The first rehearsal of the "Scarlet Sails" celebration took place in St. Petersburg

St. Petersburg is preparing for one of the main events of the summer — the alumni holiday "Scarlet Sails". The first rehearsal of the celebration took place in the city: The legendary brig Rossiya sailed along the Neva River, and experts carefully worked out the route and all the technical details. This year, more than 70,000 graduates and millions of viewers will be able to see the holiday on June 27.

For this event, bridges in the city are built before sunset, and guests from all over the country come to the embankments. Izvestia correspondent Natalia Oskerko noted that the image of the "shining mass of scarlet sails", which Alexander Green wrote about, is coming to life in the Neva River. According to her, the audience has a rare opportunity to see the legendary brig Rossiya live — during the first rehearsal without fireworks and festive lighting, but already making a strong impression and attracting the eye.

Many viewers admit that they manage to make a wish at the sight of a sailboat, which has long become a symbol of youthful hopes and faith in the future.

"All this is not a prop, and there are no actors on board. Brig Rossiya is a real sailing ship with a professional crew and its own captain. He is ready to embark on a big voyage at any moment," Oskerko said.

The vessel, converted from a fishing trawler using modern and classic shipbuilding technologies, reaches speeds of up to 16 knots (more than 30 km/h), but during the holiday it goes slower. The total area of the scarlet sails exceeds 900 sq. m.

Oleg Nikolaev, captain of the Brig Rossiya, explained that the training requires several days of training.

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"Wind and current affect the movement of the brig. That's why we're given a few days to train. 15-20 passes precede the fact that we appear in the water area on a holiday," he said.

This year's route will remain traditional: the start at the Senate Square, the passage under the Palace Bridge and a spectacular 360-degree turn in front of the Winter Groove. All elements of the show are synchronized to the second.

"The fireworks, the music and the passage of the sailboat should match perfectly so that the viewer sees a complete and beautiful picture," said Anton Alekseev, a sailor of the brig Rossiya.

The audience of the first rehearsal has already shared their impressions, calling what they saw "a real miracle" and "magic."

The Scarlet Sails 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. Today, the celebration remains one of the most striking urban traditions, which graduates and viewers around the world are waiting for every year.

The Scarlet Sails 2025 holiday was awarded the main national television award TEFI in the Entertainment Broadcasting category on June 8. The award ceremony took place in Moscow. The online broadcast on the Internet attracted 13.7 million people. Another 300,000 watched the graduation live on large street screens in major cities.

The concert part of the alumni celebration "Scarlet Sails — 2025" on May 29 also received the silver award of one of the key creative awards of Russia "Silver Mercury" in the nomination "Best Mass event". The jury highly appreciated the quality of the organization of the event, the reach of the audience, the effectiveness of interaction with it and the constant growth of brand awareness.