The World Youth Festival Assembly launches in Nizhny Novgorod
On September 18, the grand opening of the World Youth Festival Assembly took place at the Main Fair Building of Nizhny Novgorod. More than 2,000 people attended the main international youth event of the fall, including young people from all regions of Russia and 120 countries around the world, such as Europe, Asia, Africa, Latin America, and North America. The World Youth Festival brought together young people from all continents of the globe.
Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a
greeting to the guests and participants of the WYF. The head of state noted the success of the World Youth Festival held at Sirius in 2024 and the need to continue international youth cooperation, for which all the necessary conditions are being created in Russia.
“It is important that such a sought-after and fruitful dialogue continues. These goals are served by the International Friendship Clubs, established to implement your joint projects and initiatives and expand opportunities for professional dialogue between young men and women who have come to us from abroad. Summer schools have been launched for the first time on the basis of year-round youth educational centers. And, of course, it is gratifying that such large-scale festival events as the current Assembly will be held in our country annually. I wish you success, the implementation of your plans, and all the best,” the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, said.
The participants were young leaders developing in one of seven areas: media, creative industries and artistic endeavours, public administration, entrepreneurship, sports, education and science, digitalization, and IT. The participants also included professionals who already have projects or achievements demonstrating expertise in their field.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko read out a greeting from the President of Russia. The Deputy Prime Minister addressed the participants: “You speak different languages, but you are united by one thing – the desire for friendship and excellence. We will succeed!”
The Deputy Prime Minister praised the venue for the World Youth Festival Assembly, welcomed foreign bloggers participating in the educational program from the World Youth Festival Directorate and the New Media Workshop, and watched the immersive show “Symphony of Time: Feel, Live, Create,” which introduces foreign participants to the unique Russian culture and history.
Dmitry Chernyshenko also participated in the discussion of the projects presented by the participants of the World Youth Festival, aimed at developing international cooperation and scaling up abroad. Among them: “Thematic summer schools by subject area,” “Thematic blog tours as a tool for preserving historical memory and promoting non-biased image of Russia abroad,” “Restoration of monuments to Soviet soldiers in Europe as preservation of historical memory,” and “Families of Russia: meeting friends.”
Following the pitching session, the Deputy Prime Minister supported the initiatives, suggested refining them, and discussed the results of their implementation at the International Youth Festival in Krasnoyarsk in 2026.
Grigory Gurov, head of the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs (Rosmolodezh), noted: “On behalf of the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, we are continuing the legacy of the World Youth Festival, which was held last year in Sirius. Next year, we will hold an International Youth Festival in Krasnoyarsk for 10,000 people. By 2030, we plan to bring together about 40,000 participants — foreign citizens and Russians — at our international events. All this is being done as part of the federal project “Russia in the World” of the national project “Youth and Children,” which was launched by the President of the Russian Federation this year. We are doing everything we can to ensure that young people see the real Russia with their own eyes and understand that Russia is their friend, partner, and a country where they can be themselves and receive support for the implementation of their initiatives. So, after the Assembly, 200 foreign participants will travel to 10 cities, where they can see a regional program and learn about the history and culture of Russia».
Participants aged 14 to 17, in addition to the general program, will be involved in thematic events of the Movement of the First. Each day is dedicated to one of the key values: intercultural dialogue to unite representatives of different countries, the development of trust and synergy through teamwork, as well as respect for diversity of opinions and joint artistic endeavours.
“Nizhny Novgorod consistently attracts the most talented, ambitious, and driven young people. For a good reason, in 2023, our city became the first “Youth Capital of Russia,” and now we welcome guests from 120 countries. Our sunsets and monuments of nature, architectural landmarks and creative spaces, unique folk arts and crafts—we are ready to show “100% Real Russia” for the Assembly’s guests. A large team is working hard to ensure that young people can discuss global issues, share experiences in a creative atmosphere, find like-minded people, and—most importantly—establish contacts with friends from other countries for joint projects. Therefore, the Assembly should become another significant step in the development of the region’s international activities. I do not doubt that, thanks to Nizhny Novgorod’s hospitality, participants will feel right at home here,” the Governor of the Nizhny Novgorod Region, Gleb Nikitin, emphasized.
The key goal of the Assembly is to help each teenager see themselves not just as participants, but as true bearers and ambassadors of these values, establish connections with peers from other countries, and gain practical impetus for launching their own projects. Young participants will attend master classes on personal branding and communication skills, immerse themselves in developing projects within the framework of the International Association of Children’s Organizations in international teams, and then pitch to experts. The opening ceremony was hosted by Roman Romanov, a presenter of major youth events, Sasha Yost, a foreign blogger, and young actress Maya Pestryakova. Showman Timur Rodriguez, singer Petr Nalich, DJ Zorche, Nizhny Novgorod singer Anastasia Kirsanova, the Zventa Sventana project, and singer Ruslan Ivakin welcomed the participants with performances.
For reference:
In accordance with the instructions of the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, on preserving and developing the legacy of the World Youth Festival, which took place on the Sirius Federal Territory in 2024 and united 20,000 young people from 190 countries of the world, festival events in the territory of the Russian Federation will be held annually. The next World Youth Festival for 20,000 participants will be held in 2030. In 2026, there will be a smaller event, an International Youth Festival with 10,000 participants. In between, the World Youth Festival’s themed Assemblies will be held annually for 2,000 participants. The World Youth Festival Directorate continues its work aimed at strengthening international youth cooperation.
