The head of cultural affairs Liubarov urging the people of Mykolaiv to visit their local libraries: «They’re no longer just book repositories»

The Head of Culture in Mykolaiv has urged residents to attend events at libraries. Illustrative photo: NikVesti

Yurii Liubarov, Head of the Mykolaiv Culture Department, has urged residents to visit libraries and cultural centres more often, noting that today they have become modern socio-cultural spaces.

He made this statement during a live broadcast on Facebook on Friday, 15 May, according to NikVesti.

«In your neighbourhood, in every neighbourhood of the city, there is a library, a cultural centre, and a palace of culture. These are truly hubs unlike what you might think if you haven’t been there for a long time. Our libraries are no longer just book repositories; they are socio-cultural centres hosting concerts and a host of wonderful events,» said Yurii Liubarov.

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He added that as early as the start of summer, the Kropyvnytskyi library will host the traditional «Fishka» festival — a board games festival for enthusiasts of various genres and themes. And the Shura Kober Library, he said, has long since become a space for children’s clubs, masterclasses and other creative activities.

It is worth recalling that Mykolaiv’s mayor, Oleksandr Sienkevych, stated that the city needs to develop its cultural life more actively, organise more events for young people and support performances by local creative groups.

Earlier, Yurii Liubarov, head of the Mykolaiv Department of Culture, stated that over three thousand events had been held in Mykolaiv in 2026.

It should be noted that in frontline Mykolaiv, the City Council’s Department of Culture has refrained from holding large-scale public events since the start of the full-scale invasion. The head of the department, Yurii Liubarov, has repeatedly explained that organising city-wide events and erecting large-scale decorations is currently impossible due to the security situation and budget constraints.

In particular, a year ago, when residents were invited to join in the City Day celebrations, which took the form of small local events, he emphasised that for security reasons the exact times and venues would not be announced, and therefore advised people to find out about the events through other sources.

Also, during the New Year 2026 celebrations, Mykolaiv was once again left without a main Christmas tree or festive events in the city centre. The editorial team of NikVesti contacted Yurii Liubarov, but he said that he considered it inappropriate to hold large public events in the city centre.

Despite this, various mass cultural events organised by community leaders and other organisations are regularly held in Mykolaiv. For example, one such event took place in July 2024 in Peremohy Park — the «Music and Flowers» festival, dedicated to the holiday of Ivan Kupala.

And in September 2025, Peremohy Park hosted the three-day Street Music Fest Mykolaiv, organised by city councillor Fedir Panchenko and musician Volodymyr Alekseiev. Hundreds of local residents attended the event.