Chisinau’s central square may house Festival of Ethnic Groups

The Festival of Ethnic Groups may take place in the Great National Assembly Square from next year. The Chisinau administration says the Public Garden “Stephan the Great”, which has housed the festival for several years, is not the most indicated place for holding events of such a kind, Info-Prim Neo reports. “Most of the events are held in the central park, but it is not the best place as there is lawn there and it is not very comfortable when it rains. The Delegation of the European Union to Moldova staged Europe Day in the Great National Assembly Square and put up those tents that represent every European country. We may do the same in the case of the Festival of Ethnic Groups,” said Mayor of Chisinau Dorin Chirtoaca. Nina Stratulat, head of the Chisinau City Hall’s Interethnic Relations Division, said that if the weather does not permit holding the event in the open air, it may be organized inside the National Opera House. She stated that during the last few years they considered the possibility of holding the festival in other places, including the central square and the area near the City Hall. The eleventh Festival of Ethnic Groups will take place on September 18. It is traditionally held on the third Sunday of September. During many years, the Public Garden has been transformed into an improvised town of the ethnic communities living in Moldova, where they present their traditions.