Vardavar Water Festival, July 12, 2026

💦 Vardavar is one of Armenia's best-known holidays, celebrated in summer 14 weeks after Easter. In 2026, it falls on July 12.

The festival program is below.

🌊 The main tradition is splashing water on one another. Anyone may be soaked—friends, passersby, drivers, and even police officers 😄 On this day, streets across Armenia turn into one enormous water battle.

🏛️ The holiday dates back to pre-Christian times. Vardavar is associated with Astghik, the Armenian goddess of love and water, and later became part of the Christian tradition as a celebration of the Transfiguration of the Lord.

🌹 The name Vardavar is often translated as the Festival of Roses. In the past, houses were decorated with flowers and water was blessed with rose petals.

🕊️ Another tradition is releasing doves. One explanation links it to the biblical story of Noah's dove after the Flood.

🔥 Today, Vardavar is one of Armenia's most beloved summer holidays—a mixture of ancient custom, religion, and enormous citywide fun.

On July 12 this year, Republic Square will become the center of the brightest summer celebration. Visitors can expect concerts, international and Armenian DJs, family entertainment, water activities, and plenty of positive energy.

Starts at 12:00 p.m. on Republic Square
🎧 Music stage
✨ Special guest: legendary Italian DJ Alex Gaudino.
Also performing:
🎵 Arni Rock & Hayk Apricota
🎵 Alber Ensso
🎵 Serjo & Vahagn Martirosyan

🎤 Concert program
🌟 Aram MP3
🌟 Iveta Mukuchyan
🌟 Arsen G
🌟 IM Project

🎉 What else can visitors expect?
💦 Water-entertainment zone and foam party
📍 Central part of Republic Square
🕛 Open all day

🧸 Large children's zone
📍 Fountains in Yerevan's 2,750th Anniversary Park
🕛 Open all day

Festive water run
🕐 Starts at 1:00 p.m. Participants will follow a fun route ending in a traditional soaking—the essential Vardavar finale!

Vardavar was once filled with songs, dances, and games. People exchanged roses, while lovers released doves to symbolize the salvation of Noah and his family. In the cooler mountain regions, traditions differed slightly: greater emphasis was placed on sacrifices and long pilgrimages, and the celebrations were accompanied by ritual practices. Historian Albert de Jong notes that Vardavar's water rite resembles Zoroastrian ceremonies in Yazd dedicated to Tir and Tishtrya.

In the Hellenistic period, Vardavar was associated with roses and flowers. In Armenia, the day is also observed as a celebration of the apple harvest. Armenian communities abroad continue to celebrate it, including in Russia and Glendale, California. Each year, the Federation of Youth Clubs of Armenia organizes an International Vardavar Festival at the ancient sites of Geghard Monastery and Garni Temple. Some believe the customs of splashing water and releasing doves commemorate Noah's memory of the Flood, when he instructed his descendants to sprinkle one another with water and release birds into the sky.