You're reading: Onuka to perform in Ottawa on Ukraine’s Independence Day

Ukrainian electro-folk band Onuka will play a free show in Ottawa during the festival called A Day in Ukraine to mark Ukraine’s Independence Day on Aug. 24.

A Day in Ukraine is a part of a year-long series of festivals Ottawa Welcomes the World that is showcasing cultures of various nations. The event is held by the Embassy of Ukraine in Canada in partnership with the Ukrainian Youth Association.

The festival will feature ethnic and contemporary music, dancing, a sand art show, Ukrainian craft classes, tastings of traditional cuisine and an exhibition of Ukrainian traditional clothing.

Also, there will be stands devoted to technologies where visitors can test Ukrainian virtual reality devices, and a portable escape room.

A Day in Ukraine event will be held in Horticulture Building in Lansdowne Park in Ottawa from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Aug. 24.

A Day in Ukraine will end with the evening performance of Onuka.

Onuka was started in 2013, and has become very popular in Ukraine since then. The band includes lead singer Nata Zhyzhchenko, keyboardist Daryna Sert, percussionist Mariya Sorokina and bandurist Yevhen Yovenko.

Onuka’s latest single “Vidlik” made it to the charts around Europe after Onuka performed during the interval acts of the final show of the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 in Kyiv on May 13.

The video of the performance has racked up hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube and won acclaims from the music critics such as Thomas Smith of the popular British music website NME.

The band’s performance in Ottawa will start at 7 p.m. The entrance is free but registration is required.

Onuka (electro-folk). Horticulture Building (1525 Princess Patricia Way, Ottawa, Canada). 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. Free