Karaoke on Maidan is back with a new location and a new reality
The legendary “Karaoke on Maidan” is returning to the screen, but with a new location—filming has been moved from Khreshchatyk to Kontraktova Square due to the war and changes in downtown Kyiv. The project’s creator, Ihor Kondratyuk, explained that the old location had become unsuitable due to the memorial to fallen defenders and the events taking place there. The show is being relaunched in a new format, with a different host and adapted to the current realities.
The return of the iconic Ukrainian show “Karaoke on Maidan” did not take place where viewers were accustomed to seeing it, as filming now takes place on Kontraktova Square instead of Khreshchatyk, and this decision, as it turned out, was dictated not only by logistics but also by the painful changes that the war has brought to the very heart of the capital.
The project’s creator and rights holder, Ihor Kondratyuk, explained that the old filming location had effectively lost its suitability as a venue for an entertainment show due to ethical and emotional reasons tied to the memory of fallen Ukrainian soldiers.
According to Kondratyuk, a memorial is now located near the Khreshchatyk site, and farewell ceremonies for fallen defenders are held there regularly, making it inappropriate and morally unacceptable for the project team to host an entertainment show there. “We all agreed that keeping the old location was impossible,” he explained, emphasizing that the decision to change the location was a joint and conscious one, not a forced compromise.
Separately, the showman emphasized that the show’s format itself remains recognizable, but the relaunch is taking place under new conditions, where it is important to consider not only the entertainment component but also the broader context of wartime in which the country finds itself.
Kondratyuk said that he had transferred the license to produce a certain number of episodes to the TET TV channel, while remaining the author and creative producer in order to control the quality and concept of the revamped project. “I granted TET a license to produce a certain number of episodes under my supervision as the author and creative producer,” he noted, adding that this is more of an experimental remake with a new host and a new format.
At the same time, Kondratyuk makes no secret of the fact that the show’s return is taking place during a difficult time, when any public entertainment formats are forced to strike a balance between lightheartedness and the reality the country is facing.
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