Tbilisi Open Air festival to return after 2-year pandemic break
Popular Ukrainian rock band Okean Elzy is billed to perform at the Tbilisi festival in June. Photo: Victoria Kvitka
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The popular Tbilisi Open Air music festival will return this summer for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic hit Georgia, with organisers set to host Ukrainian rock band Okean Elzy and support the country with donations in the wake of the war.
Set to run at the Lisi Wonderland area in the capital city's recreational hilltop spot, the festival will also feature Cigarettes After Sex, Bedford Falls, Alt-J and Rhye in the roster of performers in the first edition in three years in the capital city.
A particular mention in the announcement went to the Ukrainian band, which has seen its member Svyatoslav Vakarchuk involved in humanitarian support for those affected by the war in the country. Tbilisi Open Air team said Bez boyu, a 2005 song of the band, had "become a true anthem of the Ukrainian resolve and bravery" in the face of the Russian invasion that started on February 25.
Organisers said the event would run across four stages in the Lisi area, with the main stage hosting both local and foreign headlining artists and bands, the electronic music and visual arts stage involving performers working in the genres, and the remaining two stages lent to psytrance musicians and vocal performers.
The festival will also seek to support Ukraine in the wake of the Russian invasion of the country that started last month, with a portion of "early bird" ticket sale funds donated to a fund for helping those affected by the war. Those planning to go to the event will also be able to make additional donations to the country when purchasing tickets.
In their announcement of the festival's 2022 edition, the event team offered solidarity to Ukraine by condemning the Russian attack on the country and saying the values of "freedom, diversity, human rights, equality" were "under a major threat" by the military action.
Tbilisi Open Air editions had to be postponed and eventually cancelled both in 2020 and 2021 as organisers struggled to ensure safety amid the Covid-19 pandemic. The event hosted around 45,000 music enthusiasts with a line-up of locally and internationally sought-after artists in the years before the pandemic.
This year's festival is set to run between June 24-26.