What to do in Kyiv on the weekend of October 10–12: concerts, festivals, exhibitions, and markets

The beginning of October in Kyiv is not just about autumn walks and pumpkin lattes. The city is once again preparing a packed weekend for those who appreciate culture, music, and visual art. You can expect major concerts and festivals, new exhibitions in leading galleries, and markets. In our selection — the most interesting events of October 10–12 to help you plan your weekend and not miss anything important.

Festival "Polish Film Days"

The "Polish Film Days" festival returns to Kyiv — for the twentieth year in a row, it introduces Ukrainian audiences to the most vibrant works of contemporary Polish cinema.

The program features eight feature films and a selection of short films from the Warsaw Film School, showcasing the many facets of Polish film: from hard-hitting social dramas and psychological stories to auteur experiments and comedies.

Admission: 180 UAH

TNMK. "The Fires of Babylon City" — 20 Years Later

The band "Tanok na Maidani Congo" (TNMK) is celebrating the 20th anniversary of one of its most influential albums — "The Fires of Babylon City." Released in 2004, this album set the direction for Ukrainian hip-hop by blending social lyrics, funk, rock, and poetry into one powerful sound.

On the stage of “V’YAVY,” the musicians will perform all the album's tracks live, with updated arrangements but the same recognizable rhythm that shaped a generation of listeners. Joining them will be Dilya — one of the band’s founders, whose voice and guitar helped create the original atmosphere of the album.

Admission: 550–1000 UAH

Nemo — Eurovision Winner in Kyiv

Eurovision 2025 winner from Switzerland, Nemo (Nemo Mettler), will perform in Kyiv for the first time. The artist became one of the brightest discoveries on the European music scene this year, thanks to the song “The Code,” which brought them victory and instantly became a hymn of self-expression and freedom.

In Kyiv’s Atlas club, audiences will hear not only new tracks but also familiar hits that blend pop, rap, and operatic elements. Nemo promises a show with powerful visuals, energy, and honesty — the very qualities that have earned them a devoted global fanbase. This will be a concert Kyiv won't forget — The Code has been cracked.

Admission: 2500–6000 UAH

Pumpkin Fest

Autumn in Pyrohiv traditionally smells of fresh hay, baked pumpkin, and family warmth. This year, Pumpkin Fest will gather guests to celebrate Ukrainian autumn in the best folk traditions.

Visitors will enjoy performances by folk groups, a crafts fair, traditional craft workshops, photo zones with pumpkins and vintage tools. For kids — games, quests, and quizzes. For adults — live music, contests, and pumpkin dishes to taste.

The pumpkin is the star of the show here: it's decorated, cooked, joked about, and even sung about. It’s a celebration for anyone who wants to spend the weekend in nature, dive into Ukrainian traditions, and experience autumn in all its richness.

Admission: 150 UAH

Sasha Chemerov & Dymna Sumish — The Legend Returns

After a hiatus, Sasha Chemerov returns to the Kyiv stage with Dymna Sumish — a band that once became the voice of freedom and rebellion in Ukrainian alternative music. At “V’YAVY,” the musicians will present a new album and perform songs that have become symbols of honesty, inner strength, and uncompromising sound.

This will be a night of true drive, where rock, philosophy, and raw energy meet on stage. Chemerov and his band promise a concert without a single false note — just music that awakens and reminds us why we love the feeling of roaring guitars and air charged with electricity.

Admission: 450–900 UAH

Market “Ukrainian Coat Days”

This weekend in central Kyiv, the “Ukrainian Coat Days” market will take place, featuring over fifty local brands presenting their outerwear collections.

Visitors will find a wide selection of coats, raincoats, puffer jackets, vests, and jackets created by Ukrainian designers. In addition, the market will offer cozy mid-season items — wool sweaters, cardigans, hoodies, knit sets, accessories, shoes, and jewelry.

Admission: free

Exhibition HIDE AND SEEK / "Pryatky"

In October, the Imagine Point gallery will host the exhibition HIDE AND SEEK / "Pryatky", showcasing works by students of the Kyiv State Academy of Decorative Arts and Design named after Mykhailo Boichuk.

Young artists — Anastasiia Kurchevska, Bohdana Kuznetsova, Anna Voroniuk, Oleksii Semerynskyi, and Anna Mokhonko — will present their works created under the guidance of instructor Oleksandr Bohomaz. At the core of the exhibition are themes of searching, hiding, personal and collective experience, reflected through modern artistic expression.

These projects continue the participation of Ukrainian students in the LOST FARM festival in Denmark, where they launched the SAFE HOUSE program — a Ukrainian-Danish cultural exchange aimed at building connections between young artists and creating space for collaboration and mutual inspiration.

Admission: free

Exhibition by Katya Buchatska

The Mystetskyi Arsenal opens a solo exhibition by Katya Buchatska titled “Given: 1. your safespace is on fire, 2. trimester, 4. grandma.” For the artist, this is a kind of homecoming — it was here, in the Small Gallery, that she held her first solo show back in 2019.

The new project combines photography, painting, text, and sound — an attempt to reflect on time, memory, and personal transformation. The exhibition includes images of places one can no longer return to, a zine-diary “Photographs from the Next Year,” paintings from 2021, an audio recording of her grandmother’s voice, and glass landscapes where the contours of the past blur, leaving only an emotional trace.

Buchatska continues her dialogue with Marcel Duchamp, this time turning not to readymades but to her own experience — to show how the themes of art, time, and self-awareness evolve across eras. This is an exhibition about memory and acceptance, about the inner processes that shape us and our present.

Admission: free