Karaganda's Nauryz festival merges drones, AI, and Kazakh traditions in bold tech twist

Nauryz celebrations in Karaganda took a futuristic turn this year with drone deliveries of traditional baursaks pastries. The event blended Kazakh cultural traditions with cutting-edge technology, surprising residents like Nikolai Klim Sumlenov, who received the treats by air. Meanwhile, the city's Terrikon Valley IT hub hosted workshops and exhibitions on artificial intelligence, adding another layer of innovation to the festivities.

The drone deliveries were organised by the regional Department of Informatics and Communications, working alongside the Perspektiva NGO, a local drone manufacturer. To ensure safety, the drones avoided crowded areas, instead dropping off the fried dough balls in quieter sections of the park. Recipients collected their baursaks without physical contact, making the process both novel and hygienic.

At the same time, *Terrikon Valley* became a hub for tech enthusiasts. The IT centre ran workshops on artificial intelligence, a conference focused on neural networks, and a festival displaying student projects. Visitors saw demonstrations of a robotic arm, a robot dog, and AI-generated avatars, all developed by local innovators. The Nauryz festivities also included interactive, tech-driven activities designed to engage younger generations with Kazakh traditions. While drone food deliveries remain rare in Kazakhstan—limited mostly to logistics trials in Almaty and Astana—this year's event marked the first documented use of drones for *baursaks* distribution in the country.

The combination of drone deliveries and IT exhibitions highlighted Karaganda's push to modernise its cultural celebrations. Residents experienced a mix of tradition and innovation, from airborne pastries to hands-on tech displays. The event set a new precedent for how technology can reshape long-standing festivals.