The qualifying round of the festival of performers among veterans “Balkysh” (“Shining”) will be held from March to April 2022. The decision was made today at a meeting of the organizing committee of the festival, which was chaired by the Chairman of the State Council of the Republic of Tatarstan Farid Mukhametshin.

“The Balkysh festival is a unique project for older people, a real holiday for our veterans, which they look forward to every year,” said the head of parliament, opening the meeting.

In his speech, Farid Mukhametshin noted that the new festival will be dedicated to the 35th anniversary of the foundation of the Organization of Veterans of Tatarstan. In addition, in 2022, the movement itself will be 10 years old – the first “Balkysh” was held in 2012.

“During this time, the festival has taken a worthy place in the cultural life of the republic and won love and recognition among the Tatarstan people. A whole scattering of talents, real pearls of folk art, colorful costumes, communication – they prepare for the festival in every district, “said Farid Mukhametshin.

If the first festival gathered about 3.5 thousand participants, then about 25 thousand veterans took part in the sixth, 176 numbers received diplomas of laureates.

Last year, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the format of the zonal stages and the gala was changed. Three film crews traveled to all municipal districts, filming 217 ensembles and performers. The republican jury selected the best creative teams. The gala concert of the laureates took place online and lasted about six hours. More than 47 thousand viewers watched the live webcast. In general, over the entire period of Balkysh’s existence, about 100 thousand people have taken part in six festivals.