Bakurianoba in Georgia: dates, meaning and how to experience it

By Mariam Lomidze, GTour desk · Fact-checked against the sources listed · Last checked 25 October 2026 · Editorial policy

What it is

Bakurianoba is the annual winter festival of Bakuriani, the ski resort of the Samtskhe-Javakheti region in southern Georgia. The name follows a familiar Georgian pattern: the place name “Bakuriani” takes the suffix -oba, which turns a name into the title of its own feast day or celebration — the same construction heard in Tbilisoba, the autumn festival of Tbilisi, or in saints’ days such as Giorgoba. Bakurianoba therefore means, quite literally, “Bakuriani’s day” or “the festival of Bakuriani.”

The event is not a religious or state holiday but a resort and municipal celebration, organised jointly by the local municipality and the national tourism authorities at the height of the ski season. It draws skiers, snowboarders, families from across Georgia, and increasingly foreign visitors who combine a weekend on the slopes with a look at the cuisine and music of Meskheti, the historical region surrounding Bakuriani and nearby Akhaltsikhe and Borjomi.

Historical background

• 9th–10th centuries — The highland valleys around Bakuriani formed part of historical Meskheti, long governed within the Georgian principality of Samtskhe.
• 1829 — Under the Treaty of Adrianople, the Akhaltsikhe region, including the Borjomi-Bakuriani area, passed from Ottoman to Russian imperial control.
• 1890s — Members of the Russian imperial family, who already held the nearby Borjomi estate, began developing Bakuriani as a mountain-air health resort on account of its elevation and dry winter climate.
• 1902 — A narrow-gauge railway connecting Borjomi and Bakuriani opened, improving access to the new resort; the line still carries passengers today.
• 1930s — Soviet sports authorities built ski jumps and training grounds at Bakuriani, making it the principal winter-sports centre of the Georgian SSR.
• 1960s–1980s — Bakuriani functioned as an altitude-training base for Soviet alpine skiers and biathletes preparing for international competition.
• 2010s — New cable-car infrastructure, including the Didveli gondola, was installed as part of a government-backed modernisation of the resort, described on the national tourism portal georgia.travel.
• Present — The municipality now organises Bakurianoba each year at the peak of the ski season, pairing sporting events with Meskhetian cultural and culinary programming.

Bakuriani’s modern identity was shaped less by ancient feast-day tradition than by two waves of deliberate development: an imperial Russian health-resort project in the 1890s and a Soviet sports-infrastructure project from the 1930s onward. Both left physical traces still visible today — the narrow-gauge railway from Borjomi, nicknamed the “Kukushka” or cuckoo train for its whistle, and the ski jumps and biathlon stadium built for Soviet national teams. The surrounding Borjomi-Kharagauli area, one of the largest protected forest landscapes in the region, is managed today by the national Agency of Protected Areas, whose work is described at apa.gov.ge.

Bakurianoba as a named festival is a recent addition to this long resort history, reflecting a broader pattern across Georgia in which municipalities and the tourism administration have, over the past two decades, created or formalised seasonal public festivals — Tbilisoba in Tbilisi, the New Wine Festival in the vineyards, and Bakurianoba in the mountains — to give visitors a fixed date on which to see a place’s character on full display.

Meaning and traditions

Bakurianoba centres on a public programme held outdoors around the resort’s main square, the base of the Didveli gondola, and the ski stadium. Typical elements include amateur ski and snowboard races open to residents and visitors, torchlight descents after dark, folk-dance and brass-band performances, children’s competitions on the lower slopes, and stalls selling local food and crafts. Polyphonic singing and the energetic men’s dance known as Kartuli are common features of the stage programme, as at most large Georgian public festivals.

Food is a central part of the day and draws specifically on Meskhetian cuisine, distinct from the better-known dishes of Kakheti or Imereti. Visitors can expect Meskhuri khachapuri (Meskhetian-style cheese bread, often flatter and more compact than the Imeretian or Adjaran versions), kada (a sweet layered pastry), mountain cheeses, honey, and mulled or spiced wine served against the cold. A Georgian supra, the long table presided over by a tamada or toastmaster, is a feature of private gatherings around the festival even when the public event itself is informal and open-air.

Because the date and exact programme are set locally each year, the balance between sport and culture varies: in some years the race calendar dominates, in others the music and food stalls take more space. Visitors should treat the published programme as provisional until confirmed close to the date.

When it happens

Bakurianoba falls in early March, timed to coincide with the height of the ski season rather than with a fixed religious or civil date. Exact dates are set and announced by the Bakuriani municipality and tourism organisers each year, usually only a few weeks in advance. For 2027 the event is expected on 6–7 March 2027, to be confirmed. It is not a national public holiday: government offices, schools and most businesses in Georgia operate normally, and the closures that do occur are local — a temporary road closure around the festival square, and possibly a pause in some lift queues during race heats.

