Preparations for the Scarlet Sails Alumni Celebration have begun in St. Petersburg.

Preparations for the Scarlet Sails Alumni Celebration have begun in St. Petersburg. The main symbol of the event, the Brig Rossiya, was launched after wintering. This was reported by Izvestia on May 22.

It is noted that the ship is a delight for both children and adults.

It takes a whole year to prepare for the holiday, as the ship cannot stay on the water in winter and spends the cold season in a special hangar. About a month and a half before the event, the brig is launched, which requires a complex procedure for moving along the rails.

The ship Rossiya was built in 1958 and underwent reconstruction in 2019. Modernization has allowed to preserve its historical appearance and improve maneuverability characteristics.

Preparations are currently underway for the next stage, the installation of masts using a large giant crane. Changes were also made to the geometry of the waterline and the bowsprit, to which the tricolor is attached, was repaired. Captain Oleg Nikolaev noted that the team is calculating the mathematical model of the vessel's movement to optimize its maneuvering.

"The vessel has very specific moments of maneuvering: these are speed, direction, and so on. We calculate a mathematical model of the ship's movement, accordingly, during the first rehearsal we check it, adjust it, and strive to bring it to perfection," explained Oleg Nikolaev, captain of the brig Rossiya.

The Scarlet Sails holiday has become a hallmark of St. Petersburg and annually gathers tens of thousands of graduates. It was first held in 1968, but after a few years the tradition was interrupted. It was restored in 2005 on the initiative of ROSSIYA Joint Stock Bank, the government of St. Petersburg and Channel Five. The show has received numerous international awards in the event industry and continues to amaze with new decorations, special effects and stars.

Anastasia Tyurina, known for her performances at various venues, will be among the participants of the celebration.

"In a couple of years, in fact, I will also be a graduate, I will also stand with a ribbon, maybe I will cry at graduation. I really want to do everything in my power to make everything go well," the girl said.

Graduates are also looking forward to this day with excitement. Fyodor Dubitsky from GBOU Lyceum No. 369 admitted that he would not be able to hold back tears at the moment of saying goodbye to school, and Anna Ryabchenko considers this event an important step into adulthood.

On March 20, the Governor of St. Petersburg, Alexander Beglov, announced that the organizers had begun preparations for the annual Scarlet Sails alumni celebration, with the date of the celebration set for June 28.

In 2024, the graduation celebration was held for the 20th anniversary after the resumption of the celebration tradition. On the night of June 29, thousands of graduates from all over Russia attended a large-scale and long-awaited event. The holiday was revived after a long-term hiatus in 2005 on the initiative of ROSSIYA Joint Stock Bank, the government of St. Petersburg and Channel Five.