Colors of Ekaterinburg - traditions, festivals, mentality and lifestyle

For many, numerous factories are the first thing they think of when hearing about Yekaterinburg. Indeed, the city is famous for its production sector. When describing the nature of local people, it is important to mention that residents of the capital of Ural are calm and somewhat reserved people. They are usually not very emotional but do not hesitate to ask them for help. They will help even complete strangers despite the fact that they might look gloomy at a glance. Indigenous people are not very talkative, so it might look like they have nothing to say. However, that is not true. Having known residents of Yekaterinburg better and having found similar interests with them, travelers will be surprised to see how locals change drastically. They can easily become as “talkative” as Italians. There are several prohibited themes in the region. For example, it is better not to talk about politics and religion.

Local people have one more important characteristic. It is vitally necessary for them to be a part of some important and, above all, common goal. In that case, they feel relevant and, therefore, happy. This is a striking difference of local people compared to many other people in Russia. Common goal is the main treasure of local people, and they are ready to fight for it until the end, forgetting even about family that is one more very important aspect in the life of any resident of Yekaterinburg. Besides that, all local people are famous for their endurance and love for justice. When describing the national cuisine, it is important to mention major dishes. All kinds of first-course dishes are very popular in the region. These are Solyanka, Shchi, Ukha, widely famous Pelmeni (with various stuffings), and pickled Lactarius resimus mushrooms. Consider trying these dishes when visiting the capital of Ural.

That said, locals know how to have fun despite their calm temper. In the middle of August, Yekaterinburg hosts one of the most famous festivals in the Ural region, namely, the electronic music festival Mekhanika. This is one of the largest events dedicated to this music genre in Russia. Every year, numerous fans of industrial, techno rave, trance, drum and bass, and other similar music styles gather in one place, namely, in Zarenchy town, not far from Riviera nightclub and close to Beloyarskoye Vodokhranilishche. It is an open-air event, so fans of camping will genuinely like this event even if they are not into electronic music. Besides a rich music program, visitors will see an amazing laser and pyrotechnic show. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

Jazz is quite popular in Yekaterinburg as well, and EverJazz open-air festival is one more proof of that fact. The event usually takes place at the end of June. The jazz festival usually has the same location, namely, Baza Otdykha Ivolga. In addition to listening to interesting jazz performances, visitors have an opportunity to participate in seminars, dancing and music master classes. Among participants of the event, there are musicians from Western Europe and bluesmen from Russia. The festival has a family-like friendly atmosphere, and that is one more reason for the popularity of this event.

Yekaterinburg is also famous as Russia’s rock capital. This is the home city of many famous rock musicians. There are also two large rock festivals that are held in Yekaterinburg. First of all, it is important to mention Old New RockFestival that traditionally takes place in the Boris Yeltsin Presidential Center Museum in the middle of January. Among headliners of this event, there are both young musicians (carefully selected by legendary Russian rock stars) and already famous rock performers and bands. The second festival is called Mayak. Yekaterinburgskiy Tsentral'nyy Park Kul'tury I Otdykha Im. V.v. Mayakovskogo is the location of this festival, which usually starts at the beginning of July. This festival attracts famous and popular rockers of Russian show business.

In order to get acquainted with the multidimensional culture of the Ural region, consider visiting the event called Malachite Box. The Ural is the motherland of one of the most famous fairy tale authors in Russia, Pavel Bazhov. During the festival, there is a fair trade where visitors can purchase items made by best masters. An interesting music program makes it even more exciting to visit the event. The main aim of the festival is to draw attention to the region as a tourist destination with rich potential. The location is always the same – Skazov Park not far from Yekaterinburg, in the town of Aramil.

One more interesting event awaits visitors at the end of June as the city hosts Kolyada-Plays, a popular theatre-related event, at this time of the year. This is the time when visitors have a unique opportunity to watch the latest plays. The festival has a contest, so at the end of the event best theatrical performances are awarded. Besides that, attendees are welcome to participate in meet-and-greets, watch interesting films, and visit presentations of new books.

The city hosts two large events dedicated to cuisine. The first event has a simple name – Gastronom. It takes place at the beginning of August in one of the city’s parks. As a rule, numerous restaurants of Yekaterinburg join the event. It is an amazing place to try popular local food cooked by best chefs, attend master classes, and listen to interesting seminars. A special music program only makes this festival even more exciting. Early June marks the start of summer barbecue and a festival dedicated to this food. Music, fireworks, sports competitions, a fair trade, food sampling sessions, master-classes, and meetings await all visitors to this wonderful event.

The city hosts one more interesting event in the middle of August, on Yekaterinburg Day. The festival is one more way to celebrate the birthday of the city and its foundation on November 18, 1723. When the holiday’s flag is officially raised, the festival is considered open. The cultural program includes musical concerts, theatrical performances, sports competitions, a diverse gastronomic program, a fair trade with hand-made items, dancing performances, beauty contest, and various entertaining activities for residents and guests of the city. All main streets of the city become the location of festive events. The pleasant holiday culminates in the evening with gorgeous fireworks. The city pond is the traditional location of the fireworks, so it is better to take comfortable seats and enjoy the spectacular view.