National Costume Day Festival

The first National Costume Day Festival takes place on September 19 at the Icherisheher State Historical-Architectural Reserve in Baku. The event is designed to celebrate the beauty and distinctive character of Azerbaijani national costumes, encouraging guests and officials to participate by wearing traditional dress. Activities are scheduled across two main venues: Gosha Gala Square and the Shirvanshahs' Palace Complex.

The daytime program at Gosha Gala Square (11:00 to 18:00) includes ongoing exhibitions of Azerbaijani national costumes, an exhibition of historical costumes from the film "Taghiyev," and various national dance performances. Visitors can also see presentations of costumes reflecting different historical periods, original collections by local designers such as Mehriban Khalilzade and Gunay Hasanli, and participate in a "kelaghayi" making master class called "Arachin in My Hands."

The evening program at the Shirvanshahs' Palace Complex (18:00 to 20:40) commences with a procession and an official opening. It features a folklore ensemble concert, more national dance performances, and presentations of national costume collections by designers Gulzada Abdulova and Gulnara Khalilova. The festival also broadens its scope to include traditional clothing from other cultures with dances of the peoples of the world and a presentation of national costumes from different countries with the participation of foreign embassies. The event concludes with a multimedia performance titled "The Breath of Baku."