The brig Rossiya, under scarlet sails, entered the waters of the Neva River

The main symbol of the graduates' holiday "Scarlet Sails – 2026", the brig Rossiya, entered the waters of the Neva River. At the event in St. Petersburg, the passage of the ship under the festive fireworks is the culmination of a grandiose show.

This year, the brig Rossiya started at the Senate Square, then it will pass through the open gate of the Palace Bridge, after which it will make a 360-degree turn at the Winter Groove, and then continue moving towards the Troitsky Bridge to greet all graduates. The return route of the brig will run from Troitsky to the Palace Bridge along the Palace Embankment.

The water and pyrotechnic show of the Scarlet Sails holiday will acquire a special artistic concept inspired by the images of Russian fairy tales. The organizers of the show appeal to archetypes that are understandable to everyone: friendship, kindness, love, loyalty, and the choice of a life path.

Running on the waves: which Soviet classic formed the basis of "Scarlet Sails"

The stories of the creation of the epic film about Assol and the legendary holiday are in the Izvestia special project

As part of the celebration this year, for the first time, the presenters themselves will become part of a musical and theatrical performance and will sing. Together with them, the whole country will hear the voices of the TRITIA group, Julia Peresild and the MANDRAGORA group. Filatov and Karas, Alex Lim, Alyona Sviridova, Lucy Chebotina, Yelka, Tatiana Kurtukova will rock the Palace. The participants of the national casting will take the stage in front of the stars. This is also a tradition, with half a thousand applications submitted in 2026. Dancers, singers, presenters, musicians — the jury looked at a hundred numbers a day, it was not easy to make a choice.

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.