“Why are you doing this, what’s the point?” everyone’d ask us a little puzzled. “Because sharing knowledge is great!” was our answer. We were running Aeon – Armenia’s first anti-café – for two years already, and often invited people coming our way to spend an hour or two sharing their knowledge with our community. Soon, it seemed, this culture of exchange, the spirit of the place grew bigger than the physical space itself. The idea of Hartak popped up naturally.
We organized the first Hartak in October 2015. 3 days - 9 venues - 70 workshops! It was incredible and, of course, incredibly exhausting. The festival had (and still has) four main directions: Technology & Design, Arts & Crafts, Health & Lifestyle, and Food. Making chocolate, boosting startups, traveling penniless, writing stories, doing aikido and yoga, sewing toys, cutting pasta and learning to choose wines…Both indoor and outdoor workshops on a variety of topics turned Yerevan into a huge crowded platform during Hartak days.
The idea to hold Hartak in Gyumri came up when one day we were hanging out at Rob’s Home and just felt it was the right time: Gyumri was calling! This time around we offered a whole city to be experienced. Getting to know Gyumri through its unique people, idiosyncratic event venues, and atmospheric walking tours was eye-opening for many Yerevantsis. Gyumri is now awakening. Youth takes responsibility for the city and makes significant changes. The city has just been branded. There’s a promise of a positive shift in terms of opportunities in the air. Hartak Gyumri 0.2 will take place on June 9 - 10, 2018. For updates check out the festival website www.hartakfest.com and join the official Facebook page facebook.com/HartakFestival.
