Ukrainian climbing festival near Zhytomyr draws hundreds with Yosemite-style camp amid air-raid alerts

Hundreds of people camped last week at a festival ground near Denyshi, about two hours’ drive west of Kyiv, putting up tents beside a steep granite cliff and a river as Ukraine’s war continued in the background. The gathering, described as the country’s biggest outdoors event combining climbing and live music, took place in a region and timeframe when participants were also managing the practical realities of wartime alerts.

By day, attendees climbed the rock face and spent time on recreational water activities, including swimming in a nearby reservoir and stand-up paddling. In the evening, organizers staged live bands and DJs, with rock and electronic music drifting through the forest, recreating elements of the outdoor climbing culture associated with California’s Yosemite National Park, according to reporting on the event.

The festival, known as Stoned Climbers, was volunteer-run and began in 2023 when about 15 friends who climbed together said they became fascinated by Yosemite’s climbing community and culture. This year, the event drew larger crowds, with camping and daytime climbing paired with concerts designed to anchor social life around shared outdoor activities rather than indoor venues.

Organizers and participants said the war remained close at hand. The reporting described that visitors received multiple air raid alert notifications on their phones throughout the weekend, and that soldiers on leave were seen blending quietly into the crowd.

Security conditions also shaped what people experienced during the event. According to the accounts, unlike the previous year, there were no reported Russian drones or missiles crossing the sky above the campsite on their way toward Kyiv during the festival period.

Organizers also described an explicit wartime fundraising component. Reporting said organizers directed all profits from this year’s festival to a fundraising initiative supporting Ukraine’s Azov Brigade, tying the leisure event to a defined military support effort.

A set of photographs from the event showed climbers on the rock face and campers on site, underscoring the mix of technical activity and festival-style gathering. Other coverage of the same festival described it as a way to preserve a sense of community through climbing and music even as daily life in Ukraine continues to be affected by the conflict.

For authorities and local residents, events like Stoned Climbers can raise logistical and safety questions that are heightened during wartime. In this case, reporting emphasized that air raid alerts were part of the weekend’s rhythm, but it did not describe any injuries or law-enforcement disruptions; it focused instead on how the festival operated within those constraints and what organizers said they did with the funds raised.