July 28 — Navy Day: the history of the holiday, the main parade in St. Petersburg

On the last Sunday of July, the 27th, the celebration of the Day of the Navy of the Russian Federation will take place throughout the country. Parades on the water, concerts, exhibitions of military equipment and much more await the citizens of the country. For more information about the history of the holiday, as well as what events will be held in different cities of Russia, see the Izvestia article.

Navy Day 2024: the history and essence of the holiday

The idea of establishing the Navy Day was proposed more than 300 years ago by the Russian Emperor Peter I. On July 27 (August 7, New style), 1714, the fleet of the Russian Empire won a complete victory over the Swedes at Gangut (the naval battle of the Northern War of 1700-1721), which was the first grandiose achievement of Russian sailors in history. Peter the Great organized a big celebration in honor of this event with naval parades, fireworks and solemn divine services. Thus, the day of the Gangut Victory became the prototype of the Navy Day.

Later, Navy Day was celebrated on a smaller scale, with only a solemn prayer service. Parades of warships and gun salutes in honor of the July 27 holiday began to be organized only in the middle of the 19th century, and after the October Revolution the tradition was temporarily interrupted.

Navy Day began to be celebrated again in 1939, when, at the suggestion of People's Commissar of the USSR Navy Nikolai Kuznetsov, the Day of the USSR Navy was established. It was celebrated on July 24. Presumably, the date was not chosen by chance and was linked to the birthday of the People's Commissar himself. Thus, the Secretary General of the USSR, Joseph Stalin, wanted to celebrate his achievements.

The tradition of celebrating Navy Day on the last Sunday of July appeared only in 1980, the decision was fixed by the decree of the President of the Russian Federation of 2006.

Navy Day perpetuates the glory of military sailors, their courage and loyalty to the Motherland. It is celebrated not only by those who guard the maritime borders of Russia, but also by those who ensure the combat readiness of the fleet, their family members, employees working in naval institutions, as well as veterans of the Great Patriotic War.

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Navy Day in 2025: parade and program of events in St. Petersburg

Various events are held annually to celebrate Navy Day. Traditionally, the holiday begins with the formation of naval units, as well as the raising of the St. Andrew's flag on ships (the aft flag of the ships of the Russian Imperial Navy and the Navy of the Russian Federation, is a white cloth with a blue diagonal cross) and flags of colors (flags of the naval code of signals of the Russian Federation).

Naval parades and military sports celebrations are held on this day in the locations of the Northern, Pacific, Baltic and Black Sea Fleets, as well as the Caspian Flotilla.

At the time of the publication of the article, the official celebration plan had not yet been published, so the program below is based on the example of last year.

St. Petersburg has traditionally become the main venue of the holiday. One of the highlights should be a concert on the Palace Square. It usually starts at 1:30 p.m. It is also expected that Russian pop stars will perform, and military orchestras from around the world can please with their presence.

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Traditionally, the program of the Navy Day in St. Petersburg starts with the lighting of torches on Rostral Columns. The holiday usually takes place in two stages: from 10:00 to 14:00 the main parade of military vessels takes place, and from 22:00 to 23:30 time is given to evening festive events.

On the evening of Navy Day, the Palace Bridge is illuminated in the colors of the St. Andrew's flag.

In general, the schedule of events in St. Petersburg on Navy Day may look like this:

— 10:00-12:30 — the parade of ships on the Neva, which will be preceded by a volley from 12 guns of the Andreevsky battery at the Peter and Paul Fortress. The Russian national anthem will be played, and the St. Andrew's flag will be hoisted on the Aurora cruiser. Traditionally, dozens of ships will take part in the naval parade, including missile and anti-submarine vessels, cruisers, destroyers and submarines. The parade itself is usually accompanied by an aviation show. The broadcast will be carried out on federal channels.;

— 13:30 — the beginning of the concert and festivities on the Palace Square;

— 18:30-20:45 — evening concert on the Palace Square;

— 22:30 — fireworks display.

There may be changes in the program.

How Navy Day is celebrated in other Russian cities

Historically, St. Petersburg remains the main place to celebrate Navy Day, but other major Russian port cities also celebrate the holiday. On July 28, mass events will be held in Kronstadt, Sevastopol, Vladivostok, Baltiysk, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and other cities.

Kronstadt. At the time of the article's publication, it was not known whether the naval part of the parade would take place in this port city, but it is important to note that in 2024 it was canceled, despite the fact that ships had already arrived in the city. They were sent back to the military bases of the Northern Fleet.

Sevastopol. For security reasons, it can be assumed that in 2025, as well as in 2024, the maritime part of the celebration will also not take place. Despite this, many concerts, exhibitions, workshops and educational events were planned in the city last year.

Severomorsk. The celebration of Navy Day in Severomorsk traditionally begins with the laying of flowers at the monument to the Heroes of the North Sea on Primorsky Square. A parade of garrison troops usually takes place there, and the start time of the holiday usually falls at 11:00 a.m. Crews of warships of the submarine forces and the Kola Flotilla, missile ships, and auxiliary fleet services usually take part in the events.

Baltiysk. The Baltic Fleet's home port traditionally becomes the venue for the naval parade on Navy Day, which begins at 10:00 a.m. A festive concert is usually held on Baltiyskaya Slava Square at about 12:00. In general, from 10:00 to 17:00, everyone attends exhibitions of weapons, military equipment and ships on Navy Day.

Vladivostok. The program for July 27 is also not yet known at the base of the Pacific Fleet of the Russian Federation. Judging by last year, it may look like this:

— 10:00-13:00 — ship parade and theatrical performance (for invited guests of the Pacific Fleet);

— 18:00-22:00 — concert and other events of the Day;

— 22:00 — fireworks.

Residents and guests of Vladivostok can also enjoy free walking tours on July 27, the duration of which usually varies from 1.5 to 2 hours.

Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. The celebration of Navy Day last year began at 10:20 a.m. with the laying of flowers at the monument to the first governor of Kamchatka. The parade was scheduled for the period from 10:40 to 12:00. After that, a concert, demonstrations and performances of creative teams are usually held in the city.

At 22:00, the Navy Day ends with a festive fireworks display.