Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze on Wednesday announced the city’s Christmas Villages would open on Saturday on Orbeliani Square and recreational areas of Dedaena Park, offering a variety of New Year’s Eve-themed installations, performances, cultural and sports activities, exhibition pavilions for children, and concerts.

Kaladze said visitors would be also invited to an open-air cinema, a Santa's house, an elf workshop, an amusement park and an ice rink, as well as an exhibition and sale of handmade items at the latter location.

The Mayor also addressed reports that said about 200 entrepreneurs had refused to participate in New Year’s Village events on the backdrop of ongoing public protests in the country against the Government's decision to suspend European Union accession talks until 2028.

Kaladze called the reports “false”, claiming only nine companies out of the 200 mentioned in the information. had applied for participation in the events before withdrawing their applications, adding more than 800 companies had applied overall but not all could be accommodated.