Petersburg Seasons will present a large-scale cultural program during SPIEF 2026

The St. Petersburg Seasons SPIEF Cultural Festival in 2026 will bring together dozens of events, from concerts and theater premieres to exhibitions, excursions and city festivals. The program's events will take place from May 30 to June 6 and will cover key cultural venues in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region.

The festival starts on May 30 with the Leningrad retro rally in the Brusnitsyn cultural quarter. Guests will enjoy an exhibition of classic cars, a fashion show by St. Petersburg designers, a music program and a ceremonial launch of crews in vintage cars against the backdrop of the Gulf of Finland.

"The Petersburg Seasons Festival allows participants and guests of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum to see St. Petersburg as a modern cultural center where historical traditions are carefully preserved and new creative projects are being implemented at the same time. This year's program turned out to be particularly intense and covers the largest theater, museum and public spaces of the city," said Boris Piotrovsky, Vice Governor of St. Petersburg.

Already in the first days of the Festival, a large-scale museum and exhibition program will be available to SPIEF participants. Among the key projects is the exhibition "The Russian Imperative" in the Central Exhibition Hall "Manege", dedicated to understanding the military history of Russia and the artistic image of national identity, as well as the exhibition "Ballet. Earthly Gods" and "In the workshop of a theater artist" at the Theater Museum and the Sheremetyevo Palace.

The program includes dozens of theatrical productions by leading St. Petersburg stages: the Arkady Raikin Variety Theater, the Musical Comedy Theater, the N.P. Akimov Academic Comedy Theater, as well as projects by the Cannon Dance Center for Contemporary Choreography. The guests of the Forum will be presented with dramatic performances, musical productions, ballet and modern choreographic premieres.

One of the central events of the program will be the screening of the opera Tamerlane on the stage of the Mariinsky Theatre on June 4. The international production, previously presented in Tashkent and Dubai, combines the music of George Frideric Handel in a new interpretation with the national musical elements of Uzbekistan. The performance with the participation of more than 160 artists will be one of the largest theatrical projects of the Festival.

Cultural and historical routes will continue during the Forum. Participants will be able to visit Staraya Ladoga, one of the oldest centers of Russian statehood, which provides guided tours of the Ladoga Fortress, Varyazhskaya Street and ancient monasteries.

Also, as part of the St. Petersburg Seasons, the Sails of Kronstadt music, sports, and gastronomic festival will be held in the Ostrov Fortov Museum and Historical Park in Kronstadt. The program includes concerts, family activities, master classes, gastronomic projects and guided tours in the era of Peter I.

"In 2026, the St. Petersburg Seasons program became one of the largest in the entire history of the project. We tried to combine different cultural trends in it: theater, music, museum and exhibition projects, historical routes, city festivals and family formats. For SPIEF guests, this is an opportunity not only to get acquainted with the business agenda of the Forum, but also to feel the cultural atmosphere of St. Petersburg," said Ekaterina Ivanova, Deputy Director for Creative and Cultural Initiatives, Head of the Creative Projects Directorate.

A special place in the program of the Festival will be occupied by events dedicated to the Pushkin Day of Russia. During the SPIEF, St. Petersburg will host performances, concerts and cultural events related to the legacy of Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin, whose work remains an important part of the Russian cultural tradition.

The culmination of the Festival will be a large concert on the Palace Square on June 5, which will traditionally bring together Forum participants, residents and guests of St. Petersburg and will become one of the main open musical events of the cultural program of SPIEF-2026.

The program will end on June 6 with a series of major cultural events, including celebrations dedicated to the 260th anniversary of the Gatchina Palace, performances by the city's leading theater venues, the continuation of a large-scale exhibition program and the Sails of Kronstadt Festival in the Ostrov Fortov Museum and Historical Park.