The first edition of the ukrainaFest, an intercultural week celebrating Ukrainian culture, is set to take place in Castelló from 19 to 24 October. The event aims to create spaces for interaction between Ukrainian and Castellonian cultures, featuring a variety of artistic proposals including music, dance, gastronomy, and crafts open to the public.
Vicent Sales, the councillor for Interculturality at the Castelló City Council, announced the festival during a press conference, accompanied by Oksana Vovk Simón, president of the Kalyna association. The initiative is organised by the City Council's Social Coexistence and Interculturality Department, in collaboration with the Ukrainian Association of Castelló and Province Kalyna, which is spearheading the proposal.
The festival will culminate on Saturday, 24 October, with a large event at Ribalta Park. Sales highlighted that "the festival is also a way to thank Castelló for the support and companionship the Ukrainian community has received over the years." He noted that "many families have found help, closeness, and opportunities to move forward in particularly difficult circumstances. Therefore, they want to express their gratitude by sharing their culture, art, music, and traditions."
Sales emphasised the value of interculturality, stating, "It offers opportunities for us to meet, listen to each other, and participate together." He added that "the cultural diversity of Castelló becomes a shared wealth when its communities can showcase what they know, tell their stories, and contribute to the life of the city."
Oksana Vovk Simón expressed gratitude towards the people of Castelló, saying, "We wanted to thank the people of Castelló directly, those who stood by us without expecting anything in return and gave us a bit of hope in very difficult times. This is how ukrainaFest was born, as a way to return that affection by sharing our music, dances, gastronomy, and traditions. We want to open a window to our country and invite our neighbours to get to know us better, because culture allows us to come closer and enjoy together, even if we speak different languages."
The programme will include the donation of books to the Municipal Library as part of the "Ukrainian Shelf" initiative, which aims to bring Ukrainian literature closer to the public and ensure cultural exchange continues beyond the festival days. Additionally, an exhibition of folk art titled "Code of Identity" will open on Monday, 19 October, at 17:00 in Menador Espai Cultural.
The week will also feature the first institutional visit to Castelló by the Ukrainian ambassador to Spain, Yuliia Sokolovska, accompanied by a delegation from the Embassy, as well as the presence of the Consul General of Ukraine in Barcelona, Artem Vorobyov, and the honorary consul of Ukraine in Valencia, Pablo Gil López. A reception will be held on Friday, 23 October, in the City Council's Plenary Hall to welcome the delegation and recognise the work of associations and entities that maintain these collaborative ties.
The children's and youth folk group Barvinok, from Vinnytsia, Ukraine, will play a prominent role in the programme. In addition to their performances, they will engage in exchanges with students from public schools and share artistic experiences with young people in Castelló. Their performances will take place at various locations throughout the week, including the Hort Sogueros square on Monday, 19 October, and the Muralla Liberal square on Tuesday, 20 October, both at 19:00.
The festival on 24 October will feature free entry and will run from 10:00 to 23:00, showcasing music, dance, gastronomy, crafts, workshops, and cultural activities. The musical stage will be active from 10:00 to 18:00, while business and souvenir areas will remain open until 20:30, and traditional food offerings will conclude at 22:30. Workshops will be held in two sessions, from 11:00 to 14:00 and from 16:00 to 18:00. The afternoon programme will include a raffle from 18:15 to 18:45 and a performance by Barvinok from 19:00 to 20:30, concluding with an ethnodisco from 21:00 to 23:00, marking the end of this first intercultural week.
