Following a 2-year absence due to COVID-19, this year's festival takes place during the worst period of violence the Ukrainian homeland has experienced since WWII. According to the United Nations, almost 13 million people are believed to have fled their homes in Ukraine since Russia began its war
As the heart of the Ukrainian American community in the city with one of the largest Ukrainian immigrant populations in the United States, parishioners of St. George Ukrainian Catholic Church have worked tirelessly to raise funds for their countrymen.Over 30,000 sought-after Ukrainian dumplings have been prepared in advance by church volunteers ... and in addition to these 'varenyky', there will also be plenty of cabbage rolls (holubtsi), beet soup (borshch), sausage (kobasa) and sauerkraut for sale. Veselka Restaurant will also be on hand all weekend long with some of their favorite Ukrainian menu items. A portion of these sales will be used for Humanitarian relief efforts.
Friday 5/20No stage show ... the vendors will be selling as they set upSaturday 5/21Outdoor stage performance @ 2-4 p.m.Open-air Memorial Service for the Victims of Russian Aggression @ 4-4:30 p.m.Ukrainian Liturgy inside St. George Church @ 6-7 p.m.Outdoor stage performance @ 7-8:30 p.m.Sunday 5/22Ukrainian Liturgies inside St. George Church @ 7 a.m., 8 a.m. and 10 a.m.Concert inside St. George Church by Ukrainian Chorus Dumka of New York @ 12-12:45 p.mOutdoor stage performances begin @ 1-3 p.m.
This year's festival on East Seventh Street between Second Avenue and Cooper Square will run from Friday evening, May 20, through late afternoon Sunday, May 22, with stage performances featuring folk dancing and singing beginning at:
Friday 5/20 - 6:30 pm
Saturday 5/21 - 2 pm & 6 pm
Sunday 5/22 - 1:30 pm & 4 pm
Admission: Free
A KidsZone will be active on Saturday and Sunday, with activities for children including Ukrainian art-making stations and face painting.
Tens of thousands of sought-after Ukrainian dumplings have been prepared in advance by church volunteers (see Dumplings for the Lord) and in addition to these "varenyky," there will also be plenty of cabbage rolls (holubtsi), beet soup (borsch), sausage (kobasa) and sauerkraut for sale. NYC mainstays Veselka Restaurant and Korchma Taras Bulba will also be on hand all weekend long with some of their favorite Ukrainian menu items.
Saint George Ukrainian Catholic Church, located at 30 E. Seventh St., was founded in the East Village in 1905. The church has sponsored an annual festival since the very first one in 1976, then officially a co-celebration of the U.S. Bicentennial and 100 years of Ukrainian immigration to America. The historic parish will open the church to the public in between stage shows on Saturday, and four Divine liturgies will be celebrated on Sunday beginning at 8:30 am. Visitors will be able to enjoy the breathtaking church ornamentation, paintings, and incredible mosaics in the Byzantine-Ukrainian style.
