The large-scale festival "Days of Nizhny Novgorod" will take place in Minsk from May 14 to 16.

      A large-scale cultural, sports, educational, patriotic, and inclusive program is planned. The grand festival "Days of Nizhny Novgorod" will take place in Minsk from May 14 to 16 as part of the International Cultural and Educational Festival "Path of Friendship." A comprehensive cultural, sports, educational, patriotic, and inclusive program is planned. Leading creative teams and solo performers, renowned cultural institutions from Nizhny Novgorod will bring the "Nizhny soul" to Minsk to showcase the uniqueness of the Volga capital in all its diversity to the residents of the sister city. "For over 25 years, the friendly, sister-city relations between Nizhny Novgorod and Minsk have been successfully developing and becoming stronger year by year. The ties between Nizhny Novgorod and Minsk are not just formal agreements, but true friendship based on mutual respect, genuine interest in each other, and a shared historical memory. Together, we develop culture and education, support youth initiatives and sports because we believe that only together can we build a worthy future. The festival 'Path of Friendship' is already a well-established format. It was enthusiastically received and is still remembered in Uzbekistan and Abkhazia, and I am sure we will also surprise the Republic of Belarus," emphasized the head of Nizhny Novgorod, Yuri Shalabaev. As the director of the city’s culture department, Svetlana Gulayeva, explained, for the first time, Nizhny Novgorod theaters, museums, libraries, a planetarium, and art schools will be presented on such a large scale in Belarus. "Nizhny Novgorod must be represented in Minsk brightly, on a large scale, and at a high professional level – this is the task set by the head of the city, Yuri Vladimirovich Shalabaev. The cultural program of the Days of Nizhny Novgorod is, of course, prepared differently each time – we seek and find parallels and points of contact with the history and culture of each country where we hold the festival. I think everyone knows what impact the Great Patriotic War left on Belarusian soil, so this year, for the first time, the Nizhny Novgorod Victory Park will be among the participants of the project. We will present the exhibition 'Nizhny Novgorod – City of Labor Valor' in the hall of the Minsk City Hall," shared Svetlana Gulayeva. Traditionally, leading groups will represent Nizhny Novgorod in Minsk, such as the Stepanov Musical Theater, the children's theater "Vera," the folk song ensemble "Lyubava," and the chamber choir "Nizhny Novgorod," which will perform a concert at the "Upper City" venue. For the first time, the "Comedy" theater will be among the festival participants. Each municipal theater from Nizhny Novgorod will present two performances to the Belarusian audience, including the nominee for the "Golden Mask," the musical "A Dog in the Manger" by the V. T. Stepanov Chamber Musical Theater. The G. M. Grechko Planetarium will invite Minsk residents to look at the Sun through a special telescope and hear from the planetarium lecturer what connects Maxim Gorky and Adam Bogdanovich from an astronomical perspective. Museums have prepared special exhibitions, lectures, and programs for the Days of Nizhny Novgorod in Minsk. The Architectural and Ethnographic Museum "Shchelokovsky Khutor" will operate at the Belarusian museum "Loschitskaya Estate" and will provide an opportunity not only to see wooden architecture monuments and try on details of the Nizhny traditional costume but also to compare Russian and Belarusian traditions. The State Museum of A. M. Gorky will present the exhibition project "I remembered you and wanted to write..." about the union of two families – the Peshkovs and the Bogdanovichs, about the history of the relationships between the writer Maxim Gorky, ethnographer Adam Bogdanovich, and classic of Belarusian literature Maxim Bogdanovich. In addition to the cultural and entertainment program, the Nizhny Novgorod culture department has organized a carefully selected methodological part. Festival participants can look forward to ten master classes: on Khokhloma painting, choreographic art, music journalism, choral performance, and violin playing, conducted by teachers from the Children's Art School "Constellation," the Children's Art School named after A. I. Khachaturyan, Children's Music School No. 15, the Children's Choral School "Lark" named after A. A. Yezhov, and Children's Art School No. 14. The program of professional meetings "Library Space of the Future: Russian-Belarusian Dialogue" will be organized by employees of the Centralized Library System of the Kanavinsky District. There are also plans to sign a number of agreements and memorandums of cooperation. The culmination of the Days of Nizhny Novgorod in Minsk will be the concert program "Path of Friendship," which unites music, dance, and expressive artistic images performed by Nizhny Novgorod artists, DJs, and cover bands in one stage space. "The main artistic focus of the program will be a show about Nizhny Novgorod – a live stage narrative about its legends and heroes, amazing beauty, and unique atmosphere. The theme of friendship with Minsk will receive special emphasis – a cultural dialogue, mutual respect, and sincere human relationships," noted the city culture department. As part of the Days of Nizhny Novgorod in Minsk, in addition to the cultural program, educational, sports, and patriotic events will take place. A dialogue platform dedicated to the development of engineering classes and prospects for cooperation between educational institutions of the two cities will be organized for schoolchildren and teachers, as well as a discussion on the formation of historical memory through projects such as "The Forge of Victory. The City of Gorky in 1941–1945." Tournaments in volleyball, table tennis, judo, chess, hockey, and demonstration performances in acrobatic rock and roll will be held. In addition, the tournament of the historical and patriotic project "Battle for the Motherland" will unite the youth of Nizhny Novgorod and Minsk, and employees and students of the Maxim Nastyin Center for Military-Patriotic Education and the "I Want to Become a Paratrooper" camp will present their programs and achievements and share experiences with Belarusian colleagues.

      Moreover, as reported by the city department of tourism development and external relations, from May 12 to 18, as part of the International Cultural and Educational Festival "Path of Friendship," an exhibition-fair "Secrets of the Masters" will be organized in Minsk in the square in front of the Sports Palace. Twelve masters will participate in the fair, which will be located in ten pavilions. Visitors will be able to purchase Khokhloma and Semyonov painting products, artistic tableware, woven and leather goods, as well as Gorodets gingerbread and pastila. Each day of the fair will be dedicated to a specific craft. On May 13, guests will enjoy "Semyonov Spoon Day" with master classes on playing spoons and their painting. On May 14, a children's holiday "Nizhny Novgorod Fun" will take place with a quiz, master classes on painting magnets, making bracelets, and printing gingerbread. May 15 is declared Matryoshka Day: visitors will have a lecture on the history of the Semyonov matryoshka and the opportunity to paint one by hand. May 16 will be dedicated to Khokhloma painting: on this day, there will be an author's master class from the golden Khokhloma artists and a lecture "Gold Beyond the Volga." There will also be a gastronomic master class from the chef with tasting and cultural accompaniment dedicated to the traditions of Volga cuisine. May 17 will conclude with a "Sweet Souvenir" – making Gorodets gingerbread. The fair will operate daily from 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM, and admission is free.