The interactive exhibition “That Day,” timed to the 35th anniversary of the declaration of Ukraine's Independence, will wrap up its Kyiv stage on September 12 and 13, 2026. As the lifestyle project Wave reports, citing the organizers — the public organization Ukraine WOW — the project is leaving the capital due to the security situation. Original Wave article.
Operating Under Air Raid Alerts
According to the organizers, whenever an air raid alert is issued, the exhibition's operations are suspended: visitors leave the space and head to shelters. Under such circumstances, the exhibition functions for no more than two hours a day. In the team's assessment, it is precisely these restrictions that prevent the project from operating in normal mode amid the ongoing escalation of the security situation in Kyiv.
A Record-Breaking Turnout
On the eve of the closing of the Kyiv stage, the exhibition set its own record: over the weekend, when no air raid alerts were declared in the capital, more than 11,000 people visited “That Day.” The organizers emphasize that this figure surpassed all previous results of the Ukraine WOW team and showed what the project could have been without the forced interruptions.
Three Blocks and Historical Artifacts
The exhibition consists of three thematic blocks — “Choice,” “What Defines Us,” and “Dream” — and combines historical artifacts with dozens of modern interactive installations. Among the exhibits are the flag that was brought into the Verkhovna Rada on August 24, 1991, as well as the symbols of authority of the President of Ukraine. Visitors can raise the Ukrainian flag over the parliament's dome, use VR headsets to find themselves in the plenary chamber and the President's office, and see the starry sky over Kyiv as it appeared on the day Independence was declared.
Interactivity and Future Plans
The interactive section lets you try your hand at being a TV and radio host, record a news broadcast in the studios, sing in a karaoke carriage, take a virtual flight over the Kanev Reservoir and stroll through a cherry orchard, and conclude the journey by leaving your own dream for Ukraine's future in a symbolic cloud of dreams. Co-founders of Ukraine WOW, Yaroslava Hres' and Yulia Soloviy, noted that some of the interactive elements have already been moved to a shelter near the hangar, and the team is considering locations in other Ukrainian cities and various exhibition formats, hoping to reopen the exhibition soon. The project was created with the support of the President of Ukraine in partnership with the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine and Ukrzaliznytsia JSC.
