CALENDAR OF ARMENIAN FESTIVALS & EVENTS 2019
Make your trip to Armenia unforgettable through visiting Armenian festivals as well as Armenian sightseeing. Trust us your tour and get unforgettable memories.
Barekendan Festival – March 2-3
Location: Pambak:Byurakan
Tsakhadzard Festival – April 13-14
Location: Pambak:Byurakan
Zatik Festival – April 20-21
Location: Pambak:Byurakan
Yerevan Whine Days – May 3-4
Location: Saryan Street
Yerevan Wine Days is an annual street event gathering the true oenophiles on Saryan Street – a bustling hub of Yerevan’s young and innovative wine scene.The two-day event features Armenian wine tasting with complimentary appetizers and cheese selections from local vintners and restaurants.Visitors feast on wine and food while enjoying Armenian jazz and local DJs.Yerevan Wine Days attracts thousands of visitors from around the world, including international food bloggers and avid enogastronomic tourists.
Tolma Festival – May 19
Location: Hnaberd,Ararat
Every year food lovers from Armenia and beyond gather in Hnaberd village to celebrate and eat as many tolma as possible.Tolma is a stuffed vegetable dish that is common in Armenia and the surrounding regions. This annual event is all about cooking and eating, as Armenian tolma-makers gather to prepare tolma using forgotten and rare recipes. Cooks take part in a competition for the most unique recipe. During the Festival, visitors have the chance to taste more than 60 types of dolma filled with lamb, lenten, mushroom, basturma, and countless other ingredients.Wear stretchy pants and be prepared to indulge in this most delicious piece of the Armenian cuisine.
Folk for Peace Festival – June 21-23
Location: Pambak, Yerevan, Byurakan
Haibuis Festival – June 29
Location: Yenokavan, Tavush
Ask any Armenian—herbs are essential to any meal.The HayBuis Festival, translated as “Armenian Herb,” celebrates these special ingredients and the traditional knowledge used to forage and prepare them.The Festival is held in one of the most picturesque places of Armenia – the Apaga resort located in Yenokavan, Tavush region, an area known for its beautiful forests and mountains.Visitors learn about Armenian herbs and different methods of using them, including their healing properties. There is also a herbal tea party, educational games to learn about forest biodiversity, master cooking classes and other activities for children. And, if you are curious about what a 20-meter long lavash brduch (wrap) looks and tastes like, you can see and try it only at The HayBuis Festival.
Argentinian Tango Festival – June
Location: Yenokavan, Tavush
Mulberry Festival – July 6
Location: Karahunj, Syunik|
Along the Silk Road where vodka and silk production was highly developed, the Syunik Goods Festival gathers together crafts and food from the province in Karahunj village.The focal point of the festival is the famous mulberry vodka from Karahunj. The festival begins with mulberry gathering and includes the full process of vodka-making and tasting. Participants can then taste traditional dishes accompanied with Armenian song and dance while also browsing a market of locally-made and grown products.On tables full local goods, each community in the province introduces its own products and traditional dishes including Sibekh (type of spinach), Ghavurma (traditional Armenian dish), and buttermilk.
Ecotourism Festival -July 13-14
Location: Artavan, Vayots Dzor
The Ecotourism Festival gathers eco-travelers from around the world in Artavan village to raise public awareness about ecotourism in a fun and adventurous way.Avid travelers and locals can expect an exhilarating combination of adventure and education—participating in morning yoga, trying local foods, taking in photo and art exhibitions about the RA Red Book plants and animals, participating in (or watching) a cycling competition, taking classes in mountain climbing, and, for the most adventurous, camping under the stars.
Huso Aragast Bard Festival – July
Location: Sevan, Dilijan
Raspherry Festival – July 27
Location: Ashotavan, Syunik
The annual Raspberry Festival is held in the Ashotavan community of Sisian, Syunik province, where—locals claim—the most delicious and sweetest raspberries grow.During the Festival, which occurs in the midst of raspberry season, raspberry farmers gather in Ashotavan to present their raspberries, traditional Armenian gata, and other delicious dishes.If you’re attending the Raspberry Festival, expect your day to be full of surprises, competitions, and awards. Buy raspberries and other products directly from the villagers to bring a part of the Festival back to your home.
Yell Extreme Festival – July 27-28
Location: Yenokavan, Tavush
Yell Extreme Park is one of the most picturesque locations in Armenia, nestled in forested hillsides of Yenokavan, Tavush region. Visitors can experience activities like horseback riding, paragliding, mountain climbing, mountain biking, and the famous zip line at Yell Extreme Park all year long, but the most exciting time to visit the Park is for its birthday celebration Festival. Between experiencing the Park’s activities, visitors can enjoy music performances, cocktail and snack bars, and a night camping with friends under the stars.
Sevan Music Festival – August 10-11
Location: Sevan, Geharkunik
The Sevan Music Festival unites young people from Armenia and around the world through music. The Festival features performances but also invites visitors to participate and perform.
The Festival, which takes place on the beachy shores of crystal-blue Lake Sevan, signifies the true beginning of summer, where visitors can enjoy the swimming or taking boat tours.
