The largest rock music festival "Fly Away-2026" started in Udmurtia

Fly Away, one of the country's largest rock festivals, kicked off in Udmurtia on July 8, and for many this event has become really long-awaited. Fans are ready to travel thousands of kilometers to hear their favorite bands. They even go with whole families. After all, such atmospheric performances happen only a few days a year.

The huge field and sky seem to have little room for the stringy bass and guitar riffs. There are so many tents that it dazzles the eyes.

"There are three stages at once, rock for every taste throughout the five days of the festival. And thousands of fans. They have just arrived from all over the country and are already putting on mohawks, trying on stylish merch, evaluating the food court menu and rushing to the sounds of the first chords. And now there is no field, no forest, no borders — there is only music," said Maxim Oblender, a correspondent for Izvestia.

"There are a lot of cool bands that I like, the atmosphere is cool, the people are first and foremost, as if we are becoming one big family. It has a different atmosphere and place. You completely disconnect from everyday life. You get completely immersed when you come here," the festival visitors share their impressions.

For the 19th time, the festival has become a venue that literally serves as a runway for young artists.

"The idea is simple. Russian Russian-speaking groups are welcome here, and there is a reference point to Russian culture and Russian poetry. To counterbalance some of this pop culture," said Stanislav Nepogodin, general producer of the Fly Away festival.

"Aria", "Kalinov Bridge", "Earring", "Pilot", "Alice", Vyacheslav Butusov — and this is not the whole list. Almost a hundred cult Russian rock bands. Line-up of a music lover's dreams under the scorching sun

"You start to swim from the heat at some point, but you have to keep your face up. You're supposed to be an artist. I was sweating profusely. I had to jump, jump, my eyes stung," said musicians of the band VERE DICTUM Sergey Tolstukhin and Nikita Sekatsky.

And the festival is just heating up. The main stage of the REN TV festival will start working today, where the best musicians will perform. The set with the main hits of "Picnic" will last 70 minutes.

"God forbid anything new, because, imagine, you go to a concert of your favorite band, and they don't perform their favorite songs, but perform something new," said Edmund Shklyarsky, the leader of the Picnic group.

The challenge for fans is not to disrupt the voices. And for the artists. Half of the group "Picnic" are musicians of another group "Incognito". First, perform on one stage, exhale and return to the audience again.

"The Fly Away Festival is almost the main event of the summer, not only for me, but also for many musicians and the audience," said musician Stanislav Shklyarsky.

And now there's no need to wait. Slams, firelights, first marriages at the festival registry office, food on the campfire and a lively, high-flying sound that no streaming, no headphones will transmit.

The Ural Music Night music festival ended in Yekaterinburg on June 22. He was remembered for his loud and unexpected hits, new discoveries and, of course, his scale. This year, almost half a million people sang their favorite compositions on the streets of the city from night to dawn.