The most popular holidays in Ukraine remain Easter and Christmas, which are celebrated by 67% and 66% of Ukrainians, followed by Ukraine’s Independence Day (54%) and Defenders of Ukraine Day (53%), according to the results of a study entitled “Ukrainians’ attitudes towards public holidays, particularly March 8,” conducted on January 9-14 by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS).
New Year’s Day is traditionally popular among Ukrainians, but previously its popularity was the same as that of Christmas (about 80%), and now it is 40%. Next are Ukraine’s Constitution Day (28%), Trinity Sunday (27%), and International Women’s Day (24%). Victory Day (11%) and Labor Day (May 1) (5%) complete the list.
It is noted that the popularity of International Women’s Day (March 8) had previously been steadily declining, from 49% in 2017 to 21% in 2024 . However, in 2026, a slight increase to 24% was recorded, which may indicate a certain stabilization of attitudes towards the holiday after a period of sharp decline.
In western Ukraine, the popularity of March 8 is the lowest (18%), in the center it is approximately the same (22%), while in the south and east it is 33%. Gender and age do not have a significant impact on attitudes towards this holiday, but it is slightly more popular among men (26% versus 20% among women), whereas in previous years it was twice as popular among women.
The popularity of Easter, Christmas, and New Year’s has been declining since 2013, when it was around 80%, but during the full-scale invasion by the Russian Federation, it has stabilized or is declining slowly. The popularity of March 8, Trinity Sunday, Victory Day, and Labor Day has also stabilized after declining. The popularity of Independence Day has grown throughout the war from 12% to 64% at the start of the full-scale invasion, but then declined slightly.
The popularity of Defenders’ Day, on the contrary, increased during the full-scale invasion and also stabilized. The same applies to Constitution Day, but in 2025 its support fell sharply to 18%, although this year it rose again to its previous level (28%).
In general, Ukrainians treat holidays with love and respect, with only 2% of respondents not considering any official holidays to be important or favorite, according to KIIS.
The press release notes that the decline in the popularity of religious holidays does not mean a loss of significance, but rather reflects conflicts surrounding the country’s religious life, along with a decline in trust in the Church as an institution, as well as a general erosion of the festive intensity in the context of prolonged war.
“We see a sharp increase in the role of public holidays, the emergence of a new central holiday – Defenders’ Day, a significant decline in Soviet holidays, and the preservation of religious holidays as a cultural core. Over these 13 years, there has been not just a change in the ratings of individual holidays, but a profound transformation of the symbolic structure of Ukrainian identity,” the Institute said in a comment.
The survey was conducted using telephone interviews (CATI) based on a random sample of mobile phone numbers in all government-controlled regions among 601 respondents aged 18 and older. Formally, under normal circumstances, the statistical error of such a sample (with a probability of 0.95 and taking into account the design effect of 1.3) did not exceed 5.3% for indicators close to 50% and 2.4% for indicators close to 5%. Under wartime conditions, a certain systematic deviation is added to the specified formal error, but the results obtained still remain highly representative.
JSC Ukrzaliznytsia (Kyiv) during the current winter holidays transported more than 3.3 million passengers in long-distance and high-speed trains, which is 6.5% more than last year (3.1 million).
According to the company’s press service, Ukrzaliznytsia put on 49 additional passenger trains for this period, which carried out 403 trips. These trains transported 474,000 passengers.
In addition, 2.2 million people were transported by year-round trains, 336,000 by high-speed trains, and 263,000 by regional trains.
The grandiose «Winter Fairy Tale» show-program, dedicated to the New Year and Christmas holidays is taking place in the «Kyivan Rus Park». Till January, 19 bright shows with special effects and horse-trick performances, ancient Slavic Winter amusements, tasty dishes prepared on fire, horse riding, master-classes, round dances, games and prize draws will be waiting for the guests.
On December, 28 and 29 the festive New Year performance with the demonstration of the «Kogel mogel» interactive musical performance, horse-trick performances, horse riding, master-classes, round dances, games and prize draws will take place in the Principality.
On December, 30 the guests will get a chance to visit the Principality, enjoy its architecture, make bright photos in the medieval city.
If you want to celebrate New Year 2020 in a princely, bright, original way and remember this holiday forever, then go to Ancient Kyiv. Here you can gather a big company or make new friends and have a lot of fun.
On the night from December, 31 2019 from 20:00 to January, 1 2020 a grandiose New Year’s performance with a masquerade, a twin show, horse-trick performances, live vocals, an interactive musical with fire special effects will take place in the Principality. Ancient Kyiv will be shine with bright lights and garlands, bonfires and torches. Tasty dishes prepared on fire, hot drinks and medieval tinctures, free horse riding (from 19:00 till 21:00), gifts and treats for everyone will be waiting for the guests, and at the end – fireworks.
The beginning of the program on December, 31 at 20:00. The end around 3:00.
It will be possible to warm up in the Main New Year`s Residence, near the bonfires, with hot dishes prepared on fire and mulled wine, fiery dances, in the warm Princely tavern by previous booking.
On January, 1 Ancient Kyiv invites to start the New Year in a nice and bright way, and spend an unforgettable day on fresh frosty air, surrounded by the masterpieces of wooden architecture of Kyivan Rus.
On January, 2 – 5 Princess Winter calls the guests once again to the « Winter fairy tale » show-program with horse-trick shows and the musical performance in which both adults and children will get a chance to participate. And also: winter amusements, horse riding, master-classes, games, competitions and round dances.
