What to Do in Kyiv on the Weekend of September 18–20: GogolFest, KISFF, Concerts, Markets and Exhibitions

A камерный GogolFest, more than 200 short films at KISFF, new exhibitions and open-air concerts — the second half of September begins with a packed cultural program. We’ve rounded up events taking place September 16–20, from exhibitions by Anatolii Kryvolap and World Press Photo to concerts by Gaitana, Oleksandr Polozhynskyi and a vinyl market.

GogolFest Contemporary Art Festival

This year, «GogolFest» will take place at the ICCM in a камерный format. The organizers have postponed major events and special projects until spring 2027, while the September program will be held at the Kinopalats cinema and in the inner courtyard of the ICCM.

The program will still feature visual projects involving Mykyta Kadan, Alevtina Kakhidze and her students, the Nahirna community, and artists from Good Art from Good People. There will also be intimate performances, presentations by designer Liliia Litkovska, Land Art, acoustic concerts, film screenings and talks.

Admission: UAH 1,450

World Press Photo Exhibition 2026

The World Press Photo Exhibition 2026 is currently on view at the Dovzhenko Centre — an exhibition featuring the winners of the international photojournalism and documentary photography competition. The exhibition includes works from different regions of the world focusing on abuse of power, the climate crisis, wars, resilience and reconstruction.

This year, 57,376 entries were submitted by 3,747 photographers from 141 countries. Winners were selected across six regions in the Singles, Stories and Long-Term Projects categories. Among the recognized photographers is Ukrainian photographer Yevhenii Maloletka, who won in the European region with his work «Russian Attack on Kyiv».

Admission: UAH 100–200

Anatolii Kryvolap Exhibition «Light and Color»

The Kyiv Art Gallery will open a solo exhibition by Anatolii Kryvolap, «Light and Color», marking the artist’s 80th birthday. Kryvolap is a recipient of the Shevchenko Prize.

The project focuses on the interaction of light and color in Kryvolap’s landscapes. Most of the paintings on display will be shown to the public for the first time. The exhibition will be complemented by multimedia materials about the artist’s work. The exhibition will run until November 1.

Admission: UAH 100–200

Vladyslav Shereshevskyi Exhibition «Fresh»

The Kyiv Art Gallery is hosting «Fresh», an exhibition featuring new works by Vladyslav Shereshevskyi. The exhibition includes landscapes, still lifes, portraits and works connected with the experience of war.

In his works, the artist combines humor with tragic subjects and draws on realism, surrealism and postmodern techniques. He also works with recognizable images and artistic references: he uses Van Gogh’s visual style and depicts Ilya Repin, Ivan Franko, Serhii Paradzhanov and Albert Einstein. A separate part of the exhibition features images of jesters, in which the comic stands alongside themes of pain and war.

Admission: UAH 50–100

Kyiv International Short Film Festival KISFF

The 15th KISFF will take place at the «Zhovten» and Kino42 cinemas. Over seven days, the festival will screen more than 200 short films of different genres and formats from more than 50 countries.

The program includes Ukrainian and international competitions, retrospectives of Paul Verhoeven, Christian Petzold and Jan Švankmajer, a home and amateur cinema section, the «Clubbin’ Before Techno Appeared» program by Soundwatch Berlin, and «In Memoriam: Béla Tarr». A separate selection, «KISFF: 15 Years of Short Film», will feature 15 Ukrainian films from 2010–2025, including Myroslav Slaboshpytskyi’s «Deafness», Maryna Vroda’s «Cross», Dmytro Sukholytkyi-Sobchuk’s «The Weightlifter» and Anastasiia Falileieva’s «I Died in Irpin».

Admission: tickets — UAH 100–200, passes — UAH 350–1,050

«Saving the Capital» Photo Exhibition

The National Museum of Taras Shevchenko is hosting «Saving the Capital», a photo exhibition about the work of Kyiv’s rescuers during the full-scale war.

