Over 25,000 guests attend Capital Ukrainian Festival in Ottawa

The third annual Capital Ukrainian Festival in Ottawa has been attended by over 25,000 guests, including 6,000 tourists from the United States and Ukraine, according to The Ukrainian Weekly.

"The third annual Capital Ukrainian Festival brought another fantastic weekend of Ukrainian food, music, dancing and culture to the nation's capital. With an attendance of over 25,000, including 6,000 tourists from cities and towns from all over Canada, the United States and Ukraine, the celebration of all things Ukrainian was in the air on Friday through Sunday, July 21-23," the statement reads.

According to the newspaper, the programming was spectacular and dynamic. The audience was wowed by Kyiv-based DakhaBrakha's unique sound, and visitors were entertained by the over 500 performers that took the stage over the course of the weekend.

To top the night off on Saturday, Zirka, Canada's favorite "zabava" band, hosted the largest and best Ukrainian dance party that Ottawa has ever seen.

In addition, well-known chefs led two incredible cooking demonstrations, showing the crowd how to make traditional Ukrainian food. 

As a result, 45,000 dumplings and 250 liters of home-made borsch were eaten over the weekend.

op