UkraineFest, held in the Town Gardens, Swindon, on Saturday 22 August 2026, drew 5,300 people over seven hours, according to organisers' figures reported by Swindon24 on Thursday 27 August. That was up from more than 4,000 the year before. Swindon Welcomes Ukraine, which runs it, believes it may now be the largest Ukrainian Independence Day celebration in the UK.
What was there?
- 32 handmade goods vendors and 12 food and drink businesses
- Five workshop zones, including Petrykivka painting, Motanka doll making, macramé and beeswax candle making, plus three music workshops
- Five exhibitions, one of them by twelve artists
- A main stage with Ukrainian choirs, dance, poetry and bands from Swindon and across the UK
- A children's programme with face painting, a bubble show, a stilt walker and bouncy castles
The festival also showed Home with an Open Heart, a documentary project about Ukrainian and British families whose lives have become connected since Russia's full-scale invasion.
Anastasiia Banatska, Chair of Swindon Welcomes Ukraine, who is originally from Rivne, said UkraineFest "is Ukrainian at its heart, but it belongs to the whole community."
Vice-Chair Kris Talikowski said Ukrainians "aren't simply guests in Swindon anymore, they are part of the town and part of our community."
Swindon and Rivne
The festival came as Swindon moved closer to a formal twinning partnership with the Ukrainian city of Rivne. Since 2022, Swindon Welcomes Ukraine has supported more than 550 Ukrainians settling in the town.
Source: Swindon24.