Two-day festival at Kaniv Nature Reserve with leading Slavic ethno-electronic performers. Inaugural edition 22-23 August 2026.
Katya Chilly announced on 18 February 2026 the founding of her own festival 'Sonceworot' (literally 'sun rotation' in Old Slavic). The debut edition runs 22-23 August 2026 at Kaniv Nature Reserve (Cherkasy Oblast) — near Taras Mount, where Taras Shevchenko is buried. This symbolic choice — the festival starts on Independence Day and is connected to Shevchenko as national identity. Debut edition lineup: ~22 performers from 8 Slavic countries (Ukraine — main, plus Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Belarus-emigrants in Lithuania, Croatia). Among headliners: Katya Chilly (with Wardruna as special guests — see separate news), Stelle Jarmuly (Ukrainian-Polish ethno-vocalists), Mira Aroyo (Bulgarian), Pat-Boys (Serbian folk-electro-rock). Expected audience — 3000-4500 spectators. Festival concept — 'Sonceworot as a holiday of return to roots through modern technologies'. Besides musical performances, planned: traditional weaving masterclasses (8 weavers from different Ukrainian regions), culinary action (cooking borsch in a kazan by ancient methodology), the night wheel of Kupalo ritual (a particular subtlety of working with the festival on 23 August — the day that ritually symbolises 'farewell to summer'). The festival recording will be available as a 4-CD set 'Sonceworot 2026: Live Archive' (release 22 November 2026).
