The 2nd International Winter Festival of Santa Claus and His Friends (Kyrgyzstan)

Place: Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

Date: 09 February 2009

The 2nd International Winter Festival of Santa Claus and His Friends has been successfully held on February 5-8, 2009. The Festival took place at the Issyk-Kul Lake shore and capital of Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek. 16 countries gathered in Kyrgyzstan to participate in the Festival. There was characters from Russia, Canada, Finland, USA, Norway, Great Britain, Denmark, Japan, South Korea, China, Turkey, Iran, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. Uzbekistan was represented at the Festival by the Kor Bobo (in translation from Uzbek language - Grandfather of Snow).

The organization of the Festival was made by the State Agency for Tourism under the Government of the KR . The Festival opening ceremony took place in Bishkek on February 6 at the T. Satylganov Kyrgyz National Philharmonic. At other Festival days all characters visited children at Boarding Schools and Children’s Houses, where they congratulate children giving them presents.

Within the bounds of the Festival fascinating tours were made of the picturesque places and cultural-historical attractions of the country: the Ala-Archa Reserve Park, the Rukh-Ordo Cultural Centre at the Issyk-Kul Lake shore, the Karakol Ski Centre.

The leading world mass media such as BBC-News (the Great Britain), Neputyovye Zametki (D. Krylov, the Russian Federation), TPT (the Tirkish Republic), Discovery Channel (The Great Britain), the Times of India (India) the Ural Oblast Television, GTRK (Kuznetsk Basin), as well as accredited member-countries and Kyrgyzstan media had been invited to cover the Festival events.