On August 24, 2026, marking the 35th anniversary of the restoration of Ukraine's independence, the interactive exhibition "That Day" opened at Kyiv Central Railway Station. The project was created by the team behind the legendary Ukraine WOW exhibition and is located in an exhibition hangar near Track 14. The day before, on August 23, the exhibition was visited by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and First Lady Olena Zelenska. The exhibition runs until October 4, 2026, and offers visitors not merely a chance to view the exhibits, but to physically immerse themselves in key moments of Ukrainian statehood — from the 1991 session of the Verkhovna Rada to reflections on the country's future.
Three Halls: From Choice to Dream
The exhibition is structured as a sequential journey through three thematic blocks. In the "Vybir" (Choice) hall, visitors trace the events of 1991 — from the August vote on independence in parliament to the December all-Ukrainian referendum. The second hall, "Shcho nas vyznachaye" (What Defines Us), invites reflection on the traits that unite Ukrainians today and a century ago. The third hall, "Mriya" (Dream), is devoted to the future: it features essays on Ukraine's fate, worked on by Kyrylo Budanov, Mykhailo Drapatyi, Svitlana Roiz, Pavlo Kazaryn, Volodymyr Yermolenko, Yevhen Hlebovych, Oleksandr Matviychuk, Serhiy Zhadan, and Myroslav Marynovych. All three spaces are visually "stitched together" by a blue-and-yellow ribbon on the walls bearing key dates in history, linking past, present, and future.
Historical Relics and Interactive Installations
A significant part of the exhibition consists of interactive installations that allow visitors to "live through" key scenes: raising the flag over the dome of the Verkhovna Rada, visiting the parliament's session hall and a reconstructed presidential working office, seeing the starry sky of August 24, 1991, and recording their own news broadcast in a TV and radio studio. Among the authentic exhibits are the historical Independence Flag, as well as symbols of state authority dating back to the era of Rus and the Ukrainian People's Republic (UNR). For the first time in the history of independent Ukraine, the official symbols of presidential authority used at the inauguration have been shown to the public: the standard, the collar, the mace, and the heraldic seal. The exhibition is complemented by VR reconstructions, digital holography, and authentic works by outstanding Ukrainian artists — Yablonska, Zaretsky, and Roitburd. A separate point of attraction is a cherry orchard made up of Taras Shevchenko's poems, illuminated with pink light.
The Project's Social Mission
Behind the exhibition stands a team of around 300 people, and the project is conceived not only as a cultural event but also as a tool of support. All revenue from ticket sales is directed to helping Ukrainian museums, which continue to operate under difficult conditions. As Yaroslava Hres, the project's head, noted at the opening, the goal is to live to the day when all planned exhibits can be brought in peacefully, without having to buy storage facilities or put up banners about shelters. The organizers also invite visitors to "dream" about what they will do on the day of victory, and to take home a pebble inscribed with a word they need — courage, love, faith, strength, joy, gratitude.
Practical Information for Visitors
Tickets for the "That Day" exhibition are sold online only via Concert.ua; their quantity is regulated taking the security situation into account. A standard ticket costs 300 hryvnia, a discounted ticket 150 hryvnia, and entry is free for military personnel and State Border Service officers upon presentation of the corresponding identification. The last entry is possible one hour before closing, and during an air raid alert the exhibition closes and visitors proceed to the shelter located near the hangar. The exhibition will run until October 4, 2026.
