Post Covid - International Silk and Spice Festival in Bukhara, Uzbekistan 28-30 June 2021

We are so excited!  From May 28th through May 30^th, the International Silk and Spices festival in Bukhara is back!  Canceled in 2020 due to COVID restrictions, the Bukhara Tourism Department is moving forward with the support of the country's "Travel Safe. Guaranteed" program. 

Visitors to this festival experience Uzbekistan's rich art and culture, enjoying traditions going back thousands of years and, of course, sampling Central Asia's best authentic cuisine.

Lucky clients who have already signed up to travel will be part of our Uzbekistan Festival Tour. Our guides will safely escort them around the many art and craft exhibits and stalls featuring talented craftspeople, designers, and artists from all around the region and throughout Central Asia. Silk and spices are the headliners here, with a dizzying array of woven, carved, handcrafted, and culinary delights. Guests will also be part of the local audience for sports competitions showcasing equestrian competitions and traditional Kurash wrestling. 

The grand parade starts at the Ark Citadel – the winter palace of the Bukhara Emirs, then passes through the magnificent Poi Kalon Ensemble – an ancient Silk Road landmark, past the bustling bazaars of Toki Zargaron, Tim Abdullakhan and Toki Telpakfuroshon, and finishing at the Labi Khaus complex - under the shady mulberry trees around the pond. Your table awaits you there, whether for mid day repast or an evening under the stars!

The best chefs from all 12 regions of Uzbekistan participate in open-air cooking contests during the festival. They prepare their version of Uzbek Pilaf or Plov (Plov is a special dish for the Uzbek people). Chefs use rice, lamb or beef, cumin, carrots, onions, raisins and saffron. It's all slow cooked over an open fire allowing the flavors to develop and waft through the air, tempting festival goers. At the Silk and Spice festival, visitors can sample an amazing selection of different plov, somsa, manti and other specialties from Uzbekistan. Food is always fresh and local here, one of the many draws of Uzbek cuisine.

Dance and music are ubiquitous with the Silk and Spices Festival. Children's and professional dance troupes perform, there are folk shows by the popular Bukhorcha group, the air is lively with Shashmakom and Uzbek traditional music and performances by the Symphony Orchestra. Bukhara offers a wonderful backdrop for these events at its ancient sites across this historic city. 

After the festival, travelers continue on to follow their own route through the Silk Road cities of  Uzbekistan; Khiva, Samarkand, Kokand, and Tashkent.

Interested? You can still make the festival with a last-minute booking to Uzbekistan. We are now offering excellent vacation experiences to Uzbekistan Post Covid. It's a wonderful time to travel here. Many hotels have availability for this usually booked-solid time of year. With premier seats for performances and our knowledgeable guides, we avoid the crowds and enjoy the best accessibility. Join Silk Road Tours for the best of Uzbekistan and destinations all along the Silk Road.

Visit this link to learn about our Uzbekistan festival tours and Uzbekistan cultural exploration.