Registration for the International Festival of Youth 2026
On February 5, at the National Center “Russia”, within the framework of the Marathon “Russia – Family of Families” of the Russian Society “Knowledge” began registration for participation in the International Festival of Youth of 2026 (MFM-2026), implemented under the national project “Youth and Children”. The largest youth event of 2026 will be held from 11 to 17 September in Yekaterinburg and will become a platform for meeting young people from all over the world who are ready to take responsibility for the future of the planet. Registration will be available until April 30 at wyffest.com.
The International Youth Festival for 10 thousand participants will be part of the “family” of the World Youth Festival, which began in Sirius in 2024. In accordance with the instructions of the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, on the preservation and development of the heritage of the VFM, international festival events for young people are held annually in Russia. So, in September 2025, the Meeting of the World Youth Festival was held in Nizhny Novgorod, which brought together 2 thousand participants.
“The development of international youth cooperation is one of the priorities of the national project ‘Youth and children’, implemented on the initiative of President Vladimir Putin. We maintain and consistently expand the legacy of the World Youth Festival in 2024, and create conditions for open dialogue and long-term cooperation of young people. This year, the International Festival of Youth in Yekaterinburg will unite 10 thousand young leaders from more than 100 countries. It will become a vital market for the best Russian projects and practices, demonstrate the openness of our country and emphasize its contribution to the global youth movement,” said Dmitry Chernyshenko, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Government and Deputy Chairman of the Organizing Committee for the preparation and holding of the International Youth Festival in 2026.
Participants of MFM-2026 will be 5 thousand Russians and 5 thousand foreign citizens under the age of 35. Traditionally, they will include not only young adults, but also teenagers from 14 to 17 years old: 500 from Russia and 500 from foreign countries.
“In the Year of Unity of the Peoples of Russia, launched by President Vladimir Putin, the International Youth Festival will become a truly unifying event and will clearly demonstrate to the world the richness and uniqueness of our country’s culture. After the completion of the main program of the Festival, 1000 foreigners will go to the regional program in 30 regions of Russia, as well as the Republic of Abkhazia. Young people will get acquainted with the main sights of the regions, take part in expeditions, communicate with indigenous peoples, see the technological achievements of the country, and learn more about the historical and cultural heritage of Russia and the centuries-old unity of hundreds of peoples. We are waiting for young people from all over the world in Russia – a country of unlimited opportunities, open to everyone, ready to build the future of a multipolar world with us,” said Grigory Gurov, head of Rosmolodezh.
The hero of Russia, a participant of the presidential personnel program “Time of Heroes”, Chairman of the Board of the First Movement Arthur Orlov stressed that this year, Russia will become a place of unification of children and youth around the world. The organizers of the children’s program are the Movement of the First and the Educational Foundation “Talent and Success”.
“Our program will allow you to acquaint the children with the achievements of modern Russia, develop joint projects in various fields: from science, education, digitalization, creativity and creative industries, to media, sports, entrepreneurship and civic activity. The initiatives that will be presented by the participants of the program will be jointly developed within the framework of the International Association of Children’s Organizations. It is important to always remember: today’s children are the future leaders of their countries,” said Arthur Orlov.
2 thousand volunteers from all over Russia will also go to Yekaterinburg. Volunteers will help in 17 functional areas: from logistics and accreditation to the support of delegations and the creation of content. After the end of the main program, volunteers will accompany foreign delegations within the framework of the regional program in the format of expeditions.
Candidates for joining the volunteer corps should be over 16 years old, have experience in volunteer and social activities, have a high level of motivation, know foreign languages, be sociable, and also be able to work in a team. Since December 5, 2025, 5.5 thousand volunteers have already submitted applications. You can apply for participation in the volunteer program on the platform of Dobro.rf until March 31, 2026.
“The International Youth Festival in Yekaterinburg will be the next step in the development of the global community of youth formed at the WFM-2024. Its participants are young leaders from all over the world, ready to take responsibility for the future and jointly shape the agenda of tomorrow. Thanks to the sectoral principle of the formation of foreign delegations, the best representatives of key spheres of public life will come to Russia: creative industries, public administration, science and education, sports, entrepreneurship, media, digitalization and IT, social sector. These young leaders are already determining the future of their countries, and their experience is invaluable to a common dialogue. This is how, in interaction and joint work, the image of tomorrow is born – a multipolar world based on cooperation, respect and a balance of interests in which the dreams of young people cease to be abstract ideas and become a reality, “commented Dmitry Ivanov, Director General of the World Youth Festival Directorate.
The organizers of the International Festival of Youth 2026 are the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs and the Government of the Sverdlovsk region; the event operator is the Directorate of the World Youth Festival.
You can follow the current events, announcements and news of the International Youth Festival in the VKontakte community – https://vk.com/wyf and the official channel in the MAH messenger – https://max.ru/wyffest.
Reference :
The World Youth Festival was held from March 1 to March 7, 2024, in Sirius in accordance with the Decree of the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, in order to develop international youth cooperation. 20 thousand young leaders from 190 countries of the world took part in VFM-2024.
In accordance with the instructions of the President of the Russian Federation on the preservation and development of the heritage of the World Youth Festival, festival events in the territory of the Russian Federation will be held annually. The next World Festival of Youth for 20 000 thousand participants will be held in 2030. In 2026, a smaller event will be held – the International Festival of Youth for 10 thousand participants. Between them will be held annually thematic Meetings of the World Festival of Youth for 2 thousand participants.
The first meeting of the World Youth Festival was held in Nizhny Novgorod from 17 to 21 September 2025. The event brought together 2 thousand young people from 120 countries around the world.
The Directorate of the World Festival of Youth continues work aimed at strengthening international youth cooperation.
Polycarp Labah @breakingnewsbilingue.com
