What to do in Kyiv on the weekend of January 16–18: concerts, festivals, parties, and exhibitions

Against the backdrop of large-scale power outages, Kyiv’s cultural life does not stop but changes its rhythm. We have gathered the key events of mid-January — concerts, exhibitions, and parties worth paying attention to when planning your weekend in the city.

Infinitum. Neon party

On January 17 at “ArtPrychal,” INFINITUM will celebrate the project’s third anniversary and present a new format — a series of large-scale neon parties. This event will be the first step in that direction.

The lineup features Monastetiq, Varya, Grek, Neumateria, Moonmixer, and Spectra. The venue space will be enhanced with neon decorations, light installations, and visual effects that shape the overall atmosphere of the event.

A mandatory dress code applies for guests — neon.

Admission: from 900 UAH

“100 Years of Ukrainian Jazz”

From January 12 to 18, the cultural space Squat 17b hosts an anthology festival dedicated to the centenary of Ukrainian jazz. The program covers various stages of the genre’s development — from its first formations of the 1920s to contemporary original projects — presenting jazz as a space of freedom and a living dialogue with time.

All festival events have a charitable format: free admission, with donations collected in support of the volunteer headquarters “Zhraia.”

The program includes: January 16 — Root Fruit Combo, jazz residents and long-time friends of Squat 17b. January 17 — Sigmund Friends, an original jazz project by musicians known for their work with “Okean Elzy” and “Boombox.” January 18 — the band MOVA with a program of Ukrainian jazz and pop music of the 1960s.

Admission: free (donation optional)

Daisy Dee from Technotronic

On January 17, at the “KIT” pavilion at VDNH, Daisy Dee will perform together with the Technotronic project — one of the key names of the 1990s dance scene. The concert refers to an era when European electronic music shaped mass culture and club sound, and Technotronic hits played on the radio, at parties, and discos all over the world.

The program will be complemented by Ukrainian artists well known to fans of the electronic scene: XXV KADR, OLVIPMISS, DJ Grim, and MC Sambo Sandra.

Admission: 350–1500 UAH

Concert by the band “Fiolet”

On January 18 at the Caribbean Club, the indie rock band “Fiolet” will present their new album “Tropic of Capricorn.” The concert program includes new material as well as songs already familiar to listeners: “Kokhana,” “Tysha,” “Zariadzhaĭ,” and others.

Alongside the tour, the band continues a charity fundraiser in support of the DARKNODE unit, where “Fiolet” guitarist Roman Andrukhyv serves.

Admission: from 550 UAH

Exhibition by Ruslana Kliuchko “Reverse Movement. Diaries”

On January 15, a solo exhibition by artist and photographer Ruslana Kliuchko opens at the Small Gallery of the Mystetskyi Arsenal. The project “Reverse Movement. Diaries” will run until February 15, 2026.

The exhibition explores the theme of non/return — a state between memory and reality that has become part of the wartime experience for many Ukrainians. Through photography, graphics, and video, Kliuchko examines movement between physical places and those that exist in memories and personal archives.

A separate body of work is connected to the town of Khutir-Mykhailivskyi in the Sumy region — the artist’s hometown, located near the border with Russia, which she continues to return to despite the danger.

Admission: free

Christmas Extravaganza at the Open-Air Museum

On January 17, the National Museum of Folk Architecture and Life of Ukraine will host a festive program titled “Christmas Extravaganza,” dedicated to traditional Ukrainian Christmas rituals.

Within the museum grounds, symbols of Christmas Eve and Christmas will come to life — the Bethlehem star, didukh, the straw “spider,” as well as traditional characters of the festive cycle: Malanka, Vasyl, and the Goat. Throughout the day, carols, shchedrivky, and greetings will be performed.

The culmination of the program will be a Christmas nativity play prepared by the museum staff. The event format is designed for a family audience and combines an educational component with a live folkloric performance.

Admission: 200 UAH

Inside the Music: Brunch Edition. Episode Two — The Beatles

On January 17, Pepper’s Club will host the second episode of the Inside the Music: Brunch Edition series — a family-oriented music and culinary format that combines a live conversation about music, a concert, and brunch.

This time, the event is dedicated to The Beatles. Producer Pavlo Shylko will, in a dialog format, talk about the path of the Liverpool four, the creative partnership of Lennon and McCartney, and the evolution of the band’s sound. The musical part will be presented by the band Pentagon with live performances of iconic Beatles songs.

The ticket price includes signature snacks from Pepper’s kitchen and drinks; non-alcoholic alternatives are provided for children.

Admission: 990 UAH

Exhibition “Journeys. Transcarpathia — Zakarpattia”

The Museum of Contemporary Art of Ukraine is hosting the exhibition “Journeys. Transcarpathia — Zakarpattia,” offering a journey through the region via paintings by different generations of artists. The exhibition features landscapes, genre scenes, and portraits that build a visual history of Zakarpattia from classical masters to contemporary authors.

Among the presented works are canvases by Adalbert Erdeli and Yosyp Bokshai, who laid the foundations of the local art school, as well as works by Fedor Manailo, Havrylo Hliuk, and artists of newer generations.

Admission: free

Concert by Myroslav Kuvaldin and the Instrumental-Bunker Chanson Ensemble

On January 16 at Docker Pub, Myroslav Kuvaldin together with the Instrumental-Bunker Chanson Ensemble (IBASh) will present their debut album “Chiki-Boom.” The concert will be part of a series of live performances with which the ensemble meets audiences in January.

IBASh features songs written over the past two years during rotations, trips to military units, and direct communication with soldiers. This music combines frontline humor, bitter irony, jazz-chanson intonations, and a direct, unfiltered language about the everyday reality of war.

Admission: 350–450 UAH

Exhibition “Old Topchyk and His Sea”

The ARVM Museum-Workshop has opened the exhibition “Old Topchyk and His Sea,” dedicated to the northern period of the work of Ada Rybachuk and Volodymyr Melnychenko. The exhibition brings together large-scale paintings, stone sculptures, and woodcuts created by the artists during expeditions to the Far North in the 1950s–1960s.

The central image of the exhibition is Old Topchyk — a real person whose difficult fate became a key for the artists in understanding the North as a space of memory, loss, and a vanished way of life. Through this figure, the authors tell the story of a world that no longer exists, capturing it in images, textures, and scale.

A separate element of the exhibition is the spatial composition by Tania Bakum, “Waves of the Tundra,” which enters into dialogue with the works of Rybachuk and Melnychenko and enhances the sense of the northern landscape.

Admission: please уточняйте at the museum