Ak Maya Fest, a festival dedicated to shubat, a national Kazakh drink made from camel milk, was held in Mangystau on August 16. Those who attended the event reported astonishing performances, with many describing the festival of national traditions as the Kazakh analogue of Burning Man, the largest art event in the desert in the U.S.
According to regional authorities, about 15,000 people came to the festival organized in the Airakty Valley of Castles. Among them were tourists from Russia, France, Kyrgyzstan, the U.K. and many other European countries. The main symbol of the festival was shubat, a national drink of the Kazakhs.
«Guests were able to try different types of shubat in the Ak Maya Lounge and Shubat Bar zones. In addition to the classic drink, options with berries, mint, ice, as well as Shubat Mojito, Desert Breeze and White Steppe cocktails were offered,» local authorities reported.
Social media users compared the festival to Burning Man, a famous art festival in the United States that annually attracts tens of thousands of people to the Nevada desert. However, at the same time, many were worried about the garbage left in nature after such a large event.
In the evening, people were able to watch performances by popular Kazakh artists such as Erke Esmahan, Raim, Luina, Amre and Yenlik, with a drone show as the culmination of the event. According to the regional administration, about 100 volunteers were cleaning the area after the festival.
Despite having plenty of deserts, there are no direct analogues of Burning Man in Central Asia. The largest event of this format is still the Stihiya festival in Uzbekistan.
