Festivals

Khorovats, the traditional Armenian barbecue, is widely available at restaurants all over Armenia. It’s people’s all-time favorite dish, and there’s even a special ceremony, the “Khorovats Dance,” performed at wedding parties. So it comes as no surprise that Armenians have a festival dedicated to this dish – the Pan-Armenian Barbecue Festival.

Launched in 2009, this popular annual event, which takes place in the town of Akhtala in the Lori province of Armenia, is surely a great opportunity to taste different varieties of Armenian barbecue. Cooks from different cafes, restaurants, NGOs, and even educational institutions both from Armenia and abroad, each trying to impress visitors with their own unique recipe, prepare beef, pork, fish, mutton, and vegetable barbecues.

The festival is also a competition. The cooks compete for awards and titles, such as “Best Idea,” “Best Chef,” “Best Flavor,” “Best Innovation,” and many others. And as with every Armenian khorovats party, there’s always drinks, folk music, and dances. The festival became so popular that in 2017 the organizers proclaimed Akhtala the world capital of khorovats!

Theatrical Lori festival, theater weeks with the active participation of amateur folk theater troupes from different towns and villages of Armenia, was founded in 1979 in the village of Akner. In 1981, the festival moved to the city of Alaverdi where it received the name “Theatrical Lori.”

The festival’s original goal was to unite theater professionals and amateurs living in the provinces and regions of Armenia and other Soviet states. Rapidly growing in the subsequent years, soon it became an all-Union event.

Today, Theatrical Lori is an international festival, bringing together theater troupes from Russia, Georgia, France, China, Japan, and other countries. The festival takes place once every two years, with performances in the cities of Vanadzor, Alaverdi, Spitak, and Stepanavan.

Note: Images taken from the festival’s Facebook page.

The fairy tales written by Hovhannes Tumanyan, one of the greatest Armenian writers, are an all-time favorite of Armenian children. Nazar the Brave, Unlucky Panos, The Death of Kikos, The Talking Fish… The heroes of Tumanyan’s fairy tales, often foolish and funny, are known to everyone in Armenia through books and animated films created based on them.

The Tumanyan Fairy Tale Day international puppet theater festival that takes place in the village of Dsegh, the birthplace of the writer, is a heartfelt tribute to Hovhannes Tumanyan’s heritage. Puppet theaters from Armenia and Artsakh, as well as Russia, Georgia, China, Italy, Germany, Lithuania, Iran, and other countries take part in the festival. The opening of the festival takes place in Dsegh, the birthplace of Hovhannes Tumanyan. In the following days, puppet theaters travel around Armenia and perform in different villages and towns of the country – all free of charge.