What to do in Kyiv on the weekend of January 9–11: concerts, fairs, parties, and exhibitions

These January weekends in Kyiv offer a packed and diverse program — from intimate jazz in a bookstore and large concerts to parties, fairs, and museum events. From January 9 to 11, you can attend an art performance with electronic music, dance at a Malanka rave, listen to Ukrainian rock, stop by a Christmas fair, or visit a lecture-tour about Ukraine’s struggle for independence.

We’ve gathered events taking place on January 9–11 so you’ll have plenty to choose from — by mood, budget, and format.

Jazz Evening at “Knyharnia Ye”

On January 10, “Knyharnia Ye” on Levko Lukianenko Street will host an intimate jazz evening. On stage is the vocal duo Jazzy Sisters (Yuliia and Anna Maiovetski), performing with double bass, keyboards, and drums.

The format of the event is a cozy listening concert, without a large stage or distance between the musicians and the audience.

Admission: 400 UAH

“City of Masters” Fair at VDNH

On January 10 and 11, Pavilion No. 4 at VDNH will host the All-Ukrainian Festival of Folk Crafts and Folklore “City of Masters.” Artisans and producers from various regions of Ukraine will take part — from doll makers and handmade artists to cheesemakers, winemakers, and fashion designers.

In addition to the fair, guests can enjoy a concert program and workshops. Among the goods on offer are craft cheeses, wines, liqueurs, sweets, handmade toys, accessories, clothing, jewelry, wooden decor, and vyshyvankas.

Admission: free

“Simulation” Party at Collider

On January 10, the Collider venue will host the first event of the year from the “Simulation” series. The lineup includes RELYVE, RECID, NASTYA MURAVYOVA, ANA B, POWERTECH, ETEILLA, TREY, DJ SVEJ, LUCID K, and ONDAN. The party format includes a strict dress code: black or white clothing only, with no colorful or sports elements.

Part of the proceeds will traditionally be donated to the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the “Hospitallers” foundation.

Admission: 1100 UAH

“Interstellar | Act I: The Moon” with Schiller

On January 10, the “KIT” pavilion at VDNH will host the art performance “Interstellar | Act I: The Moon.” The event will combine electronic music, light and visual technologies, and work with the pavilion’s spatial environment.

The headliner will be Schiller, who will bring his new album Euphoria to Kyiv — its world premiere is announced to take place here. An important element of the event is the white dress code, conceived as part of a visual installation in which the audience becomes part of the light environment.

The lineup will be complemented by two exclusive performances. Anna Lee is a legend of the Ukrainian electronic scene, the first female DJ in Ukraine and one of the first in the world. She will present her own tracks and energize the audience, immersing them in a cosmic journey. Another intrigue will be the performance by VOTUMA, who together with BlckBox is preparing a large-scale audiovisual show.

Admission: 700–7000 UAH

Exhibition “Paper Wonders”

This year’s traditional Christmas and New Year exhibition focuses on paper — a material that for centuries has been much more than just a medium for text. The exhibition traces how the emergence of paper shaped an entire “paper era” of the 19th century, from everyday items to festive decor.

Visitors will see the evolution of industrial Christmas tree ornaments — including Dresden cardboard ornaments, bonbonnières, chromolithographs, paper flags, garlands, and confetti. The exhibition is curated as an unhurried journey through the history of festive paper — a fragile material that has proven remarkably resilient in cultural memory.

Admission: 50–80 UAH

SMYK. Malanka

Malanka is a moment of the year when familiar roles are erased and ritual becomes a form of freedom. The SMYK team, together with the “Koza-Malanka” project, brings the traditional folk carnival into the urban space and transforms it into a large-scale Malanka rave. Here, ancient ritual meets contemporary club energy — without losing meaning or symbolism.

Admission is free for military personnel with veteran status.

Admission: 550–2250 UAH

Motor’rolla Band Concert

The winter concert by Motor’rolla is an evening of Ukrainian rock without embellishment or pathos. The program features songs long familiar to listeners, as well as tracks about resilience, strength, and faith. Live sound, direct contact with the audience, and a sense of unity are what the band has been valued for over many years.

Admission: 300–350 UAH

Concert “Koliada from the Creation of the World to the Present Day”

The Rozkoliada performance by the studio of the Hryhorii Maiboroda National Honored Bandurist Capella of Ukraine concludes the cycle of Christmas holidays. The program includes carols and shchedrivky of the winter ritual cycle, greetings, the Goat ritual, and ancient and modern chants. The concert is built as a live dialogue with tradition — through music, symbols, and rituals that remain understandable and close even today.

Admission: 100–200 UAH

Hotel 57: Christmas of the Exes

A musical-theatrical show centered on a Christmas meeting of former lovers in a hotel that quickly spirals out of control. Jazz, intrigue, humor, and an unexpected inheritance drive the plot. “Hotel 57” works as a light genre mix with live music, dance, and irony — a festive show format in which the story unfolds through rhythm, movement, and stage performance.

Admission: from 590 UAH

Concert by Maksym Borodin

Maksym Borodin is a Ukrainian singer and songwriter whose journey began with street performances and led to the big stage. His recognizable timbre and simple, sincere lyrics have produced hits such as “Yakby ne ty,” “Skazhy meni, liubov moia,” “Bez nei,” and “Ne varto,” which today reach a million-strong audience.

Borodin’s songs reflect personal experience, lived losses, love, and war. His concerts are usually built as a trusting conversation with the audience — with moments when listeners sing along to every line.

Admission: 800–1800 UAH

Guided Tour of the Exhibition “The Struggle for Independence. Creators. Episodes”

The tour introduces visitors to an exhibition dedicated to 11 dissidents who fought for Ukraine’s independence during the final decades of Soviet occupation. Each hero corresponds to a separate episode of this struggle.

Among them are Vasyl Stus, Viacheslav Chornovil, Levko Lukianenko, Patriarch of Kyiv and All Rus’-Ukraine Volodymyr, Valerii Marchenko, Halyna Sevruk, Oles Shevchenko, Opanas Zalyvakha, Anatolii Lupynis, Iryna Senyk, and Mykhailo Horyn.

The exhibition features the heroes’ personal belongings, including Vasyl Stus’s jacket, previously never displayed; the shirt Viacheslav Chornovil was wearing at the moment of his death; and Levko Lukianenko’s backpack, which accompanied him through 27 years of imprisonment and exile.

Admission: 150–250 UAH