Over 90 cultural events are planned to take place in Mykolaiv by September

Residents of Mykolaiv at a jazz concert at sunset on Pier 8, June 2024. Photo: NikVesti

Mykolaiv Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych has stated that the city needs to actively develop its cultural life, organise more events for young people and support performances by local creative groups.

He made these remarks during a staff meeting on 11 May, according to NikVesti.

Anatolii Petrov, the deputy mayor for social and humanitarian affairs, reported that the Department of Education, Sport and Culture is already working on a schedule of cultural events in Mykolaiv. A total of 96 events are planned in the city by early September.

«It is important that our local groups perform for the public. We haven’t had a Mykolaiv music scene for a long time now; there aren’t any music clubs at all, so perhaps this will provide an opportunity to perform outdoors; mini-festivals of this sort will breathe new life into these gatherings,» said Oleksandr Sienkevych.

He instructed the departments of culture, education and sport to organise regular performances by their groups in the city’s open-air venues throughout the spring and summer to revitalise community life and create more leisure opportunities for residents.

The mayor also asked for two or three permanent locations to be identified in each district of the city for such events, and for the events calendar to be published for residents and the media.

«It is important that our cultural spaces are not just filled with mown grass or ordinary pedestrian areas, but that there is life there — people, young people, children — so that it all buzzes with activity,» added the mayor.

As a reminder, a survey was launched in Mykolaiv in April to find out how residents rate the city’s cultural life and what, in their opinion, needs to be changed. The initiative was launched by Mykolaiv musician, public figure and freelance adviser to the head of the Mykolaiv Regional State Administration, Volodymyr Alekseiev.

Yuriy Lyubarov, head of the Mykolaiv Department of Culture, stated that over three thousand events were held in Mykolaiv in 2026.

It should be noted that in frontline Mykolaiv, the City Council’s Department of Culture has refrained from holding large-scale public events since the start of the full-scale invasion. The head of the department, Yurii Liubarov, has repeatedly explained that organising city-wide events and erecting large-scale decorations is currently impossible due to the security situation and budget constraints.

In particular, a year ago, when residents were invited to join in the City Day celebrations, which took the form of small local events, he emphasised that for security reasons the exact times and venues would not be announced, and therefore advised people to find out about the events through other sources.

Also, during the New Year 2026 celebrations, Mykolaiv was once again left without a main Christmas tree or festive events in the city centre. The editorial team of NikVesti contacted Yurii Liubarov, but he said that he considered it inappropriate to hold large public events in the city centre.

Despite this, various mass cultural events organised by public figures and other organisations are regularly held in Mykolaiv. For example, one such event took place in July 2024 in Peremohy Park — the «Music and Flowers» festival, dedicated to the holiday of Ivan Kupala.

And in September 2025, Peremohy Park hosted the three-day Street Music Fest Mykolaiv, organised by city councillor Fedir Panchenko and musician Volodymyr Alekseiev. Hundreds of local residents attended the event.