Roots and Voices: Community Heritage Festival

The Roots and Voices Festival is a vibrant celebration of cultural continuity — a gathering that brings stories, songs, and crafts back to life in the heart of the city.
Over three days, the historic streets and green squares of Lviv transform into a living museum, where the boundaries between past and present dissolve.

Through folk performances, artisan markets, traditional food fairs, and storytelling workshops, Roots and Voices honors the communities who keep heritage alive every day — not as something to be remembered, but as something to be lived.

This year’s theme, “Homecoming: The Art of Belonging,” celebrates the connection between identity, place, and memory. It’s a reminder that heritage is not a relic — it’s a heartbeat shared across generations.

Day 1 — Opening Ceremony: “Echoes of the Earth”

• Procession of regional folk ensembles through Rynok Square
• Welcome speech by Lviv’s Mayor and Ancestra Trust representatives
• Opening performance by The Carpathian Voices Choir
• Evening: Open-air film screening — “Songs of the Old Road”

Day 2 — Workshops, Music & Market Day

• Artisan Village: live weaving, woodcarving, pottery, and embroidery
• Folk Dance Circles with instructors from local cultural schools
• Storytelling Tent: oral histories and folktales from village elders
• Traditional Cuisine Market: heritage recipes prepared by community cooks
• Twilight Concert: “Threads of Memory” — featuring folk musicians from Ukraine, Poland, and Romania

Day 3 —Youth & Family Day

• Children’s heritage workshops and creative games
• Interactive puppet theatre based on local legends
• Panel discussion: “Passing Down the Flame — Heritage in the Modern Family”
• Closing Ceremony with communal singing and lighting of the “Lanterns of Memory” in City Park