To mark City Day on 9 September, Drohobych will for the first time host the YOY-FEST bike rock festival. The event will take place in Bohdan Khmelnytskyi Park, and all funds raised during the festival will go towards supporting veterans of the Russian-Ukrainian war and developing the Veteran Development Centre in the community.
According to the organisers’ concept, YOY-FEST is intended to become an annual event that combines Ukrainian music, biker culture and family leisure with a charitable component. The organisation of the festival has been taken under the personal supervision of Drohobych Mayor Taras Kuchma, who stresses the importance of creating platforms of support for people who have given part of their lives to defend the state.
This festival has a special purpose — to support our veterans who have defended and continue to defend Ukraine. We want the community not only to relax, but also to get involved in important causes. Today we must do even more to promote Ukrainian music, culture and our performers so that the Ukrainian cultural space is strong and completely displaces everything Russian-language that has been imposed on us for years. Such events help to affirm our identity, form new traditions and show that even in wartime we continue to develop and bring people together,” said Taras Kuchma
The venue chosen is Bohdan Khmelnytskyi Park, which is planned to be used in future for major city events. Preparatory work is currently under way there: employees of the Municipal Management Service utility company are clearing the area, tidying up green spaces and improving the surroundings.
The Department of Culture and Tourism Development is working on the programme concept. The biker component is being shaped with the involvement of the local biker community, represented by Russian-Ukrainian war veteran Serhii Stupnytskyi. The festival’s visual design has been created by artist Khrytsyna Solomchak, author of the Alley of Remembrance and several city murals.
The organisers plan to create a comfortable space in the park for family recreation. The Department of Investment and Economic Development, together with local businesses, is preparing areas with children’s attractions, food courts and a field kitchen. Visitors will be able to buy food and at the same time support the festival’s charitable purpose through donations.
To plan the placement of the main locations, an on-site working meeting was held with the participation of the Head of the Department of Investment and Economic Development, Lesia Lazunda, Director of the Municipal Management Service utility company, Volodymyr Suda, Head of the Greenery Department, Nataliia Pylypiv, and business representatives. Among other things, they discussed placing children’s attractions and food courts next to each other so that it would be convenient for parents with children to stay on the festival grounds.
The YOY-FEST programme will begin with participants gathering at the Heroes crossroads, after which an organised motorbike ride will pass through the city, showcasing the development of bike culture in the community. Participants and guests will then head to Bohdan Khmelnytskyi Park, where the main part of the event will take place.
One of the main musical highlights will be a performance by the well-known Ukrainian rock band Tin Sontsya. The organisers promise to publish the full festival programme separately.
YOY-FEST is positioned as an event about support, unity and gratitude to the military. Residents of the Drohobych community and guests from neighbouring towns are invited to spend the day in a friendly atmosphere, enjoy Ukrainian music, cuisine and entertainment for children and adults, while at the same time contributing to veteran support initiatives and the development of the Veteran Development Centre.