Ukraine’s largest music festival returns with a break from the inescapable reality of war

Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s largest music festival struck a different chord this year. Gone were the international headliners, the massive performance halls and the hundreds of thousands of visitors. Instead, beloved local artists graced the first Atlas Festival since Russia’s full-scale invasion for a smaller but still ebullient crowd. The stage was in a shopping mall parking lot. It was the only option with a shelter large enough to contain the 25,000 expected attendees in the event of an air raid. Carefree youth danced, romanced and sang along to lyrics imbued with national pride. It was a reminder that the war is inescapable.