On January, 6 and 7 the inhabitants of Ancient Kyiv invite everybody to the Christmas celebration according to ancient Slavic traditions, with ancient rites and winter amusements, horse-trick performances, costumed characters, the interactive musical performance presentation. The real Christmas nativity scene will come to life in front of the viewers. The action will pass in ancient Slavic. After this the guests will be invited to a master-class on Christmas carols learning and singing.
Details: https://parkkyivrus.com
The Interfax subscribers can save money with the “openbusiness-20” promo code for a 20%-discount for the adult ticket (at full price) to the Principality of Kyivan Rus:
– by previous order by tel.: +38 044 461-99-37, +38 050 385-20-35
– or at the cash desk at the entrance to the «Kyivan Rus Park».
Ukrainians will have two blocks of days off four consecutive days each on New Year’s and Christmas holidays. According to the decree of the government on the shift of the working days in 2019, there will be four days off in a row for the New Year in Ukraine: from Sunday, December 29, to Wednesday, January 1, in the new 2020. Working days from Monday, December 30, were postponed to Saturday, December 21, and from Tuesday, December 31 to Saturday, December 28.
According to the decree of the government on the shift of the working days in 2020, four days off in a row are expected again: from Saturday, January 4, to Tuesday, January 7; since the working day from Monday, January 6, is postponed to Saturday, January 11.
The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) sets special hours of operation of banks and bank establishments on these days.
On April, 27, 28 and 29 in Ancient Kyiv in the Principality of Kyivan Rus («Kyivan Rus Park ») there will be a grandiose celebration of Easter with the dishes consecration and a show-program. And every day, beginning from April, 30 till May, 5 and on May, 9 – 12 the continuation of the bright rest with traditional Slavic amusements, performances and thrilling medieval entertainments, as well as tasty dishes in the Tavern and a picnic on fresh air will be waiting for the guests.
The entry ticket price:
• for pensioners and students – 150 UAH.,
• for schoolchildren – 60 UAH.,
• for preschool children – for free,
• a full adult ticket:
• April, 27, 28, 29 – 250 UAH
• April, 30 – 170 UAH
• May, 1 мая – 200 UAH
• May,2, 3, 4, 5 – 170 UAH
• May,9 – 200 UAH
• May,10 – 200 UAH
• May,11, 12 – 170 UAH
Ancient Kyiv opens at 10:00. The program starts at 13:30.
Ancient Kyiv in the «Kyivan Rus Park» is located in Kyiv region, Obukhiv district, the vill. Kopachiv.
Route taxis leave from Kyiv from the «Vydybitchi» metro station.
Details on the website www.parkkyivrus.com
The Interfax subscribers can save money with the “openbusiness-20” promo code for a 20%-discount for a full price adult ticket to the Principality of Kyivan Rus:
– by previous order by tel.: +38 044 461-99-37, +38 050 385-20-35
– or at the cash desk at the entrance to the «Kyivan Rus Park».
The average term for booking rooms in hotels of the southern region of Ukraine after the summer 2018 season fell to four days from seven a year ago, Ribas Hotels Group Executive Director Andriy Marenchuk has told Interfax-Ukraine. “If we evaluate the overall [summer] season, we can say that it was not easy… The booking period in the southern region was significantly reduced, the early booking period also. The average booking duration for this season is four days, and last year it was seven day. This is one of the main factors for assessing the tourist market,” he said. According to Marenchuk, a decrease in this indicator indicates a low level of the marketing product of most resort hotels in the country.
He said that Karolino-Buhaz, Hrybivka, Ochakiv, Zatoka and Koblevo became resorts of the “last minute,” that is, they are chosen as the last resort if tourists could not go to a foreign resort. “This is the worst marketing product of the existing ones. It is bought last, because other factors did not play: for example, there was not enough time to go to Egypt or Turkey for 10 days, so we went to Zatoka for three days. Why there were queues at the Moldovan border on Thursdays and Fridays? People from Moldova went for a weekend. These are not tourists from Belarus or Ukrainian guests who came for five to seven days,” the expert said.
He also said that in the struggle for a guest who prefers to come to Ukraine for a long time, domestic resorts lose to foreign ones, primarily because of the lack of a developed hotel infrastructure. “If in Turkey a hotel is built on average with 300 rooms, then in our region such a facility is considered very large. And if a hotel has a small number of rooms, then it is unprofitable to build a pool, install water slides and other entertainment infrastructure,” the expert said.
At the same time, Marenchuk reported on increased competition with Carpathian hotels. “We have a rival with rapidly developing tourism like the Carpathians. The mountains are considered not only from the perspective of the winter resort Bukovel. Many Carpathian hotels have begun to use the summer season. Today only the sea saves us [the Ribas Hotels Group],” Marenchuk said.
In turn, the founder of the company Ribas Hotels Group, Artur Lupashko, said that the operator’s hotels showed a consistently high load this year. “Loading of our summer hotels this year has fluctuated at the level of 68%. Traditionally, the most active months [July and August] showed 76%. June sank a little at 58%. For owners or investors of the southern region, this means profitability of resort hotels of six to eight years and the return of 12-16%,” he said.
Ribas Hotels Group (Odesa) LLC was established in 2017. According to the unified public register, Lupashko is the head of the group and holder of a 100% stake in the company’s charter capital.
