Hundreds of artists to celebrate New Year’s Eve in Tbilisi Gala Concert
The First Republic Square is the location for the Gala as well as the Christmas Village. Photo: Nino Alavidze/agenda.ge.
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Over 200 popular local artists will celebrate New Year’s Eve with crowds in a gala concert on Tbilisi’s First Republic Square on Monday.
On a stage set in the Christmas Village on the Square, the four-hour show will launch at 11pm and go well into the night to mark the onset of 2019.
Six presenters will also be on stage to introduce the long roster of artists that includes the National Symphony Orchestra led by conductor Nikoloz Rachveli, the Shvidkatsa ensemble, pop singers and bands.
See a promo video released by Tbilisi City Hall and featuring some of the artists selected for the New Year’s Eve Gala Concert:
Organised by city authorities, the concert is going to be the climax of around 50 performances, shows and activities held in the capital over the festive season.
Its location, the Christmas Village on the Square, was opened a week ago and has been hosting activities including theatre performances and Christmas fair over the last week.
Visitors take photographs with Santa in the Village. Photo: Nino Alavidze/agenda.ge.
It is the location for the House of the Snow Grandpa — the Georgian national version of Santa Claus — and a photo zone where children are invited to take photographs with him.
Characters from folk tales, an open cinema theatre and ice rink are all open at the location which was temporarily closed for traffic earlier this month.
Santa’s local counterpart the Snow Grandpa has made home in the Christmas Village to receive visitors as well. Photo: Nino Alavidze/agenda.ge.
See Tbilisi’s main Christmas tree and lighting decorations of the city in our gallery
Staged performances at the spot — built around the main Christmas tree of the city — are going to involve a range of popular musical artists and bands, from Loudspeakers to Young Georgian Lolitaz, Nino Katamadze, Giorgi Tsagareli and SvanSikh between now and January 14.
A young participant in the festivities enjoying time on Christmas Village ice rink. Photo: Nino Alavidze/agenda.ge.
Shows, exhibitions and games for young visitors will also be hosted in other spots throughout the city during the next week and beyond.
The hilltop Mtatsminda Park, Fabrika hub and Tbilisi museums are among venues that have organised special programmes to mark Christmas and the New Year’s Eve with their visitors.
To simplify access to First Republic Square and other festive locations, city authorities have said public transportation will work free of charge for residents and visitors of the city from 11pm of December 31 to early morning of January 1.
Public transport will be free on New Year’s Eve in Tbilisi so that people attending outdoor celebrations can later get home more easily, announces Tbilisi City Hall.
From theatrical shows to artist concerts, open-air fairs and exhibition of countryside products, Georgia’s capital is celebrating the festive season for locals and visitors with a lot to see and experience.
A new promotional video for one of Georgia's most iconic countryside locations shows Mestia, a town of Svaneti highland province covered in snow and hosting holiday-goers as the winter season officially opened last week.
The festive season has again sparked creative talent among Christmas tree decorators across Georgia, from fire department personnel throughout the country creating trees from their equipment to an upcoming showcase of quirky designs at the Christmas Tree Festival in capital Tbilisi.
With the 2018 festive season, agenda.ge marks its fifth New Year's Eve of publishing. To mark the occasion, we have selected our top five articles and reports from our archives between 2013-2018 - have a look at Christmas and New Year stories we have been writing below.
Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze wished Georgian citizens good health, success and lots of reasons for happiness in 2019. Bakhtadze expressed hope that this year will be more fruitful for Georgia and its citizens.
President of Georgia Salome Zurabishvili has sent her first New Year wishes as the president of the country from the new presidential palace – Orbeliani Palace.
Visitors finding themselves at the Strasbourg Christmas Market between November 22 and December 30 will have the possibility to visit a Georgian cottage, and buy Georgian products including Georgian wines of various brands, traditional sweets, Georgian crafts and handmade souvenirs.
A two-week programme of concerts, theatre shows, film screenings and workshops for young visitors is running at two locations in the Georgian capital to bring festive spirit to locals and visitors.
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili, who has attended January 14 celebrations of Old-New Year in Guria region of western Georgia, has offered the way of celebration of Old-New Year on the day, which is called Kalandoba in Guria, and the Georgian Christmas tree Chichilaki, which also comes from the region, to be included on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List.
A Christmas village will not be arranged in central Tbilisi for the upcoming holidays this year, with the funds going instead to help poor families for the New Year’s and Christmas holidays, Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze stated earlier today.