International Festival of Handicrafts will be held in Kokand

In accordance with the Decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan dated November 1, 2018, № 3991, from 10 to 15 September in the city of Kokand, Fergana region, the First International Festival of Craftsmen will be held. The festival will be held for the 1st time and will be continued in every two years. The festival will bring together craftsmen from all over the world, various cultural representatives from all over the country and neighboring countries.

Short review:
The festival will be attended by over 1000 local artisans, who will be located in tents with the image of the festival symbols. All local artisans will be dressed in national clothes, headdresses and footwear.

The participation of foreign guests from among the famous and experienced artisans in different directions from more than 60 countries. Along with them, the work of local artisans from among the venerable and internationally recognized will be exhibited. About 1600 artisans will take part in it.
In the park, imitation towns of artisans with all the necessary decorations and attributes will be divided. For example, the town of weavers, the town of potters, the town of chasers, the town of jewelers, the town of woodcarvers, pupae, etc. In each town, an atmosphere of the historical past of this trend will be created, machines and devices will be installed, workshops will be held.
In each town will be held folk-ethnographic shows, theatrical performances.
In the venues for master classes, participants and guests will be given disposable gloves, wet wipes and, if necessary, aprons and hats.

Targets and goals:
– promoting the development of handicraft;
– assisting handicraft products in the domestic and foreign markets, promoting their products;
– The International Handicraft Festival will serve as a powerful impetus to the development of both domestic and foreign tourism.
– the preparatory work (greening works, the construction of catering points, hotels and hostels, parking lots, etc.) will give impetus to the development and improvement of the infrastructure of the city of Kokand by creating new business facilities, new workplaces, improvement and other creative works.
– the festival will acquire a large-scale audience reach and expand the theme of preserving traditions, build its own concert part, relying on folklore and folk groups acting within national traditions. Exhibit groups from each region and neighboring countries will be traditionally represented at the festival sites.
– Conducting master classes will serve as an exchange of experience among artisans.

Specific objectives are as follows:
– raise awareness, especially among the younger generation, about the importance of the intangible cultural heritage and its protection;
– promotion of souvenirs at the national and international levels;
– provide a platform for interaction, exchange of ideas and experience between local and international experts;
– provide opportunities for generating income to local communities, especially for women and youth, in the field of traditional handicraft;
– to contribute to the development of sustainable tourism in the region;
– pave the way for local talent to compete at a higher level in this particular area of ​​interest;
– to help bring people closer together by providing a platform for international cooperation and assistance.

The festival includes various events within the following components:
The festival will have the character of a folk festival, with show programs of folklore ensembles and groups, holding various folk games and will help to inculcate in young people a sense of self-esteem and national priorities.
During the festival, many different gala processes will be held with a wide coverage of this event in the media: these are presentations of new types of handicraft products, master classes of folk craftsmen and talented young people, cultural events held jointly with the Ministry of Culture, sports and others

Scientific component: The festival will host the International Scientific Practical Conference on topical issues of craftsmanship, which will feature prominent scientists. The conference will last one day, the number of speakers is 5-6 people. The organization and conduct of the seminar is entrusted to the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan.
Cultural component: A number of important events will be held at the festival, such as the fashion show of the fashion show of prominent designers of Uzbekistan and the fashion show / fashion show of famous leading ethno-designers of Uzbekistan and abroad. The culmination of the cultural component is the gala-concert on the opening day and in the final part of the festival.

The concert part will be held in a specially constructed stage at the entrance of the Khudoorkhon residence. The stage design consists of modular ice panels, a huge tent and multicolored chiffon and satin ribbons with light, light guns, etc.
Social component: during the festival, a number of events are organized for the general public, such as a craft fair, including the traditional Kurash wrestling, ropewalkers, puppet shows; a concert of Uzbek traditional itan music, and a pilaf cooking contest.

Media component: during the festival, publications on intangible cultural heritage will be presented in various national and international media.
Conference materials will be published in prestigious foreign publications.
The PR campaign will be led by the festival’s media group, according to the approved media plan.
Language support: a translation group will be created from among the volunteers – students of local universities.
Catering: the widespread sale of soft drinks and snacks will be organized. Also in the days of the festival, points for preparing national dishes – pilaf, etc. will be organized, as well as tandyrs for preparing samsa and patyrs.
Cooked dishes will be decorated with small flags with the festival logo.