Experimental Ethnography
Interactive Workshops Exploring Traditional Crafts
Location: ASTRA Open-Air Museum
Dates: 14–16 August 2026
Opening hours: 10:00–20:00
Join our interactive workshops and discover the secrets of traditional crafts under the guidance of highly skilled artisans who have practised and passed down their knowledge for generations. They will be joined by curators, conservators, restorers, museum educators and other specialists from the ASTRA Museum team.
Craftspeople Take the Stage. Let’s Meet Them!
Location: Fulling Mills Lane / Amphitheatre
Dates: 14–16 August 2026
Times: 11:00–13:00 / 16:00–18:00
Craftspeople Take the Stage brings you face to face with the people behind traditional handmade objects. If you have ever wondered who they are, where they learned their craft, what inspires them, what it took to master their skills and how they continue to reinvent themselves in today’s economy, we invite you to join the conversation.
Friday, 14 August 2026
Maria Ciucă (Living Human Treasure) — sewing; Poiana Sibiului, Sibiu
Aurelia Dobrilă (Living Human Treasure) — sewing; Arpașu de Sus, Sibiu
Filep Elisabeta (Living Human Treasure) — sewing and weaving; Sic, Cluj
Saturday, 15 August 2026
Máthé Attila — pottery; Corund, Harghita
Georgeta and Costel Popa — pottery; Horezu, Vâlcea
Páll Árpád — pottery; Corund, Harghita
Sunday, 16 August 2026
Maria and Nicolae Pătru — naïve painting; Furnicoși, Argeș
Ileana Hotopilă (Living Human Treasure) — egg decorating; Lupcina, Suceava
Iordan Lepădatu (Living Human Treasure) — woodworking; Băbeni, Vâlcea
Practical Bootcamp: How to… Education for Sustainable Living Skills
Dates: 14–16 August 2026
Opening hours: 10:00–19:00
Meet the craftspeople: 10:00–11:00 / 15:00–16:00
Join our daily workshops and learn how to care for, maintain, preserve, repair, restore, adapt and recycle useful objects and treasured belongings. Together, we will also explore how we can use our increasingly limited resources more responsibly.
How to Repair, Restore and Preserve Furniture and Other Household Objects
Location: Household and musical instrument-making workshop from Câmpulung Moldovenesc, Suceava (96)
Craftspeople: Novičić Dusan — woodworking; Timișoara, Timiș; Daniel Haneș — woodworking; Jeflești, Alba; Daria Muntean — painted furniture; Sadu, Sibiu
Location: Household and traditional clothing workshop from Tilișca, Sibiu (128A)
Craftspeople: Lăzărica Popescu — weaving; Vălenii de Munte, Prahova; Jolán Csog — weaving; Filia, Covasna; Flory Buia — weaving; Bogați, Argeș
How to Alter, Restore and Preserve Clothing
Location: Cooper’s household and workshop from Straja, Suceava (96A)
Craftspeople: Szallos Eszter — bead embroidery; Viștea, Cluj; Bálint Gabriella — bobbin lace; Odorheiu Secuiesc, Harghita; Elena Pascu — weaving and sewing; Mălâncrav, Sibiu; Maria Ciurar — sewing; Brateiu, Sibiu
How to Make, Care for and Preserve Toys
Location: Etno Tehno Park
Craftspeople: Demeter Miklós and Anastasiia Petrova — Bicfalău, Covasna; Florica Petran — Vetiș, Satu Mare; Pozsony Katalin — Cluj-Napoca
How to Plant and Care for Flowers, Vegetables and Shrubs
Location: Fulling Mills Lane / Meadow
Craftspeople: Ion Mărunțelu — Racovița, Vâlcea; Andrei Buda — Sibiu
How to Care for and Preserve Copperware
Location: Wood Lane / near the household and workshop from Hodac
Craftspeople: Rada and Nicolae Ciurar — Brateiu, Sibiu
Discovering Traditions as a Family: An Urban Ethnography Project
Location: Etno Tehno Park
Dates: 14–16 August 2026
Meet the craftspeople: 11:00–13:00 / 15:00–17:00
Families with children are invited to take part in activities designed to strengthen communication and connections between generations. The programme includes group activities and games, the rediscovery of childhood games enjoyed by Romania’s “latchkey generation,” and hands-on experiences that bring generations closer together.
Craftspeople: Suzanna and Daniel Paneș — Sibiu; Magdalena Dudău — Brezoi, Vâlcea
Teenagers: Digital Chroniclers of Analogue Crafts
Location: ASTRA Open-Air Museum
Dates: 14–16 August 2026
Through workshops and meet-ups, teenagers will become the event’s digital chroniclers. The programme includes social media communication workshops, online safety and ethics sessions, discussions about fake news and more.
Serious topics—including sustainability, responsibility, climate change, recycling, reuse and environmentally responsible behaviour—will be explored through interactive activities, practical sessions and debates.
ASTRA Acoustic │ Rock
Location: ASTRA Open-Air Museum — Country Fair area
Dates: 14–16 August 2026
Join us for acoustic and unplugged micro-concerts, as well as jam sessions held in unexpected locations throughout the museum, creating a truly immersive festival atmosphere.
You will encounter established and emerging Romanian rock artists and bands performing in some of the museum’s most distinctive settings. The acoustic format creates a different connection between musicians and audiences, offering a warm, intimate perspective on a genre usually associated with amplified sound.
ASTRA Jam also offers talented young musicians an exciting opportunity to take part in a lively jam session right in the heart of the museum.
Friday, 14 August 2026
Time: 20:30 — Athoris │ 21:30 — Kempes
Saturday, 15 August 2026
Time: 20:00 — P’neuma │ 20:30 — Underwaves │ 21:30 — An Theos
Sunday, 16 August 2026
Time: 20:30 — Phoenix: Acoustic Set │ 21:15 — June Turns Black │ 22:15 — E-An-Na
ASTRA Poetic: Melancholy
Location: Covered bridge from Gura Râului, Sibiu
Dates: 14–16 August 2026
Opening hours: 15:00–19:00
Encouraging creativity, critical thinking, openness towards others and respect for nature, this event nurtures an appreciation for literature and art while showcasing the endless potential of Dumbrava Sibiului.
It complements the open-air museum experience by creating connections between physical and imaginary spaces, people and objects, generations and social groups.
Art@telier │ Poetry readings │ Book presentations │ Debates
ASTRA in Exhibitions!
Locations: House of Arts │ Multicultural Museum Pavilion
Dates: 14–16 August 2026
Opening hours: 10:00–20:00
Forging Transylvania! — House of Arts
Rugs. Carpets. Wall Hangings. The Refinement of Weaving Techniques — Multicultural Museum Pavilion
ASTRA on the Plate!
Location: Country Fair
Dates: 14–16 August 2026
Time: 10:00–13:00
Join us on a culinary journey that begins in the museum’s scientific archive and continues in the gardens of ASTRA Museum. We will share recipes collected during field research—and we look forward to discovering yours as well!
ASTRA and Romanian Shepherd Dogs
Meet Romania’s Shepherd Dogs: Interaction Area and Educational Workshops
Location: ASTRA Open-Air Museum — Etno Tehno Park area
Dates: 14–16 August 2026
Opening hours: 10:00–18:00
Partner: Haita Association