Inaugural 'Varchafest' Music Festival to be Held at Armenia's Lake Sevan on August 22

On August 22, the scenic shores of Lake Sevan will host the inaugural "Varchafest" festival and competition. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced the upcoming event on his Facebook page on August 18. The festival will be held at the same venue slated to host the "Seaside Startup Summit Armenia 2026" international forum.

Musical Competition and Live Concerts

"Varchafest" will feature performances by pre-selected musical groups. The winning act will be chosen through a combination of jury evaluation and audience voting, culminating in an award ceremony where cash prizes will be presented.

Ahead of the main competition, the acclaimed Armenian rock band "Lav Eli" will perform a major concert to celebrate their 30th anniversary. Additionally, the local musical group "Kami Friends" is set to perform as a special guest act outside the competition program.

"And where there is a concert, there will definitely be food, socializing, dancing, and a good time," noted Nikol Pashinyan.

Accompanying Events and Free Transportation

Alongside the main musical program, attendees can enjoy a variety of parallel activities:

• local fairs where residents of the Gegharkunik province (the region encompassing Lake Sevan) will showcase their regional products and services,
• sports competitions,
• cultural performances.

The festival will officially kick off at 12:00. To facilitate travel, a special train will depart from the railway station for the event venue at 9:30 AM, with a return trip to the capital city of Yerevan scheduled for 8:30 PM. Both admission to the festival and train transportation are completely free of charge. The Government of Armenia previously allocated 179 million dram to bring this project to life.