NUR-SULTAN – NS Family WinterFest, a recreational ice town, has opened in the capital’s Botanical Garden, reported the city akimat (city administration).
Photo credit: Nur-Sultan akimat website.
“The Botanical Garden is a special place for the city. We tried to make the design as comfortable as possible for people to spend time here with their families. We also tried to integrate interesting art pieces to have a lot of original sites that would attract residents,” said creative director Kristina Bekmurzayeva.
The site is divided into three zones where people can take photos. The first is dedicated to art objects and other installations.
“There is a gallery under the sky. Small architectural forms are painted manually. The back part of our tree is also painted manually. Nobody has done this for a long time; it sets a certain atmosphere and is perceived in a completely different way,” she noted.
Photo credit: Nur-Sultan akimat website.
The second features 300 snowmen.
“The second zone includes the already beloved specialty – the snowmen. There are 300 of them at the moment. We would like city residents to join us and increase their number. One of the main principles of our work is a participatory approach. We really hope the residents of the city join us and also contribute to the design of the Botanical Garden,” she added.
The third and the most important zone is the Christmas tree.
“If you pay attention to the design of the tree, you will see a large number of swallows. Artists specially proposed such a solution to convey the most important wish for the next year – for everyone to be happy. The swallow in this case is a symbol of happiness for next year,” said Bekmurzayeva.
Photo credit: Nur-Sultan akimat website.
Capital residents can also enjoy a small hockey field, ice skating rink and slide.
“There is a special children’s mini-zone. We made a small hockey zone especially for children so that they could play with their parents,” she noted.
To those who get cold during all the play, there are also warming spheres and a food court.
“When you come to slide or to skate, you can bring sandwiches and a thermos with you and warm up in the area and eat with your family. Every detail of the design should motivate citizens to spend time with their families. That is why our festival is called NS Family WinterFest,” she added.
The Botanical Garden opened in the summer 2018. The 87.9-hectare space includes 43.2 hectares devoted to the botanical garden and 44.7 hectares for the park. It also has an artificial pond, bike and running paths, fountain and monuments.
