The Iconic Place, Nizhnekamsk's first street festival, becomes a point of attraction for the city's residents

15 august 2023

Last weekend the residents of Nizhnekamsk were offered a unique opportunity to discover their own country's rich cultural heritage through the lens of contemporary art. SIBUR's Formula for Good Deeds social investment program sponsored the city's first street festival of Russian culture, The Iconic Place, held in the Family Park on August 12.

A busy schedule of activities had been prepared for the festival's guests. One of the marquees was used to create exclusive kokoshnik headdresses, another became a workshop where shopper bags were being decorated, a third was busy producing marvelous baatyr horses and ring dancer dolls, while the open spaces were packed with visitors playing folk and children's games, dancing and watching performances put on by entertainers from folk groups. Alongside that, master classes on folk dancing and on playing Russian chess - known as the tavreli - also proved to be popular among the festival's guests.

One of the highlights of the event was creating a large-scale street art painting of a 3-meter nesting doll - the festivals's principal symbol. By using acrylic markers, the guests of the festival produced a unique urban art object with a bright and unforgettable appearance, complementing that with their kind wishes.

Evgeniya Surkova, Nizhnekamsk resident:

I had never seen such a giant matryoshka doll before. When we arrived at the festival today with my whole family, that was the first thing that caught our eye. We had a chance to take part in decorating it. Everyone showed their imagination and creativity. The Matryoshka came out very cheerful and original.

Those of the festival's guests who ended up attending the greatest number of activities were presented with designer merchandise and corporate gifts. Towards the end of the event, a raffle was held on the main stage of the Family Park with a trip to St. Petersburg as the winning prize. To qualify for the raffle, one had had to become the festival’s follower on the VK social media and make a repost of a publication. According to the results of the drawing, the super prize was won by a large family of the Fedyukovs.

Svetlana Fedyukova, raffle winner:
I had long dreamt of a trip like this. Since this morning, all my thoughts have only been about St. Petersburg. My husband and I visited there two years ago, and I fell in love with the city. When I found out that there would be a raffle, I told my husband and children to make the repost. I had kept my fingers crossed until the last moment and kept believing in a miracle. Don't be afraid to dream and miracles will happen!

The Iconic Place festival in Nizhnekamsk turned out to be a truly warm and family-friendly event that amalgamated edutainment activities with deep immersion into Russian culture. The festival brought several thousand residents of the city with more than a thousand Nizhnekamsk residents being able to take part in the workshops given by master craftsmen. 

Marina Kamelina, Deputy Mayor of Nizhnekamsk:
Thanks to SIBUR and its Formula for Good Deeds, our city was fortunate to get such a wonderful gift. There are a lot of children here today. They got to know more about our traditions through their modern variations. We took part in ring dances, played the game of Vorottsa, watched the artist decorating kokoshniks and the large matryoshka doll. I am certain that all this energy that is in the air at the Family park today will give the people of Nizhnekamsk a long-lasting boost to drive their lives forward. I would like to note that Tatarstan had declared this year as the Year of National Cultures and Traditions. It is symbolic that we hold such events in Nizhnekamsk and promote our cultural heritage through the use of modern techniques.