The international festival "Uzum sayli – 2026" was held in Zarkent (Video)

The international festival "Uzum sayli – 2026" was held in Zarkent (Video)

For two days, Zarkent transformed into a veritable grape capital, welcoming guests from over 30 countries, farmers from all regions of Uzbekistan, winemakers, experts, diplomats, and artists. The international festival "Uzum sayli – 2026" combined gastronomy, culture, and tourism.

The traditional international festival "Uzum sayli – 2026" was held on August 21-22 in Zarkent, Parkent District. It was organized by the Tourism Committee jointly with the Tashkent Regional Khokimiyat.

At the festival, farmers and producers from various regions of the country presented grapes, wines, natural beverages, juices, and other products. Guests enjoyed fairs, exhibitions of national costumes and handicrafts, tastings, and a cultural program. Representatives from over 30 countries participated in the event, including Italy, Indonesia, Turkey, Serbia, Russia, South Korea, Singapore, Belarus, Georgia, and Azerbaijan.

For Wulan, a guest from Indonesia, the festival was one of the highlights of her trip to Uzbekistan. She attended "Uzum sayli" for the first time and particularly praised the sultanas for their small size, seedlessness, and sweet taste.

"It was very interesting for me to see such small berries for the first time," she shared.

The festival was also attended by Sergei Gorodetsky, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Belarus to Uzbekistan, who attended the event for the second year in a row.

According to him, "Uzum sayli" provides an opportunity to meet people in an informal setting and see the fruits of their labor. The diplomat also praised the taste of Uzbek grapes and admitted that Uzbek wine was a true discovery for him.

"Excellent. It was a revelation for me: Uzbekistan—and Uzbekistan has wine," he said. The festival's musical program featured folk and pop groups, including Tashkent's Ohangrabo xalq folklor jamoasi. A representative of the group noted that Zarkent is famous for its vineyards and diverse fruit crops, and festivals like these help preserve and promote national traditions.

The Parkent district was chosen as the festival's venue for a reason. Today, more than 530 farms here grow over 13 grape varieties on an area of over 15,000 hectares. Parkent grapes are exported to more than 30 countries.

The festival also served as a platform for promoting the tourism potential of the Tashkent region and developing gastronomic, ethno-, and ecotourism.