The Victoria strawberry festival will take place in Baikalsk from July 17 to 19 and will bring together hundreds of local strawberry growers and thousands of city guests. Organizers hope to make Baikalsk a center of international tourism, and Baikal strawberries will be the main highlight of the festival thanks to their taste and size. The festival will also help residents sell their harvest profitably, and sponsors and partners are being sought since no budget funds are allocated.
The Strawberry Festival “Victoria” will take place in Baikalsk from July 17 to 19.As the chair of the festival organizing committee, Tatyana Glukman, said, it is expected that 350 to 400 Baikalsk residents who grow strawberries on their garden plots will take part in the strawberry fair. Over the course of three days, Baikalsk is expected to be visited by around six to eight thousand day-trippers and up to one and a half thousand overnight guests.
- The main goal of the “Victoria” event tourism festival is to make Baikalsk a center of international tourism, - said Tatyana Glukman. – Strawberries were not chosen as the focus of the festival by chance. The Baikalsk berry differs noticeably from other varieties both in taste and size, and it has long become a curiosity for tourists. In addition, the strawberry festival is effective support for city residents in selling their harvest. Last year, five liters of Baikalsk strawberries cost from 250 to 400 rubles. The price depended on weather conditions, the variety, demand, and other factors.
According to Tatyana Glukman, festival organization expenses are not planned in the Baikalsk budget. Therefore, the festival organizers are looking for sponsors and partners to hold it.
For five years, Baikalsk hosted large-scale music, theater, and folk art festivals. From 2002 to 2007, there was a break due to insufficient funding. In 2009, it was decided to revive the festival movement in order to make the city more attractive for tourism.