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If you want to escape the hustle and bustle of the city celebrations, join a folk celebration in Mamaeva Sloboda Park.

Whether you are Ukrainian or a visitor, you are invited to participate in the annual unfolding of the largest Ukrainian flag on the sprawling grounds of this open-air museum.

At 1 p.m. teams from Ukraine and Russia will face each other in a tournament of Ukrainian national martial arts, which looks like wrestling.
Adventurous kozaks on horses, folk singing, and kobza (traditional music instrument) players will draw you into a recreation of 17th-century Ukraine.

Wednesday, Aug. 24, Mamaeva Sloboda, 2 Myhayla Doncya St., metro Shyulyavska, 361-9848, tickets: Hr. 10-40.

Or head to Kyivska Rus Park, the cultural open-air center just outside Kyiv.

Experience rich Slavic cultural heritage by wandering around the massive territory filled with Kyivan Rus palaces and churches, museums, folk and art centers, a library, and even a horse riding center.

Aug. 24, Park Kyivska Rus, village Kopachiv, Obuhiv region (34 km from Kyiv), 461-99-37, tickets: Hr. 10-40.