The Grand Finale of the International Festival under the auspices of UNESCO “The Planet of ART” was held in Astana from July 1 to July 3, 2018 and was dedicated to the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the capital of Kazakhstan, Astana, as part of the promotion of the International Decade for the Rapprochement of Cultures and the “Rukhani Zhangyru” State Programme.

10,000 gifted children aged 3 to 17 years from more than 20 countries participated in the competition. About 100 project winners were invited to the finale of the Festival in the capital of Kazakhstan – Astana.

Considering the significance of the 20th anniversary of Astana, the Festival program was amazingly engaging and interesting. An open air was organized for the participants on the embankment of the Ishim River, where creative masterpieces with aspects of the city were born. Children visited a unique “Koshpendeler Alemi” Festival, where they plunged into the culture, customs and traditions of nomadic civilizations. During the program, various lectures, workshops and trainings on the topics of cultural diversity, rapprochement of cultures, tolerance and peace building were also held. In addition, the winners visited the main sights and places of cultural heritage of the Capital.

The outcome of the event was the release and the solemn presentation of a special album of children’s creativity, dedicated to the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Capital of Kazakhstan, entitled “Astana – City for Peace”. It is quite symbolic that the album was opened by the welcoming speech of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Mr. N.А. Nazarbayev and UNESCO General Director Ms. O. Azule. This memorable event also included the works of 635 best young artists from the countries of the Asia-Pacific region.

The grand closing ceremony of the “The Planet of ART” Festival was held on July 3, 2018 in the Amphitheater on the Ishim Embankment. Winners of the Festival of Creative Youth of Kazakhstan “Children in the Rhythm of the World” of 2015 and 2017 performed in the concert. The event was attended by a large number of spectators, delegates of the 24th Session of the Executive Board Members of the Asia-Pacific Federation of UNESCO Clubs and Associations, participants of the International Conference “Astana: the Center of Peace and Reconciliation”, representatives of state bodies, business structures, mass media, participants of the festival from Astana, their parents, residents and guests of the capital.

At the same time, an exhibition of the best works of the finalists of the project “The Planet of ART” was launched at the Central Concert Hall “Kazakhstan”, which was attended by over 1,500 spectators. The exhibition was dedicated to the anniversary of the capital and became a creative gift for the City Day. Having the opportunity to demonstrate their achievements in art, young artists from different countries presented amazing works reflecting the history of the formation of Astana, as well as the culture and traditions of the people from different parts of Asia.