The vigil lamp was lit at St. Euphrosyne Convent in Polotsk. It was brought to Vitebsk by Yelena Spiridovich, a presenter with the Belarusian National Television and Radio Company. Similar ceremonies took place at the Kiev Pechersk Lavra, the church on Poklonnaya Hill in Moscow, the Alexander Nevsky Lavra in St. Petersburg, as well as in Slovenia, Macedonia, and other states. During the opening ceremony, the flame was joined by the candle flames of the festival’s participants.

The Slavianski Bazaar was ranked among the five largest music festivals in the world following the final session and congress of FIDOF, which in 1996 brought together some 160 festivals from more than 100 countries.

In 1996, the flags of 18 participating countries were raised on the festival’s flagpoles. The Summer Amphitheater hosted 18 concerts, including gala concerts for the opening and closing ceremonies, as well as performances by artists from Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine. Audiences were amazed by a concert of Belarusian artists when tractors, symbolizing the country’s wealth, drove onto the stage of the Summer Amphitheater.  

The prima donna of Russian song, Lyudmila Zykina, celebrated the 50th anniversary of her artistic career at this festival. During her anniversary concert, she learned that a star had been named after her. This was a gift from the Slavianski Bazaar to the People’s Artist of the Soviet Union. The anniversary festival was also attended by the renowned acting dynasty — Nikolai Yeryomenko Sr. and his son Nikolai Yeryomenko Jr., who was born in Vitebsk.

In 1996, the international jury of the young pop singers competition was chaired by composer and People’s Artist of the USSR Andrei Petrov, who celebrated the 40th anniversary of his artistic career at the festival. During a conversation with journalists, he revealed that his wife Natalya was born in Vitebsk.

The concert featured performances by People’s Artist of Russia Mikhail Boyarsky, People’s Artist of the USSR Edita Piekha, and the State Orchestra of Belarus under the direction of People’s Artist of Belarus Mikhail Finberg. Vocalists from Germany and France took part in the competition for the first time.

On City Day, celebrated as part of the festival in 1996, two of Vitebsk’s oldest streets — Uzgorskaya and Podvinskaya — marked their own anniversaries. Podvinskaya Street (today Tolstoy Street) stretched for 200 meters. The first buildings appeared there as early as the 10th—13th centuries. The street has almost completely preserved its appearance from the second half of the 19th century. Uzgorskaya Street is now called Suvorov Street. It is 300 meters long and took shape in the 14th century.

Also on City Day, memorial plaques were unveiled to Vitebsk local historians Nikolai Nikiforovsky and Vladimir Krasnyansky, as well as a monument to the renowned poetess Yevdokia Los.

The Slavianski Bazaar for the first time hosted a festival of children’s show programs featuring ten groups from five countries, which concluded with a grand gala concert at the main festival venue — the Summer Amphitheater. Other first-time events included a Night of Humor, the International Press Festival, and a charity concert by festival participants and guests for war and labor veterans. The Spartak Cinema screened 11 films from film studios of Slavic nations. The Marc Chagall Museum hosted an exhibition of paintings by the renowned Russian artist Nikas Safronov. At the Art Museum, visitors saw an exhibition by Ukrainian artist Vladimir Kirkevich titled Repin’s Places in Ukraine, with all proceeds going toward the restoration of Ilya Repin’s Zdravnyovo estate-museum.

The fifth festival was celebrated with a tennis tournament that took place over four days on the courts near the amphitheater, featuring tennis athletes from various countries. For the first time, an overnight intercity blitz chess marathon was held. On Svobody Square, anyone could test their skills in a simultaneous chess exhibition.

In 1996, the festival’s «cornflower» currency took on all the features of real banknotes. The designs incorporated engravings by renowned Vitebsk artist Grigory Klikushin depicting scenes of old Vitebsk. That year, an operational information service for the festival was launched. Broadcasts of the Slavianski Bazaar concerts were transmitted to 46 countries around the world.

The festival reached cosmic heights: during the closing gala concert, it was announced that, according to the International Star Registry, one of the constellations on the star map had been named Slavianski Bazaar. From then on, 11 stars have borne the names of the 11 Slavic countries — participants of the Vitebsk arts festival. The Vitebsk sky was illuminated by a fireworks display of 200 salvos lasting four minutes.

According to calculations, over the course of four years, Vitebsk hosted festivals for 30 days and nights — 720 hours of Vitebsk summer belonged to the Slavianski Bazaar.