Whether you’re a musician or just looking for a unique way to kick off your summer, grab your guitar and head to the Sevan Music Festival for a perfect escape.
Honey and Berry Festival – August 10-11
Location: Berd, Tavush
The Honey and Berry Festival is a two-day festival in Berd, dedicated to promoting agriculture, beekeeping, arts and crafts, and tourism.
The Festival opens with a jazz concert. Visitors can taste and buy local honey and berries in all their forms and types, admire and purchase handmade crafts. With trampolines and games, this Festival is fun for the whole family.
This sweet festival – literally and figuratively – is an excellent opportunity to enjoy Armenian nature, culture and agriculture all at the same time.
Khorovats Festival – August 18
Location: Akhtala, Lori
You can smell The Pan-Armenian Khorovats (Barbecue) Festival long before you arrive. With flavorful meat and vegetables slow-roasting over hot coals, you’ll never think of barbecue the same way again. The Festival is located in Akhtala of the Lori region – which boasts the title of “the Khorovats capital city.” Cooks representing different restaurants, bars, and various organizations participate in the festival, serving up khorovats and competing against each other.Visitors can taste pork, beef, mutton, fish and vegetable barbecues followed by the award ceremony for best flavor, best look, and best concept. It is said that one of the best ways to get to know a culture is through its people and national cuisine. The Pan-Armenian Khorovats festival offers both.
Arts and Crafts Festival – September 7
Location: Dilijan, Tavush
The Arts and Crafts Festival, held in Dilijan, promotes regionally-specific arts and crafts, including decorative arts like pottery, blacksmithing, woodworking, and national cuisine. Visitors can also catch a glimpse of carpet-weaving techniques and view different types of Armenian carpets – some from museum collections brought out for open air display.Throughout the Festival, groups perform songs, dances and national musical instruments of different communities from across Armenia. This Festival is the perfect place for travelers to enjoy a mixture of traditional and contemporary Armenian culture.
Crossroad of Peace Festival
Location: Byurakan, Yerevan, Pambak
Gata Festival – September 21
Location: Khachik, Vayots Dzor
Located at 1800-1900 meters above sea level, Khachik is perched atop the Vayots Dzor highlands. Every fall the village gathers for a festival to celebrate gata – the delicious Armenian dessert that makes magic out of flour, butter, and sugar. During the festival, visitors have the chance to experience gata – both by baking and eating it, while enjoying folk music and dances, participating in games and shopping in a marketplace of local arts and crafts.The highlight of the Gata Festival? Tasting the largest gata in the world, prepared by the village bakers. The biggest gata, which gets bigger and bigger each year, is something you shouldn’t miss out on.
Tea and Coffee Festival – September 27-28
Location: Swan Lake, Yerevan
The Tea and Coffee Festival in Yerevan brings together tea and coffee lovers at Swan Lake – one of the most beautiful public spaces in Yerevan. Visitors stroll around the lake on a crisp autumn day, sampling both well-known and new brands of tea and coffee. The wide selections of herbs, berries and fruit teas offer an opportunity to enjoy the flavorful produce of Armenia’s highlands long after the summer has gone. Visitors can sample and purchase tea and coffee while learning about their production.
Mets Poor Festival – September 28
Location: Gavar, Gegharkunik
Mets Pur Festival is a celebration of one of the most hospitable regions of Armenia – Gavar in Gegharkunik region. As the motto of the event states, “People of Gavar are Hosting” everyone with open arms, good food, and a lively ambiance. The Festival presents visitors with the traditional bonfire-made potato of Gavar along with delicious kufta, cheese, gata, pakhlava, and other national dishes. Every autumn the people of Gavar organize this beautiful event to celebrate the potato harvest and contribute to the economic development of the region. And, just like all festivals in Armenia, this occasion cannot end without national music and dances to spice up the day for all visitors.
1000 Years Village Life Festival – September 29
Location: Pshatavan, Armavir
The 1000 Years of Village Life Festival is all about rural traditions where visitors can become familiar with, enjoy and participate in a rural lifestyle, spend a day with a family in a village house and participate in activities like beekeeping and honey extraction, rope weaving, wool processing and carpet weaving.Visitors also have plenty of opportunities to enjoy local cuisine, including delicious barbecued corn and local potatoes. All of these activities are accompanied by music and dances performed by young villagers, making the participants fully dive into the atmosphere of the local rural lifestyle.
Areni Wine Festival – October 5
Location: Areni, Vayots Dzor
In 2011, archaeologists discovered the world’s oldest winery dating back 6,000 years in Areni Cave. Armenian winemakers today are reinvigorating the world’s oldest wine sector, using indigenous varieties and world-class methods to create award-winning labels. Each October Armenian winemakers and tens of thousands of visitors gather in Areni village to celebrate the harvest and heritage during the annual Areni Wine Festival.Join the festivities, located at the base of a stunning cliff facing scenic Areni village. The festival includes a parade of winemakers, competitions, folk music and dances, local vendors selling crafts and foods, and—most importantly—a lot of wine tasting.
Targmanchats Festival – October 11-12
Location: Pambak, Byurakan
Navasard Harvest Festival – November 1-2
Location: Pambak, Byurakan
Kagand Folk Festival
Location: Pambak: Byurakan