International Festival of Youth 2026 Concludes with Grand Musical Spectacle in Ekaterinburg
- The International Festival of Youth concluded its main programme on September 17, 2026, in Ekaterinburg, bringing together 10,000 delegates from 191 countries.
- More than 1,000 artists performed during the closing ceremony, which was directed by composer Anton Belyaev, founder of the LAB project.
- In that moment, it stops mattering where you’re from or what language you speak.
The International Festival of Youth concluded its main programme on September 17, 2026, in Ekaterinburg, bringing together 10,000 delegates from 191 countries. Organized by Tavrida.ART under the Youth and Children national project, the seven-day gathering featured collaborative performances, international orchestras, and symbolic mascot exchanges designed to bridge geopolitical barriers through music and youth engagement.
Musical Collaborations and Closing Ceremony Highlights
More than 1,000 artists performed during the closing ceremony, which was directed by composer Anton Belyaev, founder of the LAB project. Nikola Tsiskaridze, People’s Artist of Russia and Rector of the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet, co-hosted the evening alongside actress Nika Zdorik. The opening segment featured resident artists from the Tavrida arts cluster and the band Beautiful Boys, with Italian conductor Fabio Mastrangelo leading the prologue overture. During the event’s first thematic section, titled Russia Shares Its Ideas, 150 ballet dancers, aerial acrobats, and an orchestra led by US conductor Christian Knapp performed a Russian Megamix. According to event reporting, the 10,000 audience members joined the Sretensky Monastery Choir to sing lines from the song Kon. Festival participant Alexey Andreev from St Petersburg noted that singing together removes barriers of language and origin.
In that moment, it stops mattering where you’re from or what language you speak. It was especially wonderful to “see people from other countries trying to sing along too. I think that’s what real unity, and the power of music, really is.”
Alexey Andreev, festival participant
Historical Parallels and Ministerial Addresses
The festival drew explicit parallels to the 1957 World Festival of Youth and Students in Moscow. An episode titled A Connection Between Generations paired archival footage from 1957 with performances by the vocal-instrumental ensemble Poyushchiye Gitary, LAB choir soloists, and pop artist Akmal’, accompanied by an orchestra conducted by China’s Zhang Shiqu. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov addressed the delegates, framing Russia as an open and friendly country and inviting international participants to return for future gatherings such as the Congress of Young Scientists and the Tavrida.ART Young Art Festival in Crimea.
Sergey Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister
Global Collaboration and Cultural Performances
They performed Alliluyya Lyubvi in the six official languages of the United Nations. Symbolic diplomacy also took center stage during the Exchange of Mascots episode, where 100 international participants swapped plush Cheburashka toys. Brazilian delegate Charles Silva described trading his mascot with attendees from China and Congo as a lasting memento of the festival and his new international friendships.
Charles Silva, delegate from Brazil Cultural programming included the Each of Us Ethno Folk Music Show, featuring 185 performers from 19 nations, including China, India, Iran, Brazil, South Africa, Belarus, and Abkhazia. South African vocalist Lizwi performed the Russian folk song Vo Pole Beryozka Stoyala alongside the State Academic Omsk Russian Folk Choir, while musicians from Qatar, China, India, and Iran contributed traditional instruments such as the guzheng, qanun, and the Iranian daf. Technology platform VK embedded interactive features, including a Let’s Hug Camera and centralized group chats, to connect participants throughout the finale.