🍜 Food Festival, Tashkent's Venice, and Remembrance Day in Uzbekistan

Day of Remembrance and Honor: 9th May

Observed annually on 9 May, the Day of Remembrance and Honor is a national public holiday in Uzbekistan dedicated to those who lost their lives during World War II.

Hundreds of thousands of Uzbeks died in the conflict, and the day recognises both their sacrifice and the efforts of those who supported the war from home.

82 veterans are still alive today with the oldest being 114.

Across Tashkent, ceremonies will take place in certain parks, with flowers laid at monuments and tributes to surviving veterans. Many locals parade with photos of their lost loved ones.

Victory Park will be one of the largest of such gatherings.

Other May 9th events:

• Gala concert @Russian Drama Theater, 18:00. Free.

• Firework display @Yangi Oʻzbekiston Park, 21:00.

• Full day of activities @Anhor Park (see family section). 11:00-22:00.

• More to be announced but from memory there are gatherings/events at Memorial Square and Bratskiye Mogily memorial complex.

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Mazza Food & Music Festival – 9 to 11 May

Mazza returns for three evenings of street food, music and family-friendly fun.

With over 40 food vendors, a kids’ zone, picnic space, and more than 40 photo zones, there ought to be something for everyone.

DJs and local acts will perform across a 3000 m² stage, and giveaways run throughout the weekend. Expect a big, lively crowd—over 20,000 guests came last year.

To be honest, a lot of the food stalls are generic fast food vendors but there should be some gems in there!

Event Info:
📅 Dates: 9–11 May 2025 (Fri–Sun)
🕓 Time: 16:00–22:00 daily
📍 Location: UzExpocentre Summer Parking, Amir Temur Ave, Tashkent
🎟 Tickets: 40,000 UZS (1 day) / 120,000 UZS (3 days)
👧 Kids under 7: Free entry

Tickets here (Single day tickets all sold out!)

🎷 Tashkent International Jazz Festival continues..

Tashkent’s jazz festival continues. If you haven’t been yet, make the most of the wonderful weather at this FREE open air event! Daily from 7:30pm behind Palace of International Forums (off Amir Temur square).

Here’s the remaining schedule:

• May 7 – Pawel Gunnar (Yamaha Artist) & National Symphony Orchestra of Uzbekistan (Conductor: Alibek Kabdurakhmanov)

• May 8 – Shalash

• May 9 – Jazzirama

• May 10 – Chris Botti (USA)

• May 11 – Rumah Angklung feat. Arunika Anglung (Indonesia)

• May 12

  • 19:30 – JAH Trio (Poland)

  • 20:30 – Alpha-ray ban (Switzerland)

• May 13 – Spice 'n' Space

🛶 Tashkent’s Answer to Venice

This week we’re off work and exploring the city for hidden gems.

Anhor Cruise is a short boat ride along the lush, tree-lined Anhor Canal, in a particularly scenic spot just behind UzExpoCentre, north of Minor Mosque.

The tour offers a unique and secluded view of Tashkent, passing sights like Tashkent Tower, an abandoned ship-shaped restaurant, winding canal banks, and occasional glimpses of local wildlife, as fish pop out of the water and birds skim the surface.

Boats are small and tours are private, with a driver included in the price. Each motorised boat comfortably fits two adults and a couple of children.

The trip only lasts 10-15 minutes but is certainly worth a visit. The weather is perfect for this at the moment, especially in the evening.

How to get there: Getting there is the hardest part. The entrance is next to a new shashlik restaurant called Kebabika. 📍Google Maps.

• In front of Minor Mosque is Minor Somsa restaurant. Immediately across the main street is a side street. Take the first left down this side street, passing Minor Osh on the way.

• From the Japanese Garden, pass the UzExpoCentre gates, walk behind the centre, turn left along the canal and follow the path for a couple of minutes until you reach the restaurants.

💵 Cost: 60,000 UZS per adult / 30,000 UZS for kids over 3.

Anhor Cruise Instagram

Not a fan of canals? We’re heading to Tashkent’s very own ‘beach’ this evening—full report coming in next week’s edition.

In the News this Week…

• Privatisation of Public Recreation Land to be Banned
Several legal acts have confirmed the protection of ‘state-owned land intended to serve the cultural, domestic, and recreational needs of the population‘. Hopefully this will include Anhor park where development had been planned.

• Paid Roadside Parking Introduced to Tashkent
One of the parking lots is by Amir Temur square which will charge 12,000 Som per hour although the payment system itself is not yet configured. As you might imagine, there’s been quite mixed reactions from netizens...

• Navoi Resident Caught with Explosives to Blast Gold Mine…
Presumably wanting to cash in on the metal’s current boom, the man made three explosive devices after watching online tutorials. He had planned to use them in an abandoned gold mine.

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