Calgary Ukrainian Festival ‘very important’ for new arrivals fleeing the war zone

Performers and organizers are preparing for the 2023 edition of the annual Calgary Ukrainian Festival on the first weekend in June.

Hundreds of members of Calgary’s Ukrainian community are looking forward to a new round of support for people who’ve arrived in the city after fleeing the war in Ukraine.

Performers and organizers are preparing for the 2023 edition of the annual Calgary Ukrainian Festival on the first weekend in June.

“The theme this year is bringing the Ukrainian community together,” festival organizer Jordan Biss said.

That’s especially important for people like Natalia Hinda, who arrived in Calgary in January 2023, leaving behind the war in Ukraine.

“I heard the noise of the bombs,” Hinda said. “It’s very stressful.”

The people involved in putting on the festival are doing everything they can to support recent arrivals from Ukraine.

“To provide a sense of community and unity, and a little sense of home for those folks in such a terrible time,” Biss said. “It’s really an open door, to try and involve new Ukrainians as much as possible — to get children dancing, engaged in sports or activities outside the home, opportunities for the parents, networking opportunities and new friends.”

The Calgary Ukrainian Festival happens on Saturday and Sunday at the Acadia Recreation Centre in the city’s southeast.