The exhibition features documentary, unscripted photographs taken during real emergency callouts by the Kyiv garrison of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine. The photographs document the aftermath of shelling, firefighting, rubble removal and the evacuation of people. The photographs were taken by professional photographers and the press center team of the Kyiv branch of the State Emergency Service.

Admission: UAH 100–200

Feels Garden Beer Festival

Feels Garden Beer will be held at Feels Garden for the ninth time. It’s three days of craft beer, food, music and outdoor activities, with breweries from across the country, dozens of varieties to choose from, a food court for long evenings and a stage where your favorite artists will perform throughout the weekend.

The music program will feature performances by O.Torvald, Bah.Roma and Epolets. In addition to the concerts, there will be an «It’s My Life» disco featuring music from the 1980s–2000s, as well as karaoke.

Admission: UAH 400–550

headachee Concert

The band headachee will perform at «KultMotiv». The group works with dream pop, psychedelic guitar sounds and emotional vocals. After a long break, the musicians returned to working together as a stable lineup and are now preparing their second album, which is scheduled for release in the fall. Its first single is «instruktsiia».

At the concert, the band will perform the album «shukaiuchy kolir» in its entirety, as well as songs from the pre-war period, new singles and several previously unreleased tracks. headachee will present some of the new compositions together with special guests.

Admission: from UAH 550

Oleksandr Polozhynskyi and «Three Roses» Concert

Oleksandr Polozhynskyi will return to the «Three Roses» program together with musicians Valeriia Paliarush, Marta Kovalchuk and Mariia Sorokina. The concert will take place at Caribbean Club.

The program will consist primarily of lyrical compositions from the repertoires of «Tartak», «Buvie» and «Ol.Iv.’Ye», including songs that have not been performed live for a long time. They have been arranged for drums, bass and piano for this lineup. According to Polozhynskyi, the musicians have not performed this program for almost five years.

Admission: UAH 490–1,490

«The Human Body» Interactive Exhibition

Kyiv is home to «The Human Body», an interactive educational science exhibition dedicated to the structure and functioning of the human body. More than 19 themed zones have been set up across an area of over 5,000 m², featuring realistic anatomical models, interactive experiments and multimedia installations.

Visitors can explore how the heart, brain, lungs, sensory organs, nervous system and endocrine system work. The exhibition also includes VR zones, AI avatars, digital assistants, medical simulators and a lecture hall featuring doctors and scientists.

Admission: UAH 500

Vinyl Market

A Vinyl Market will be held in the courtyard of Sense Hub Kyiv with the participation of collectors and music industry representatives. Almost ten vendors are expected at the fair, ranging from collectors of rare editions to sellers specializing in new releases and reissues by Ukrainian and international artists.

The market will offer records from different years and genres, from classical music and jazz to contemporary electronic music. Accessories, music merchandise and books will also be available.

Admission: free

«Favorite Melodies» Concert

At the «Khlibnia» Gallery of the «Sofia Kyivska» National Conservation Area, artists from the National House of Music will perform a program of 15 well-known works of classical, Ukrainian and film music.

The program will include Charles Gounod’s Ave Maria, Franz Schubert’s «Serenade», Georges Bizet’s «Habanera», Jacques Offenbach’s «Barcarolle», John Williams’s theme from «Schindler’s List», Myroslav Skoryk’s «Melody» and Platon Maiboroda’s «Song about the Embroidered Towel». The performers are Ivanna Plish, Tetiana Havrylenko, Serhii Androshchuk, Nazarii Pylatiuk, Ivan Kucher and Kateryna Bazhenova.

Admission: UAH 500

Gaitana Concert

Gaitana will perform a solo concert at «Kureniv Concerts». The singer will present a program of her well-known songs performed live.

That evening, the audience will hear «Tantsi», «Samotnia Bosa», «Shaleni», «Dva Vikna», «Ne Ydy», «Vidshukaiu» and other songs from her repertoire.

Admission: UAH 1,000