taboos.
We want as many people as possible to learn about the festival and gain access to our master classes, lectures and unique shows by Ukrainian and foreign professionals - that's why it's important for us to ensure quality broadcasts and tell about our mission in independent media.
We also plan to involve volunteers, as we are convinced that culture is about active actions together.
We want Parade to leave its (in)visible mark in the city, and its values to spread among crowds before and after the festival, so we will make cool and practical merch for you.
Team
Parade-fest is created by true fans of culture and social transformations, for whom this is the meaning of life. Our team includes:
Veronika Sklyarova — program director and ideological inspiration. Veronika also produces Dollmen theater, gives lectures, engages in cultural journalism and cultural activism.
Svetlana Bazhenova — financial director, who also creates Plan B festival and Music Day in Kharkiv.
Olena Myhashko — communications specialist, cultural journalist and theater scholar, former editor-in-chief of Yabl and UKF expert.
Halyna Nikitina — cultural manager, operations manager of "School of Object Design" at Vymiriuvach and coordinator of youth platform "Your space of opportunities".
Funding
Parade-fest is an educational-artistic festival that takes place with support from UKF, USAID, Renaissance Foundation. However, some of the lectures, concerts and master classes that Parade conducted in different years would have been impossible without the participation of volunteers and enthusiasts.
We need your support to create a truly powerful event. Let's try to change the city together!
