Things to Do in Kyiv This Weekend, July 30 – August 2: Concerts, Festivals, Exhibitions, and Lectures
From anime and cosplay to contemporary art, techno, and symphonic renditions of rock hits, Kyiv offers events for every mood at the turn of July and August. We've rounded up the concerts, festivals, exhibitions, lectures, and unique experiences taking place from July 30 to August 2.
Summer Anime&Cosplay Fest
Pochayna Event Hall will host Summer Anime&Cosplay Fest, a Kyiv event marking the final stop of this year's festival tour across Ukraine. The program is dedicated to anime, cosplay, and modern Japanese pop culture.
The music stage will feature Ukrainian band Ziferblat and Japanese J-pop singer Shihori. Visitors can also enjoy performances by vocalists and cover dancers, a cosplay parade, a themed market, entertainment zones, and interactive activities.
Admission: UAH 742–2,067
Summer Anime & Cosplay Fest 2026
Exhibition "Dialogue in Color: The Mosaic of Zaporizhzhia's Cultures"
The House of Artists is hosting an exhibition dedicated to the cultural heritage and traditions of the national communities of the Zaporizhzhia region.
The project explores the region through art, personal stories, and the cultural practices of the communities that have shaped its multicultural identity for centuries.
Admission: Free
Opening of the Exhibition "Kyiv — Venice"
The M17 Center for Contemporary Art will open the group exhibition "Kyiv — Venice." The project creates a symbolic connection between the two cities through the imagery of the Dnipro River and the Venetian Lagoon while engaging in dialogue with the theme of the Venice Biennale In Minor Keys.
The exhibition explores emotional, sensory, and human experience through Ukrainian archetypal symbols, natural imagery, mythological thinking, and traditional artistic practices. Thirty-two artists are participating, including Oksana Bryukhovetska, Hanna Hidora, Anastasiia Podervianska, Tiberii Sylvashi, and Ruslan Tremba.
Admission: Free with prior registration
Dantes Concert
Volodymyr Dantes will perform his second major Kyiv concert of the year at the "De, Shcho, Inshe" venue. The open-air show will feature a live band and the same program previously presented on March 8.
The setlist will include songs from his spring EP Treba Yty ("Time to Go"), along with tracks from earlier stages of his career.
Admission: UAH 990
Honey Festival
The National Museum of Folk Architecture and Life of Ukraine will celebrate Makovii, also known as Honey Spas, with traditional customs associated with the holiday.
Visitors will find a honey fair and a market featuring local artisans. The program includes baking traditional shulyky in a wood-fired oven, creating ceremonial "makoviichyk" bouquets, folk songs, meetings with tradition bearers, and rituals such as the blessing of a well, hay, and the homestead, as well as the installation and decoration of the Makovii cross.
Admission: UAH 200
Oleksandr Ponomariov Concert
People's Artist of Ukraine Oleksandr Ponomariov will perform at Feels Garden. The singer will present a solo program featuring his best-known songs from different periods of his career.
The evening will include dozens of popular hits performed live, with the audience invited to sing along.
Admission: UAH 800–1,700
«Reading Ukrave»
Ukraїner and the bookstore book.ua will host "Reading Ukrave" in the courtyard near the Golden Gate — a few hours of shared silent reading.
Participants can bring their own book or buy one on-site, choose a comfortable spot, and enjoy reading together. Afterward, an optional networking session will offer an opportunity to meet other readers and discuss books. A photographer will also be present.
Admission: Free with a donation supporting Ukraїner; registration required
Symphonic Concert of Imagine Dragons, Coldplay, and Linkin Park Music
GosOrchestra will perform symphonic arrangements of music by Imagine Dragons, Coldplay, and Linkin Park on the River Mall terrace. The program features 19 songs by the three bands.
The setlist includes Believer, Radioactive, Viva la Vida, Paradise, Numb, and In the End. The concert will take place outdoors with views of the Dnipro River.
Admission: UAH 450–1,290
Reactor x Soma
Keller will host Reactor x Soma, an electronic music event focused on groove techno, DJ sets, and live performances.
The lineup includes artists from across Ukraine: Sekta, Maria Rodina, Obsidian, Yadov, SHKLV, Sintahra, Alice, and OPRICH.
Admission: UAH 500
Exhibition "Yevhen Sytnianskyi: The Unknown Boychukist"
The Museum of Avant-Garde will present the artistic legacy of Yevhen Sytnianskyi for the first time. His life and career were cut short by Stalinist repression.
The centerpiece of the exhibition is the artist's family archive, which will be shown to the public for the first time. The exhibition runs until August 30, 2026.
Admission: UAH 100–200
Exhibition "Evgeny Sytnyansky. Unknown Boychukist"
Lecture by Iryna Udovichenko: "Jewelry and War"
The Treasury of the National Museum of the History of Ukraine will host a lecture exploring how the Russian-Ukrainian war has influenced contemporary jewelry art. The discussion will focus on jewelry as a way of reflecting resilience, grief, national symbols, love, and hope.
Since 2022, the museum has been building a collection of works in which jewelry artists respond to the realities of war. The museum's broader collection of contemporary Ukrainian jewelry dates back to 1981. The lecture and exhibition tour will be led by senior researcher Iryna Udovichenko.
Admission: UAH 150; discounted ticket — UAH 100; registration required
"Jewelry and War" Lecture by Iryna Udovichenko
Olha Zaremba's Exhibition "Monuments"
Dymchuk Gallery, together with the MYPH School of Conceptual and Art Photography, presents Olha Zaremba's solo exhibition Monuments. The exhibition features paintings and photographs created between 2020 and 2026.
The project explores memory, the social landscape, and the relationship between people and urban space. The artist invites viewers to rethink the very idea of a monument and see everyday urban imagery as a carrier of memory.
Admission: Please check with the gallery
Ukrainian Wine Festival
The Ukrainian Wine Festival continues at Bessarabsky Market during its second weekend, following the first edition held on July 25–26.
The festival features Ukrainian wines, artisan cheeses, wine tastings, and live music. The second part of the festival will take place over two days.
Admission: Please check with the organizers.
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