Where to experience it

The festival is concentrated in Bakuriani itself, a small town reached from Tbilisi via Borjomi. The central square and the area around the Didveli gondola base station are the main venues for concerts and stalls, usually from late morning into the evening, with torchlight ski descents after dusk. The historic narrow-gauge railway station, terminus of the line from Borjomi, is worth a visit in its own right. There are small churches in and around Bakuriani; visitors entering any of them should dress modestly, with shoulders and knees covered, and women may wish to carry a headscarf, in keeping with general Georgian Orthodox church etiquette rather than any rule specific to the festival.

Did you know

• Bakuriani sits at roughly 1,700 metres above sea level, among the highest permanently inhabited resort towns in Georgia.
• The narrow-gauge Borjomi–Bakuriani railway, nicknamed the “Kukushka” for the sound of its whistle, has operated since 1902 and still carries passengers today.
• Bakuriani served as an official altitude-training base for Soviet alpine skiers and biathletes during the 1960s–1980s.
• The resort lies on the edge of the Borjomi-Kharagauli area, one of the largest protected forest and highland landscapes managed by Georgia’s national Agency of Protected Areas.
• Meskheti, the historical region around Bakuriani, Akhaltsikhe and Vardzia, developed a distinct cuisine shaped by its position on an old Georgian–Ottoman borderland, giving rise to dishes such as Meskhetian khachapuri.

Practical tips for visitors

Bakuriani is about 190 kilometres from Tbilisi and roughly two and a half to three hours by road via Borjomi; Kutaisi International Airport is the closer of Georgia’s two main international airports for travellers arriving specifically for the festival. Expect sub-zero temperatures, snow and icy pavements in early March, so warm layered clothing and sturdy waterproof footwear are essential, and ski equipment can be rented locally. Accommodation in Bakuriani fills quickly on festival weekends during peak ski season, so booking several weeks ahead is advisable. GTour arranges a private driver or guide for visitors who prefer not to navigate mountain roads or winter traffic themselves.

Combine it with

Bakurianoba sits naturally within a wider visit to Samtskhe-Javakheti, home to Borjomi’s mineral springs and parks, the cave city of Vardzia, and Rabati Fortress in Akhaltsikhe. Travellers coming from Tbilisi often break the journey in Kartli, where Gori and the cave town of Uplistsikhe lie along the route, while those flying into the western airport can pair the festival with Imereti and the city of Kutaisi.

Questions travellers ask

What does “Bakurianoba” mean?

It combines the place name Bakuriani with the Georgian suffix -oba, which forms the name of a feast or celebration tied to a place or person, so it translates roughly as “Bakuriani’s day” or “the festival of Bakuriani.”

When exactly is Bakurianoba held each year?

There is no fixed calendar date; organisers choose a weekend in early March, at the height of the ski season, and confirm it a few weeks beforehand. For 2027 the dates currently expected are 6–7 March, to be confirmed.

Is Bakurianoba a public holiday in Georgia?

No. It is a local municipal and resort festival, not a state holiday, so offices, schools and most businesses across Georgia operate as usual on that weekend.

How do I get to Bakuriani from Tbilisi?

Bakuriani is about 190 kilometres from Tbilisi, roughly two and a half to three hours by car via Borjomi; shared minibuses and private transfers also run the route, and a private driver removes the uncertainty of winter mountain roads.

What food is typical of Bakurianoba?

Expect Meskhetian specialties such as Meskhuri khachapuri (a regional cheese bread), the sweet pastry kada, mountain cheeses and honey, alongside mulled wine, reflecting the cuisine of the surrounding Meskheti region rather than Georgia’s better-known eastern or western dishes.

Is Bakuriani suitable for beginner skiers during the festival?

Yes. Bakuriani has long served as a family and beginner resort alongside its role as a former Soviet training centre, with gentler slopes near the town centre and more demanding terrain higher up around Didveli and Kokhta-Mitarbi.

Can Bakurianoba be combined with other sights nearby?

Easily. Borjomi’s parks and mineral springs are a short drive away, and the Vardzia cave monastery and Rabati Fortress in Akhaltsikhe make feasible day trips from Bakuriani during the same visit.

Do I need to book accommodation in advance?

Yes, strongly advised. Bakuriani is Georgia’s busiest ski resort during the winter season, and rooms around the festival weekend can be booked out weeks ahead, particularly if the dates coincide with a school holiday period.

Sources

• Georgian National Tourism Administration
• Ministry of Culture, Sport and Youth of Georgia
• Agency of Protected Areas
• National Statistics Office of Georgia
• Georgian Railway
• Agenda.ge
• Georgia Today