The XVII Red Ruta Music Festival will take place in Lviv in partnership with the Resistance Movement of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The festival organizers have announced that the event will run from September 17 to 21.

This year’s slogan: “Red Ruta Resounds – Resistance Persists!”

“Red Ruta” is a legendary Ukrainian festival that has been a launching pad for many well-known musical groups since 1989 and a symbol of cultural resistance. In 2025, we will continue this tradition by showcasing dozens of new performers who shape contemporary music culture. Amidst the war, “Red Ruta” maintains its mission to support national identity and cultural development. The festival shapes a new generation of cultural ambassadors for the Resistance Movement,” the organizers emphasize.

They also add that the festival has always been not just an artistic but also a societal phenomenon, symbolizing the revival of Ukrainian identity. In Soviet Ukraine, “Red Ruta” sparked a cultural revolution, bringing Ukrainian protest songs from the underground to the mainstream. Today, the festival unites artists, veterans, cultural figures, military personnel, and politicians to support national identity and cultural development during the war.

Over five days, more than 400 young bands and performers will take the main stage (Concert Arena Malevich) across six categories – from ethnic singing and rock to experimental and modern electronic music. Previously, the festival has been the launching stage for “Okean Elzy”, “Tartak”, Ruslana, “Skryabin”, and many other famous artists.

A traveling stage will operate on the main streets of Lviv featuring representatives of the Cultural Landing and other artists supporting the Resistance Movement of the Special Operations Forces.

In addition to concerts, the festival will include panel discussions and lectures with diplomats, military personnel, cultural figures, business representatives, and civil society about patriotic education for youth, cultural diplomacy, and veteran policies.

The Special Operations Forces plan to hold closed meetings with Lviv youth, including a screening of the film “People of the Color of Freedom” from the National Resistance Center, presentations of murals by the winners of the “Resistance Murals” contest, and historical lectures.

The Resistance Movement of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is a civic initiative aimed at liberating territories and restoring state sovereignty, involving both non-violent resistance and active actions.