The first wave of the JuniorS Games 2026 family festivals brought together 18,770 people across four cities in Ukraine.

Bucha, Lutsk, Poltava and Khmelnytskyi — you’re amazing!

The JuniorS Games family festivals, themed ‘Your Movement — Your Team’, organised in partnership with the national ‘Path to Parenthood’ programme, flew by in the blink of an eye, bringing thousands of smiles and gigabytes of brilliant photos.

Across four cities, we brought together 18,770 participants, comprising 61.6% children and 38.4% active parents. Eight action-packed days left us with fond memories. Mariya Pavlichuk, co-founder of the non-profit organisation ‘JuniorS’, put it very aptly:

‘We have so little time to spend with our children these days. But think back to your own childhood: your fondest memories are the ones where you’re with your parents. Our festival is all about creating just such memories. It had everything we needed to have fun, take part in exciting challenges, get creative together and experience wonderful emotions.’

And there were emotions galore! The sports areas were never empty for a single minute: badminton, cornhole, floorball, dodgeball, rugby fives, frisbee, disc golf and family relays — everyone was playing. 

We also promoted financial literacy through the ‘Savings League’, organised by the festival’s main partners — PrivatBank and Mastercard. The children learnt how to plan their budgets, designed their own Junior Card, and eight lucky winners went home with the festival’s top prize — an Apple Watch!

Parents, meanwhile, were able to take a breather at a lecture organised by the national ‘Path of Parenting’ programme, where topics such as burnout, children’s emotions and ways to support the family were discussed. As Iryna Tulyakova, head of the Coordination Centre for the Development of Family Upbringing and Childcare, explains: 

‘For a child, the family is their first safe haven. But in order to provide that support, adults themselves need resources and support. This is precisely the aim of “The Path of Parenthood”. Family festivals create a space where people can share experiences and receive support from the community.’ 

Creative children made their way to the creative art zone organised by Kite. For those who wanted to relax, there was a chill-out zone with board games. The children were thrilled by the activities featuring Patron the Dog, based on the book "When You…", and by "Sparkles of Superpowers", whilst the little ones loved the "splash-splash" zone.

“These festivals bring families together and improve mental and physical health. I hope everyone takes home some lovely memories and picks up some ideas for fun and meaningful leisure activities!” says Oleksandr Pedan, co-founder of the NGO ‘JuniorS’. 

At the festival, the Poltava Regional Academy of Young Scientists presented an interactive science zone where anyone could take part in fascinating experiments and discoveries. The chemistry show, featuring spectacular reactions and impressive experiments, was a particular highlight, consistently drawing large crowds.

The grand finale in each city was a series of electrifying concerts by artists from Dity.Help Music, held with the support of the general media partner, Nashe Radio. In Khmelnytskyi, festival-goers were also treated to a wild surprise — explosive performances by Artem Kotenko and Anastasia Dymyd. 

And now for the best bit! We know you’ve been waiting for these photos. Save them as a keepsake:

📸 Photos from Bucha

📸 Photos from Lutsk

📸 Photos from Poltava

📸 Photos from Khmelnytskyi 

The JuniorS Games festivals, ‘Your Movement – Your Team’, are organised by the NGO ‘JuniorS’ in collaboration with the National Programme ‘The Path to Parenthood’,  which is implemented by the Coordination Centre for the Development of Family Upbringing and Childcare, the Ministry of Social Policy, Family and Unity of Ukraine, the European Union and UNICEF. With the support of the general partners – PrivatBank and Mastercard. The main media partner is Nashe Radio. In partnership with Lutsk City Council, Bucha City Council, the Khmelnytskyi Regional State Administration, Poltava City Council and the Poltava Regional Academy of Young Scientists.