Riverside Park, September 13
Frames from the festival day. The full archive lives in the gallery, and every guest who sends their own photos receives a named participant certificate.
The Rushnyk of Unity — Rushnyk of Victory carried along a Carleton Place street© Misha Lytvynyuk
The day, from the morning procession to the last song
- 11:00
The Rushnyk walks into town
Adults, teens and children lifted the 160.5-metre embroidered cloth at the Roy Brown Statue and carried it through town into Riverside Park. It was the rushnyk's first showing outside Europe.
The Rushnyk section → - Morning
The Unity Ride & Drive arrives from Ottawa
Cars and motorcycles with Ukrainian and Canadian flags drove from Ottawa to Carleton Place together and rolled up to the festival for the opening.
About the convoy → - 12:00–18:00
The main stage
Singers, dancers and musicians filled the afternoon. Each act has its own page in the UAFest Family.
Meet the performers → - All day
The kitchen, the tavern and the market
Varenyky, borscht, cabbage rolls and kvass from the festival kitchen, a korchma-style corner to sit down, and a market row of Ukrainian crafts, embroidery and goods from local vendors.
The UAFest Market → - All day
Workshops and the kids' zone
Guests stitched their first cross-stitch and painted in the Petrykivka style at the master-class tables, while children played, painted faces and made crafts in their own zone.
The people who made the day
UAFest is run entirely by volunteers. Every table, every tent and every pot of borscht was carried by someone who gave their Sunday to it.
- VolunteersEarly set-up, parking, the kitchen, the kids' zone, photo and video, translation, and the evening clean-up.
- Performers and teachersEveryone who rehearsed all summer and brought their art to the stage and the workshop tables.
- VendorsThe market row that made the park feel like a Ukrainian town square.
- Embroiderers and carriersThe stitching circle in Lanark County and everyone who carried the rushnyk into the park.
- DriversEvery car and motorcycle in the Unity Ride, and everyone who planned the route from Ottawa.
- Carleton PlaceThe town, the neighbours around Riverside Park and the local businesses who welcomed a crowd for a day.
Sponsors and partners of 2026
- Lanark County
- Shevchenko Foundation
- Bean Chevrolet Buick GMC
- Laurier Optical
- Ottawa Hears Audiology
- Exclusive Automotive Detailing
- Rachelle Face Painting
- Giant Tiger
- Ontario Clean Water Agency (OCWA)
- Ottawa Hungarian Community Centre
- Vodkow
- Lakomka Deli
- Starsky Fine Foods
- Fusion Greens
- Staples Canada
- Evolution Corporate Gear
- Rotary District 7040
- Rotary District 2232
- Rotary Club Kharkiv Friends
- Rotary Club of West Ottawa
- Rotary Club of Arnprior
- Rotary Club of Chesterville
- Rotary Intercountry Committee Canada–Ukraine
- Town of Carleton Place
- Carleton Place Tourism
- Ukrainians.ca
- Kids of Ukraine
- CP Rentals & Property Management
- Premier Socks
- Storm Internet
- Carleton Place Nursery
In the news
- The Lanarkist · 15 September 2026Carleton Place marks first North American stop of 160-metre Ukrainian Rushnyk of Unity ↗
- Linda Seccaspina · 15 September 2026Stitched Together by Friendship and Friendship Becomes a Flag ↗
- CBC News · 14 September 2026Ukrainian 'Rushnyk of Unity' banner makes first stop outside Europe ↗
- theHumm · September 2026Ukrainian Fest Lanark County ↗
- CTV News Ottawa · 11 September 2026Ukrainian Festival returns bigger than ever ↗
- Inside Ottawa Valley · 11 September 2026Dragon boat racing, Ukrainian Festival and the Community Tattoo: Carleton Place and area bursting with fall festivals and events ↗
- Hometown News · 9 September 2026Carleton Place first North American stop for Ukraine's 160-metre Rushnyk of Unity ↗
- Hometown News · 9 September 2026Hometown Happenings: Between the fair, the festivals and the food, you're going to need comfortable shoes ↗
- Ottawa Road Trips · 8 September 202679+ fun events in and around Ottawa, September 7 to 13 ↗
- Hometown News · 3 September 2026Hometown Happenings: There are fairs to visit, pies to eat and absolutely no reason to stay home ↗
- The Millstone · 31 August 2026Carleton Place is the first in North America to host this 160-metre record ↗
- CKCU 93.1 FM · 31 August 2026Pride parade, naloxone training, Ukrainian Festival in Carleton Place ↗
- Linda Seccaspina · 27 August 2026Let's Sign Gary Strike's Flag for his friend Gene Nowiski ↗
- Hometown News · 6 August 2026European record-setting embroidered cloth to make North American debut in Carleton Place ↗
Your voice goes into the report
We are counting everything carefully: guests, volunteer hours, and the money raised for Kids of Ukraine. The report to the community and to our partners is built from those numbers and from your answers. Two anonymous minutes help make it accurate.
Take the 2-minute surveyVolunteered, performed or had a booth? Tell us how it went →Part of the festival's proceeds supports Kids of Ukraine, which helps children and teenagers affected by the war.
About Kids of Ukraine →UAFest 2027 is happening
The date and the venue are being settled. Join the list and you will hear them before the public announcement.
The Rushnyk →