On a warm and beautiful Sunday evening, 3 July,AmCham celebrated U.S.Independence Day in its traditional fashion – just like Independence Day is celebrated across the United States with music, baloons, a barbecue, lottery, children’s games, clowns, acrobats, hula-hoops (does anyone remember hula-hoops?), children’s facepainting, and the coup de grace that everyone had been waiting for: a huge fireworks display (salyut) to conclude the celebration that lit up the nighttime sky to mark the occasion. The InterContinental Hotel also presented its traditional gift to AmCham – a giant American flag cake large enough for everyone, children and adults alike. The event lasted for over four hours, beginning at 5pm and ending with the salyut after 9pm.
More than 350 guests attended (100 of them children) demonstrating their enthusiasm for a summer holiday that had been awaited throughout the pandemic and could now be celebrated again in full force on this joyous occasion. A warm Welcome was delivered by US General Consulate Press Officer Anand Krishna in the absence of Embassy Charge Judy Kuo and Consul-General Caroline Savage. A Lottery followed with winning tickets picked by children under the watchful eye of Senior Commercial Officer Donald Townsend. Prizes included airline tickes to holiday destinations – Air Astana roundtrip tickets to London, Qatar Airways tickets to a European destination, and Turkish Airlines tickets to any destination in Turkey. Additional prizes included hotel dinners, brunches, spa days, and bottles of local Kazakhstani cider developed and marketed under Apple City label by AmCham member Alex Thomas.
Live music was provided throughout the evening by the Jazz Session Group that performs at many AmCham events.
Independence Day had many generous sponsors eager to restore this pre-pandemic celebration for families, friends, and colleagues. We thank our sponsors who supported this wonderful event that launched a very welcome summer for AmCham members and the community in which we all live, always ready to celebrate a lively occasion.
