Mimino Armenian-Georgian Festival

The Mimino Armenian-Georgian Festival is a one-day cultural and culinary event held annually in Dilijan, the forest town in the Tavush highlands that sits close to the Georgian border. Named after the beloved 1977 Soviet film about a Georgian pilot that became a cultural touchstone across the Caucasus, Mimino celebrates the food, music, and folk traditions shared — and distinctly developed separately — by the two neighbouring nations.

Now in its third year, the festival brings together Armenian and Georgian chefs, food producers, and folk performers for a programme of outdoor cooking, tastings, and live performance. The food component includes both traditional preparations — Georgian khachapuri, khinkali, and churchkhela alongside Armenian lavash, tolma, and matzoon-based dishes — and more contemporary interpretations from chefs based in both countries. Live folk music and dance performances run throughout the day, drawing on both countries’ rich traditions of polyphonic singing and ensemble playing.

What makes it worth visiting

The Armenian-Georgian relationship is one of the more interesting bilateral dynamics in the Caucasus. The two countries share Orthodox Christian heritage, similar landscape types, and overlapping culinary DNA, but their languages, architecture, and aesthetic sensibilities are entirely distinct. The festival is a rare occasion to encounter both traditions side by side, without the competitive framing that can come with larger national events.

Dilijan itself is well suited to a relaxed day out — the old quarter’s restored artisan workshops, Haghartsin Monastery a few kilometres east, and the forested walking trails around the reservoir all reward time if you arrive early. The festival is typically free to attend, with food and drink priced individually. June weather in Dilijan is mild and green, usually around 18-23°C. The drive from Yerevan takes around 90 minutes via the M4.

Staying in Dilijan

If you want to turn the festival into a weekend trip, Dilijan has a small but solid range of accommodation. The Old Dilijan Complex in the renovated old quarter has guesthouses in restored 19th-century buildings, and there are several mid-range hotels along the main approach road. Booking ahead for the festival weekend is advisable as rooms fill quickly when events draw visitors from Yerevan and Tbilisi. The town also has a handful of cafés and restaurants in the old quarter that are worth exploring before or after the festival programme.