Immersive show, tours, and phygital games: summary of the first day of the World Youth Festival Assembly
Two thousand young people from all over the world gathered in Nizhny Novgorod to participate in the World Youth Festival Assembly from September 17 to 21. During the first day, the participants focused on the historical and cultural context of Russia. They were introduced to the country’s history and culture, visited key locations in Nizhny Novgorod, and experienced immersive shows, as well as watched phygital sports competitions.
The festival participants and guests visited the landmarks of Nizhny Novgorod: the Kremlin, Bolshaya Pokrovskaya Street and Strelka. They discovered the city during the boat rides and wake activities, visited the “Atom. Future” exhibition dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Russian nuclear industry and the WORKSHOP multimedia art space. They were guided by the representatives of the “Guides of Meanings. Tour Guides” community. Additionally, the Rosmolodezh program “More than Trip” provided cultural and business formats, as well as a unique exhibition, to present national landmarks to young people from Russia and other countries.
“During the tour, we visited the Kremlin and Chkalov Stairs. The tour was incredibly interesting, and I enjoyed the guide’s stories greatly. I admire the Russian architecture! Nizhny Novgorod fascinated me with its beauty, cosiness and special spirit. I truly love Russia and this wonderful city”, shared her feelings, Shaaban Malak from Egypt.
Delia from Italy said that she was impressed by Nizhny Novgorod. She found it very similar to Italian cities.
“I saw the Kremlin and can tell that it is a wonderful place which played an important role during the Second World War. I greatly respect the people of your country for what they did for the Victory”, noted Delia.
Another participant, Nolvazi Zhuber Mabilisi, said that she was astonished by the splendour of Nizhny Novgorod.
“The tour was amazing, I learned about the history of the country and saw the Volga, it is a very beautiful view. I heard a lot about it, but today I had a chance to see it myself. This is definitely a place I wish to live in”, said Nolvazi Zhuber Mabilisi.
The first pavilion of the Nizhny Novgorod Fair presented 30 photos of Russia’s sightseeing made by the winners of the Russian National Contest “From the Southern Seas to the Polar region”. Being in Nizhny Novgorod, the participants will have an opportunity to learn about the unique places in Russian regions, the Great Victory memorials, and the achievements of the country.
The “Symphony of Time: Feel, Live, Create!” immersive show helped the participants delve into history. They explored different historical eras: the Rus, the USSR, and the golden century of Russian culture. They visualized the historical landmarks and development of the country: the wooden huts on the screen turned into apartment buildings, footpaths into pavements, and forests into parks. The audience also saw the image of modern Russia of the 21st century – its cities and achievements. Actors interacted with the audience to the music of Georgy Sviridov “Time, Forward! VI», Muslim Magomayev “Ferris Wheel”, Eduard Khil “Trololo Song”. Today’s Russia was presented by a blend of vehicle hum, subway, news and modern rhythms with folk tunes.
“I liked the show very much; it had an amazing vibe. We felt ourselves like in cosmic space. I think it is very important to show something like that at the events, especially for the foreign guests, to make them familiar with our culture and history, shared her impressions, Diana Abdulkhairova, the World Youth Festival Assembly participant from Crimea.
Nizhny Novgorod became the capital of Phygital Games 2025 to be held from September 17 to 20. The Assembly participants watched the competition among the strongest cyber athletes in the phygital basketball and phygital hockey. 400 athletes from over 50 regions of Russia and representatives of Latvia and the Islamic Republic will take part in the competitions.
“I never watched phygital basketball and have a vague idea of the process. Let alone, I’m not an expert in normal basketball and video games. But I think it’s a great idea to combine the physical and digital space! I will watch the game with pleasure and make myself familiar with new sports”, said Khodor Hamdan, the World Youth Festival Assembly participant from Lebanon.
WYF Assembly also gave rise to the children’s program, gathering 200 schoolchildren from 14 to 17 years. Beside the participation in the main events of the Assembly, the schoolchildren will develop the projects focused on development of the children’s diplomacy, promotion of the values and projects of the Movement of the First, expansion of friendship between the participants of the Movement with the foreign participants, discussion of common ideas for their further elaboration in the projects and implementation of the tracks of the International Association of Children’s Organizations (IACO). Every day of the event for the teenagers will be dedicated to one of the key values: intercultural dialogue to unite the representatives from different countries, strengthen trust and synergy through teamwork, as well as respect for different opinions and joint creative work. The key goal is to help every child to feel not only as a participant but an ambassador of such values, establish connections with peers from other countries and get a practical impulse for launching their own projects. Young participants will visit the workshops aimed at creating a personal brand, acquire communication skills, and immerse themselves in the development of the projects of the tracks of the International Association of Children’s Organisations in the international teams. Children will also become the co-authors in the play theatre.
The general partners of WYF-2025 Assembly are the Russian Music Union, OJSC Russian Railways and Phygital Games. The general information partner is international TV channel RT, the general media partner is ANO Dialogue Regions, and the partner for the tour and regional programs is the “More than Trip” program. The strategic partner is VK Technology Company. The partner program was also joined by the “New Generation” program of Rossotrudnichestvo, the Movement of the First, the presidential platform “Russia is the Country of Opportunities”, Sovkombank, Avito Technology Company, Rosatom State Corporation, Russian Society Znaniye, Soyuzmultfum film production, the Government of Krasnoyarsk Territory, the Central Bank of Russia, and Rosmolodezh. Undertake, and Mashuk Knowledge Center. Information support of the event was provided by Rossiyskaya Gazeta, print house Argumenti I Fakty, African Initiative, and “Window to Russia project of ANO TV-News.
The World Youth Festival Assembly was organized by the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs (Rosmolodezh) and co-organised by the Government of the Nizhny Novgorod region. The operator is the World Youth Festival Directorate. The event is implemented as a part of the “Youth and Children” project.
Background:
In line with the orders of the RF President Vladimir Putin regarding preservation and development of the World Youth Festival heritage hosted by Sirius in 2024, which united 20,000 young people from 190 countries, festive activities will take place in the Russian Federation on an annual basis. The next World Youth Festival gathering 20,000 participants will take place in 2030. In 2026, the World Youth Festival will gather 10,000 participants. Every year, 2,000 participants will meet at the World Youth Festival Assembly dedicated to specific topics. The World Youth Festival Directorate continues to take efforts aimed at strengthening international cooperation among young people.
