Аpresenter who has wings! Alla Zharikova is known not only in Ukraine but also abroad. She knows how to make your wedding, corporate event or birthday truly unforgettable! There are many celebrities among her clients – wealthy businessmen and family members of Ukrainian celebrities. Thanks to numerous reviews and recommendations, Alla has been included in the TOP list of the best Ukrainian hosts working in Europe.
In our interview, the talented presenter talked about her path to success, ups and downs, and her immediate goals.

– Alla, nice to meet you! Tell us a little bit about yourself: where were you born, what is your education?
– I come from the famous Myrhorod – the city immortalized by Mykola Gogol. I am a conductor by education. Probably, that is why I like to manage processes and organize holidays so much.
– How long have you been working as a host?
– I have been organising events in Ukraine for 10 years and in Europe for the last three years. It all started quite spontaneously. My mother pushed me to do it. At my cousin’s wedding, the toastmaster couldn’t arrive at the last moment. My mum said that I was quite active, I sing and conduct, and I could quickly come up with a few contests to save the day. In half an hour, I improvised a script and held the event as best I could.
Later it took me time to realize: I want to do this. A year later, I took my first order, and there the musician let me down: he turned off the microphones and said that they were broken. I was shocked, to tears. But I pulled myself together and brought the matter to an end. In the evening, it turned out that the microphones were working – it was meanness. At that time I thought that I would never do this business again.
But later I returned to what I love. I remember how during one wedding, all 200 guests stood up and applauded for a well-hosted event. That’s when I realised I was on the right path.
– A professional hostess is the key to a good holiday! Who did you study with?
– I studied with Lyudmila Pukhova, Olena Martynova, Oleksandr Vysotsky and Kateryna Krasnikova. I am very grateful to my teachers. Once I was told: «Hello, you have a huge talent, but you have only just begun to reveal it.» This support still inspires me today.
I am convinced that there is no limit to perfection, so I work on myself every day: I regularly undergo training, attend masterclasses, absorb knowledge like a sponge and pass it on to people.
– How did you become a «holiday therapist»?
– When the full-scale war began, it was as if the ground had fallen out from under all of us. I left with my children for Slovakia. There I started working as a teacher and sang with children. Later, I offered to organise free holidays and birthdays to give children joy and remind them that life goes on.
Over time, I began to travel around Slovakia, and then to the Netherlands, Bulgaria with my project «From Heart to Heart». People began to call me a «holiday therapist» because I treated people during the holidays.
– What gives you the most pleasure: the preparation or the result?
– All stages are important and special. But, of course, I like the holiday itself the most. I see happy people with sparkling eyes, and I am charged with this energy of positive and joy. It gives me a buzz, and that’s what drives me to come up with something new every time.
Nowadays, intimate, soulful holidays with a small number of guests are popular. Increasingly, the focus is on beautiful locations.
– What are the peculiarities of your own approach to clients?
– I think my clients are impressed with my sincerity above all. After talking to me, they often say that they feel warm and calm and are ready to trust me with the most important day of their lives. I always give people happiness with an open heart and a smile on my face. They notice it.
– Have you ever experienced force majeure in your practice? How did you get out of the situation?
– Yes, we have! I hold the event as a hostess, and the DJ is responsible for the music. Once we were preparing a wedding ceremony in Bulgaria. Two days before the event, a musician I hadn’t worked with before suddenly refused to come. Of course, it was very difficult to find a replacement in such a short time, and even abroad! We did our best to reassure the bride. However, nothing is impossible! That’s how a wonderful DJ Ivan Diyanov joined my team.
I work with Ivan Didukh in Slovakia and with Serhiy Lysenko in Ukraine. I really appreciate them: they are professional, talented and responsible.
Many people do not understand why it is important to hire a hostess with a DJ or musician who has been working together for a long time. This is a well-coordinated team that understands each other with a word or even a glance.
The situation was different with the search for a translator. First, a Ukrainian wedding was planned, then a Ukrainian-Slovak wedding, and in the end, almost entirely Slovak one! And all this became known at the last moment. I found a translator and we carefully discussed the script with her on the eve of the wedding. There was a lot of excitement, but everything went well.
– Can you tell us about your participation in the large-scale international project EUROPEAN FESTIVAL?
– This is an international talent competition among children that took place in Turkey this year. Coaches and parents brought children from all over Ukraine. The participants demonstrated their abilities in singing, dancing, aerobics, etc. The festival programme was rich and interesting. I was honoured to host this grand event and have already received an invitation for the next year.
Rashel Kukhtina, the organiser of the project, is from Kharkiv. I am very proud that Ukrainians do such wonderful things.
– To give people joy, you need to have strong energy inside you! Where do you get yours?
– I am a happy woman! I am infinitely grateful to God for giving me the talent to give people joy – from the heart, with love. I have a beloved husband and fine children.
There is a lot of grief, pain, suffering around now… So the feeling of burnout is also familiar to me. I get inspired when I write scripts, watch films about weddings, listen to the sound of the sea, walk in the woods and spend time with my family or friends. I like to think and talk about love, good and evil, and the eternal. And also, I believe in the best – in spite of everything!
– What are you dreaming about?
– The biggest dream we all have now is victory and peace in Ukraine!
As for me personally, I want to create a children’s amusement park in Bulgaria similar to Disneyland. And I also want to open my own wedding agency in Europe. This will definitely happen when the time is right.
Also, I have not yet held a wedding by the sea in Spain. So there is still work to be done!