Odesa is 610 years old: the city is preparing for the anniversary with a large-scale festival of art and history

According to the latest historical data, on May 19, 2025, Odesa will turn 610 years old. The city was first mentioned in historical sources under the name Kochubei (Kochubii). Later, after the Turkish conquest, it was called Khadzhibey, and only then Odesa. In honor of this date, the city will host a five-day Odesa 610 festival from May 17 to 21, which will combine art, history, activism, and support for the Armed Forces.

This was discussed on the air of Intent. Insight discussed with the project curator Victoria Kravchenko and one of the lecturers and members of the organizing committee, People's Artist of Ukraine Anatoliy Kravchenko.

"The greatest achievement of our time is the active involvement of young people. Young people are a powerful force. I've been a member of the Odesa 600 community since the 90s, and we did something there as artists, joined projects, but it was such a quiet, almost passive work. The real movement started when young artists came. They got interested, raised the topic, and it was really cool. And it turned out that those whom the Russian imperial machine tried to turn into "Russian-speaking patriots of the empire" became the exact opposite. Despite the enormous resources invested in the destruction of our culture and attempts to destroy knowledge about the true history of Odesa, these efforts backfired. As the saying goes: they thought they had buried the dead, but in fact they sowed the seeds. And these seeds have sprouted - a new generation that is developing and maturing. And this is inspiring," said Anatolii Kravchenko.

From May 17 to 21, Odesa 610, a large-scale art festival, will take place in Odesa, combining exhibitions, performances, lectures, master classes, and charity events in support of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

According to the curator of the project, the main exhibition will take place from May 17 to 18 at the exhibition space of the National Union of Artists of Ukraine at 2 Torhova Street. Cultural events will be held there daily: art performances, educational lectures, a historical quest, and master classes. Participants will also be able to visit book exhibitions from local bookstores and museums.

The highlight of the program will be art performances, during which artists will create paintings right in front of the public. In particular, there will be artistic reconstructions of the Khadzhibey pier, Fesenko's printing house, and historic buildings in Odesa. In addition to the main location, some events will take place in other locations.

One of the key events will take place on May 19 - a march in cooperation with the project partner"Making You Nervous". The event will start tentatively from Shevchenko Park, where the participants, together with the Druzhe Muzyko band, will form a festive procession that will head to the main location of the festival at 2 Torgova Street. The event will end with a concert by the band.

The festival will also include public lectures. Among the speakers is historian Oleksandr Muzychko, who is a partner of the festival. A number of educational events on Odesa history, culture and art are planned.

All events of the Odesa 610 festival are aimed at supporting the Ukrainian military. Donations can be made directly during the events or through online platforms.

Every year on September 2, Odesa celebrates the City Day. This date is as controversial as the age of the city itself. Officially, Odesa turned 230 years old in 2024, but there is an opinion that the date of the city's foundation should be measured from the first mention of the Khadzhibey fortress, where the city stands. Then Odesa would be over 600 years old, and the date of its foundation would have to be changed.

Ірина Глухова