If you only visit Moldova once, October is the month to do it. This is the country’s biggest month on the cultural calendar, anchored by two major celebrations back to back: Ziua Națională a Vinului (National Wine Day) on October 3-4, and Hramul Orașului Chișinău (Chișinău’s City Day) on October 14. With both celebrations and the wine harvest still wrapping up in the villages, October is Moldova showing off exactly what it’s proud of.
National Wine Day is the big one, and this year is special - it’s the 25th edition. What started as a modest celebration of Moldova’s winemaking has grown into one of the country’s signature national events, drawing well over 100,000 visitors to Great National Assembly Square for two days of tastings, folk performances, and concerts. Moldova has been making wine for thousands of years, and this is the one weekend a year when that heritage is front and center, not just for wineries but for the whole country. If you’ve been putting off a wine country trip, plan it around this weekend.
Two weeks later, Chișinău marks its own patron saint’s day. Hramul Orașului Chișinău falls on the Orthodox feast of Acoperământul Maicii Domnului (the Protection of the Mother of God), and the city treats it as an unofficial birthday - a full day of concerts, craft fairs and family activities centered on the same square that hosted the wine festival two weeks earlier.
National Wine Day - October 3-4
Great National Assembly Square, Chișinău
Now in its 25th year, National Wine Day brings together more than 110 wineries, including 43 small producers, for what is easily Moldova’s biggest tourism weekend. The centerpiece is the “Tasting Passport” system introduced in 2017, which lets visitors sample wines from across the country in an organized, responsible way - more than 50,000 glasses were poured at the 2024 edition alone.
Saturday, October 3 opens at noon with Wine School masterclasses covering everything from Moldova’s native grape varieties to its sparkling wines, plus a “Peasant’s Courtyard” of traditional crafts and guided tours of the square. The evening brings performances from Lidia Isac & Band, Satoshi and DJ Fox.
Worth building your afternoon around: at 1:00 PM on Saturday, organizers will attempt a Guinness World Record for the world’s largest human grapevine, part of the 25th-anniversary programming. Details on how to join the attempt should be posted closer to the date - worth checking the official site if you want to be part of it rather than just watch.
Sunday, October 4 opens with the “Golden Goblet” awards at 11:30 AM, honoring the country’s best wines, followed by more Wine School sessions and a lineup that includes the National Philharmonic’s Folk Orchestra, a music and dance ensemble from Cahul, and evening sets from Cuibul, Zdob și Zdub, and DJ Fox.
Wine Day isn’t just a Chișinău event - wineries throughout the country hold their own tastings and open houses the same weekend, so if you’d rather skip the crowds in the capital, it’s a good weekend to head out to wine country directly. Program and details here.
Wine Day Around the Country
Ziua Vinului la Vinuri de Comrat - October 3-4
Down in Gagauzia, the historic Vinuri de Comrat winery (founded in 1897) runs its own full-day “Wine Road” experience: five wines tasted across five different locations on the property, from vineyard terraces to 19th-century cellars, plus a visit to a reconstructed Gagauz village and museum. It’s a packaged day trip from Chișinău with round-trip transport included, and a good way to combine Wine Day with a look at Gagauzia’s culture. Tickets and details here.
Ziua Vinului la Cricova - October 3-4
Moldova’s famous underground wine city runs its own National Wine Day celebration alongside the main event in the capital, opening up its cellars - which stretch for kilometers underground - for tastings and tours. More information here.
National Wine Day at Château Vartely - October 3, Orhei
Château Vartely’s own celebration runs from noon with a welcome glass of sparkling wine, tastings of two wines made from indigenous grape varieties, unlimited fresh must, hourly guided cellar tours, a grape-stomping workshop, and an AR light show projected onto the barrels in the cellar. The day winds down with a DJ set and a bonfire, and there’s a traditional Moldovan menu available à la carte if you want to make a full evening of it - the winery’s own hotel is an option too if you’d rather not drive back. Tickets 200-450 lei. Tickets and details here.
Festivalul Vinului - October 3-4, Château Cojușna
About 15 minutes outside Chișinău, Château Cojușna runs a two-day festival with round-trip transport from the city center included in the ticket price, along with a guided cellar tour, six wines to taste, pottery and barrel-making masterclasses, and live music both evenings. Tickets 350-700 lei. Tickets and details here.
Doina Vin - October 3-4, Răzeni
A quieter, smaller-scale option: an 1875 cellar in Răzeni where the winemaker himself leads small-group tours, pours straight from the barrel, and serves a home-cooked Moldovan meal afterward. Visits are by appointment and run about two hours. Tickets 600-1,000 lei per adult. Tickets and details here.
