Amazing shows and cultural programmes await residents and guests of Astana during celebrations of the Day of the Capital prior to and on July 6.
Week-long celebrations are being devised to show Astana as both a comfortable, stable city for business as well as a spiritual and cultural centre for the region and the world. Astana city administration has implemented measures to improve the city ahead of the celebrations, which are focused on large-scale and affordable events intended to be within the reach of any citizen or visitor.
Planned concerts and performances are encouraged to promote Kazakh culture and ethnic features and emphasise the national spirit of the city.
The celebrations will include a festival of nomadic civilisations, the Astana Arkau festival of Turkic music, the Astana Tartu festival of traditional music and the Serper folk orchestra festival.
On July 6 and 7, a “city within a city” will be open at the Kazakh Eli monument, with a fair, amusement rides, restaurants, art exhibitions and concerts.
Performance artists and classical, jazz, traditional and pop performances can be seen on its open air stage.
The soon to be opened “Astana Opera” will feature a 3D display of holographic images of the construction of the city and its iconic structures.
Other events, including children’s concerts, sports and cooking displays and competitions, art shows, parades and sales will be scattered across the city. Overall, there will be up to 100 events packed within a week long celebration in early July. The celebrations will end with pop music performances and a fireworks display on July 6.
Celebrations of the Day of the Capital always include music performances, firework displays and a parade.
“In recent years, the celebration of the city has become one of the most brilliant and anticipated festivals in our country. This year, we decided to organise the first professional music award, Astana Zhuldyzy. The award will celebrate and encourage the development of national musical culture, defining new, higher standards for the quality of our music industry,” head of the Culture Department of Astana city administration Bolat Mazhagulov said at a press conference about the new award.
He also noted the main difference between the Astana Zhuldyzy and other similar awards, emphasising the professional level of the experts who will determine the winners. A total of 100 experts have been selected from Kazakhstan’s music industry, including honoured artists, producers, composers, songwriters, and specialists in singing and fashion, as well as representatives of the media and the public.
“The experts have a lot of work to do: all the experts have to review and audition and identify three candidates for each nomination. After that, we collect the ballots, the counting commission analyses and we determine who is the best of the best,” Dinara Adam, main producer of the ADAM Media Group, said.
“Our capital this year marks its 15th year, so there will be 15 nominations of candidates selected from professional artists working now,” Adam said.
