Hundreds of cultural events on the theme of space are held in Russia during Space Week

Space Week in Russia is not only about science and technology, but also a large—scale cultural dialogue in which space acts as a source of inspiration for artists, directors, theater workers and musicians. During these seven days, hundreds of film screenings, performances, exhibitions, lectures and other cultural events are taking place all over Russia.

Olga Lyubimova, Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation, notes that interest in space subjects in art is growing every year. Modern cinema, with the help of advanced technologies, allows viewers to feel like participants in space events. Russian filmmakers were the first in the world to make a feature film directly in space — this is the Challenge project, which has become a landmark event for Russian and world culture.

"Of course, art is not limited to cinema. Theater groups create productions inspired by space discoveries, space artists embody images of the universe in their works, and museums organize historical and modern expositions dedicated to space exploration," Lyubimova said.

One of the most difficult tasks facing theatrical figures is to create a sense of belonging in the viewer in the context of a limited set of visual techniques. Nevertheless, the theater is getting closer to the stars: Roscosmos and the Moscow Art Theater have been implementing a number of joint projects over the past few years. Artists travel to cosmodromes and enterprises of the rocket and space industry, Russian cosmonauts have a good tradition of attending performances at the Moscow Art Theater before a long expedition to the International Space Station. A unique event was the holding of a literary and musical evening at the Vostochny cosmodrome technical complex, where famous Russian artists played for those who prepare rockets and spacecraft for sending into space.

"Space is boundless in itself and is an equally boundless source of inspiration. I am sure that such a large—scale event as Space Week will cause a new surge of interest in this topic among people of the creative world," said Konstantin Khabensky, People's Artist of Russia, Artistic Director of the Moscow Art Theater.

Since April 6, the exhibition "From Gagarin to You" has been held in Russian museums and exhibition spaces, in the Moscow metro, embassies and Russian homes abroad. The idea of the exhibition is to make space intimate and show the life of astronauts as if the viewer is leafing through a family album.

"It is difficult to find an environment less welcoming to humans than outer space. And it is all the more valuable that when selecting materials for this exhibition, the authors focus the viewer's attention on the human component. By studying these photographs, everyone will be able to understand a little better people who are willing to go beyond the usual limits, risk their lives to open up new perspectives for all mankind," said Elena Gagarina, Director General of the Moscow Kremlin State Historical and Cultural Museum—Reserve.

Another unique event is the personal exhibition "People of Space" opened in Moscow on April 8. The authors of the works are photographers from ANO Roscosmos Media, who, like no one else, are able to capture the pre—launch life of cosmodromes. Thanks to them, visitors will be able to see the sending of crews into space, preparations for the launch of spacecraft and rocket launch from unique access points. Also, the capital has opened the highest space—themed exhibition in Europe - the exhibits are located on the observation deck of the Ostankino Tower, which has the status of the highest observation deck in Europe.

Performances dedicated to Yuri Gagarin and Konstantin Tsiolkovsky are taking place in Moscow, Ryazan, Yaroslavl, Novosibirsk, where viewers can see space through the eyes of dreamers who turned an idea into reality. Yesterday, on April 9, 300 cinemas in Russia hosted free film screenings of the film "Gagarin. Embracing the world." A film that tells about the feat of Yuri Gagarin and his influence on people all over the planet.

In addition, several films about space were launched for wide distribution during Space Week. Among them are the family film "My Dog is an astronaut" and the drama "Space falls Asleep." A number of popular science films are presented to the audience. For example, the painting "The Flight that changed the World" is based on declassified documents and tells about the events preceding the historic flight of Yuri Gagarin. The international book exhibition of intellectual literature Non/fiction 2026 hosted the event "This is How Space Begins", dedicated to children's space literature. Peter Publishing House has presented new children's books "We live on Saturn" and "Fireworks in Space. The Amazing Adventures of the Cosmonaut cat", created with the support of Roscosmos. Hero of Russia, cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov took part in the event.

On April 10, the National Space Center will host the presentation of a new documentary film, "Flight that Changed the World," dedicated to the feat of Yuri Gagarin. The authors of the film set themselves an ambitious task: not just to retell the textbook events of April 12, 1961, but to show them with the utmost documentary accuracy, using modern cinema language and advanced technologies.

The exhibition "Space between Us" has become the main event of the Space Week in Kursky Zheleznogorsk. Visitors will find unique photographs by Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko, Ivan Wagner and Alexander Gorbunov. The exhibition will allow you to see the Earth through the eyes of those who have been working 400 km above the Ground for months. The exhibition also features rare copies of previously secret documents — instructions for the Vostok spacecraft, Yuri Gagarin's dialogues with the Mission Control Center, a unique drawing of the spacesuit of the first cosmonaut of the planet, author's space dolls, including a figure of Yuri Gagarin only 2.5 cm tall. The exhibits are unique and exist in a single copy. The exhibition is a special project of the Roscosmos State Corporation and the Art, Science and Sport Foundation.

Space Week takes place in Russia from April 6 to April 12. On December 29, the President of Russia signed a decree on the annual holding of the Week. In 2026, it is timed to coincide with the 65th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin's flight into space.

Space Week will bring together hundreds of events across the country, from educational campaigns and scientific forums to cultural and sporting events.

The organizer of the Space Week is the State Corporation Roscosmo.