Ukraine’s greatest music festival returns with a break from the inevitable realities of conflict

Kiev, Ukraine (AP) — This year, Ukraine’s major music event struck a distinct note. There were no more international headliners, large concert halls, or hundreds of thousands of tourists.

Instead, beloved local performers performed at the Atlas Festival, the first since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, for a smaller but still enthusiastic audience. The stage was built in a shopping center parking lot because it was the only location with a shelter large enough to accommodate the 25,000 people predicted in the event of an air raid.

People dance as they await the commencement of the Atlas Festival in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Sunday, July 21, 2024. (AP Photo/ Anton Shtuka)