The Sixth Xinjiang Tacheng International Accordion Art and Culture Festival kicks off on the evening of Aug 15 in Tacheng, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. [Photo by Mao Weihua / for chinadaily.com.cn]

The Sixth Xinjiang Tacheng International Accordion Art and Culture Festival kicked off on Saturday night in Tacheng, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, bringing together artists from China, Russia, Nigeria, Moldova and beyond for a celebration of cross-cultural dialogue through the accordion. The festival runs through Monday.

During the opening ceremony, Mirco Patarini, president of the Confederation Internationale des Accordeonistes, conferred upon the city the title of "International Accordion-Friendly City" in appreciation of its support for the global movement to popularize the instrument.

An accordionist performs at the opening ceremony of the Sixth Xinjiang Tacheng International Accordion Art and Culture Festival on Aug 15 in Tacheng, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. [Photo by Mao Weihua / for chinadaily.com.cn]

The festival has grown into one of Tacheng's signature cultural events. Last year's edition saw 5,282 performers taking the stage at the same time, earning recognition as the world's largest accordion ensemble by Guinness World Records.

This year's opening ceremony was structured in three movements, reflecting on themes of international exchange, preservation of local cultural heritage, and shared national aspirations.

Dauren Duysenkhanov of the Kazakh ethnic group has performed at the festival every year. He is an accordionist and one of the founders of the Tacheng Accordion Museum. "The sound of the accordion brings me joy, and it also brings people from different ethnic groups closer together," he said. "Here in Tacheng, the accordion is no longer just for festivals and celebrations; it has become a warm language of hospitality and cross-cultural exchange."

The Confederation Internationale des Accordeonistes confers upon the city of Tacheng the title of "International Accordion-Friendly City" on Aug 15 in appreciation of the city's support for the global movement to popularize the instrument. [Photo by Mao Weihua / for chinadaily.com.cn]

This year's festival features 12 themed events, including an international exchange program that gathers experts and scholars from countries like Italy, Russia, New Zealand, and Uzbekistan for discussions on performances, people-to-people exchanges, and collaborative development in the accordion industry, as well as a segment celebrating China-Africa cultural ties.