Show Must Go On - October 5, Castel Mimi
Castel Mimi’s own Wine Day celebration runs the following Monday, from 2:00 to 8:30 PM, with unlimited young wine, a folklore show by the Dorurele ensemble, cellar tours, concerts from Felicia Dunaf and Maria Iliuț, a flashmob hora and a DJ set with marshmallow roasting to close out the evening. Organizers ask guests to dress in grape-inspired colors - purple, indigo, dark blue - and wear comfortable shoes. Tickets run 400 lei for adults, with a round-trip train option from Chișinău for 550 lei. Tickets and details here.
Beyond these, expect most of the country’s well-known wineries - Mileștii Mici and the smaller producers around Orheiul Vechi and Ștefan Vodă - to be busy with visitors all month, even outside the festival weekend itself. If you’ve never done an underground cellar tour, October is as good a month as any.
Chișinău City Day (Hramul Orașului) - October 14
Chișinău’s patron saint day falls on the feast of Acoperământul Maicii Domnului and is treated as the city’s unofficial birthday. Expect a full day (usually 8:00 AM to 9:00 PM) centered on Great National Assembly Square and the pedestrian stretch of Ștefan cel Mare Boulevard, with a craftspeople’s fair, thematic exhibitions, children’s workshops, folk performances, and an evening concert featuring Moldovan artists alongside the municipal Camerata Chișinău orchestra. Past editions have also included a flower-laying ceremony at the Ștefan cel Mare monument and headline concerts from acts like Zdob și Zdub - worth checking the municipality’s own announcements closer to the date for the full lineup, as the city sometimes extends the celebration to include October 13 as well. Admission is free. More information here.
Opera, Ballet, and Concerts
The Maria Bieșu International Opera and Ballet Festival, which opened in September, continues into October with a full schedule at the National Opera and Ballet Theatre:
Carmen - October 1
Bizet’s Carmen, one of the festival’s marquee productions. Tickets here.
Nunta lui Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro) - October 4
Mozart’s comic opera, performed in Italian. Tickets here.
Concert de Gală (Gala Concert) - October 11
A gala concert closing out the festival’s main season, featuring guest artists alongside the theatre’s own soloists and orchestra. Tickets here.
Tickets for all performances are also available at the theatre’s iTicket page.
Theater and Comedy
Ferma Animalelor (Animal Farm) - October 4
18:30, Odeon Cultural Center
A stage adaptation of Orwell’s satire on power and manipulation. In Romanian, recommended for ages 16+. Tickets 170-250 lei. Tickets here.
Stand-up Solo - Alexandru Ghețan - October 3
19:30, Tooman Lounge Bar
A solo stand-up set; advance table reservations recommended. Tickets 200 lei. Tickets here.
UNCOVERED - October 6 & 7
18:00, National Theater Mihai Eminescu
The editorial team of CU SENS and the “Mihai Eminescu” National Theater present an originally scripted documentary play about the work of investigative journalists in Moldova. The production is inspired by the work of multiple generations of journalists whose investigations and undercover work have played such a critical role in defending Moldova’s young democracy. Panel discussions follow the shows. Details on facebook, tickets available here.
Film
Badanta - October 1
The feature-film debut of the Comedy Zebra Show, a homegrown Moldovan comedy about family, love, and misadventure - being billed locally as proof that Moldova can do comedy on the big screen. Details here.
Abis - October 3 and 10, 18:00, Cinema Odeon
A Moldovan drama-thriller about past guilt and hidden truths. In Romanian, 90 minutes, recommended for ages 12+. Tickets 120 lei. Tickets here.
Exhibitions
“Satira comentează istoria”
Through October 9, National Museum of History of Moldova
Fifty caricatures by secondary school students tackling power, freedom, and misinformation through satire - a small but worthwhile stop if you’re already at the museum. More information here.
Sports
Chișinău Boxing Night 3 - October 3, Chișinău Arena
A boxing gala headlined by Romic Airapetean vs. Alexandru Ioniță main event, with six additional undercard bouts. Tickets here.
As always, if you know of an event we’ve missed, let us know in the comments. We’ll continue updating our monthly guides to help readers discover the best of Moldova throughout the year.
This section is done in partnership with the team behind Digital Nomad Moldova - the one stop shop for those considering taking advantage of Moldova’s new digital nomad visa process! Learn more on their website.