Astana to Host Large-Scale Qymyz Festival with 60,000 Expected Guests

Astana will host the major gastronomic festival BayQymyz on July 19–20, with up to 60,000 visitors and around 50 participants expected. The central focus of the event will be kumys, a traditional fermented mare’s milk drink, reports Orda.kz.

According to the Astana city administration, producers of qymyz and horse breeders from across Kazakhstan will gather at the Qazanat racetrack. A national competition will be held for the title of “Best qymyz,” with a prize pool of 45 million tenge.

The winner will receive 20 million tenge, the second-place prize is 15 million tenge, and third place will receive 10 million tenge.

The festival is intended to become a cultural and agricultural brand of international scale, similar to Oktoberfest. Over two days, visitors will have a unique opportunity to sample every variety of kumys produced in Kazakhstan, explore a horse breed exhibition, and enjoy a rich ethnocultural program,
stated the city administration.

In addition to tastings, the festival will feature qymyz-making workshops, lectures on its health benefits, and a scientific conference with experts from Germany, Russia, and Kyrgyzstan. Guests can also enjoy Kazakh national games, horse races, and a pedigree horse auction.

The festival will run from 10:00 to 22:00 each day. Organizers say qymyz will not only symbolize health and tradition but also become a new driver for agro-tourism and horse breeding in Kazakhstan.

Original Author: Alina Pak