Grushinsky Festival
Mastryk Lake, Samara
grushin.samara.ru
Think of Russia and fat mafia goons, gloomy people and lashings of vodka often come to mind. The Grushinsky Festival, all but unknown in the West, is a glimpse into the lighter side of Russia, as well as a return to the time when festivals were all about the music. Located on a tributary of the mighty Volga river, near the city of Samara about 700 miles south-east of Moscow, the festival usually takes place on the last weekend of June every year on a clearing surrounded by forest. Initially a small gathering of dedicated musicians, Russians now flock thousands of miles to get there and the festival now tops 150,000 people.
The music is mainly acoustic with famous and unknown musicians playing on stages dotted around the site throughout the 3-day festival culminating in the main evening concert, which ends around dawn. It has a uniquely Russian feel with girls clad in bikinis, the air filled with the smell of ‘shashlik’ kebab and campfires, and almost everyone has a guitar in their hands.
Essentially, ‘Grusha’ is the Russian Glastonbury without cash machines, sushi and designer hippy clothes. It’s basic to basics, with very little electricity, doesn’t cost a rouble and is really about the music, as well as a rare chance to see the Russians let their hair down on an immense scale!
The 2008 festival runs from 3rd till 6th of July.
The music is mainly acoustic with famous and unknown musicians playing on stages dotted around the site throughout the 3-day festival culminating in the main evening concert, which ends around dawn. It has a uniquely Russian feel with girls clad in bikinis, the air filled with the smell of ‘shashlik’ kebab and campfires, and almost everyone has a guitar in their hands.
Essentially, ‘Grusha’ is the Russian Glastonbury without cash machines, sushi and designer hippy clothes. It’s basic to basics, with very little electricity, doesn’t cost a rouble and is really about the music, as well as a rare chance to see the Russians let their hair down on an immense scale!
The 2008 festival runs from 3rd till 6th of July.
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