The fourth annual Ukrainian Cultural Festival, hosted by Razom Connect, will take place across various venues in New York City over several weeks in October and November. The festival, one of the largest cultural celebrations of Ukrainian artistry, will encompass cinema, music, literature, and theater, aiming to foster appreciation and dialogue regarding the rich tapestry of Ukrainian artistic expression.

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For the first time, the festival will have its opening and closing events at Carnegie Hall, underscoring its growing prominence. The festival opens on October 18 with the US Premiere of Oleh Bezborodko’s “Steel, Violet, Rage,” which is inspired by the poetry of fallen Ukrainian soldier Maksym Kryvtsov. The performance features the Ukrainian-American Shelest Piano Duo alongside the Brandywine Valley Symphony Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Michael Hall.

Closing ceremonies will also be held at Carnegie Hall, uniting young voices from Kyiv and New York in songs of hope in both Ukrainian and English.

The festival schedule includes a dedicated week for cinema, with a variety of film screenings and discussions. Notable screenings include the documentary "Sanatorium" (2025) by Gar O’Rourke on October 22, which focuses on a refuge for Ukrainians during the ongoing conflict with Russia. Following a screening of documentary shorts from Ukraine’s Docudays festival on October 23, several other films such as "Nice Ladies" (2024) by Mariia Ponomarova and "Scream of My Blood: A Gogol Bordello Story" (2023) will also be featured.

Additionally, the festival will host specialized sessions like the "Preserving Memory, Imagining the Future: Ukrainian Stories in XR" on October 25, which explores immersive technologies, and a masterclass on Ukrainian animation.

Local literary events include a session featuring Ukrainian poets Yaryna Chornohuz and Lesyk Panasiuk at Poets House on October 28, as well as a conversation on Lesia Ukrainka at the New York Public Library on October 30. The festival will conclude on November 1 with a celebration of poetry led by Eugene Hütz of Gogol Bordello.

Razom for Ukraine, the organization behind the festival, is significant in providing support and resources to Ukraine, focusing on humanitarian aid and cultural initiatives. Its efforts encompass five main programs aimed at improving the lives of those affected by the conflict, while promoting Ukrainian culture abroad.