Wednesday 28/January/2026 – 08:17 AM
Hosted the Russian capital MoscowYesterday, the first meeting of the organizing committee for the preparation and implementation of the International Youth Festival 2026, which is implemented within the framework of the national project Youth and Children, and in accordance with a decree issued by Russian President Vladimir Putin, this large-scale international youth event will be held in the city of Yekaterinburg during the month of September 2026.
The meeting was chaired by Sergei Kiriyenko, First Deputy Head of the Russian Presidential Administration, and the organizing committee includes in its membership representatives of the Presidential Administration and the Russian government, federal executive bodies, heads of major Russian companies, and heads of leading Russian universities, in addition to representatives of media groups and Russian news agencies.
Sergei Kiriyenko said that the International Youth Festival will be held this year in Yekaterinburg, and will bring together 10,000 young people from 190 countries around the world, noting that one of the new features of the festival is the formation of foreign delegations according to their areas of activity and specializations.
He explained that the festival will witness the participation of elite representatives of creative industries, public administration, science and technology, sports, entrepreneurship, media, and the social sector, who are already contributing to shaping the future of their countries and the world.
He added: It is very important that the festival becomes a platform to showcase the best Russian projects and practices. We want to show young leaders the real Russia, a country of unlimited opportunities, where people know how to dream and turn their dreams into reality.
Kiriyenko stressed that choosing the festival’s slogan for 2026, “Follow your dream… with Russia,” reflects this vision, pointing out that the festival will be held in the Year of Unity of the Peoples of Russia declared by President Vladimir Putin, to become a unifying event that reflects the richness, diversity and uniqueness of the traditions of the peoples of Russia to the world.
The Chairman of the Organizing Committee proposed continuing the implementation of regional programs, which include exploratory trips for foreign participants to various regions of Russia, with the aim of introducing them to the real Russia away from the stereotypical images promoted by Western media, and providing them with the opportunity to learn about daily life, the rich cultural heritage, and experience the historical coexistence between hundreds of nationalities.
The regional program is scheduled to be implemented in 30 Russian regions, and the committee also decided for the first time to organize one foreign trip to a friendly country that enjoys deep historical and cultural ties with Russia, which is the Republic of Abkhazia.
International Youth Festival in Yekaterinburg
For his part, Dmitry Chernyshenko, Russian Deputy Prime Minister and Deputy Chairman of the Organizing Committee, stressed that hosting the International Youth Festival in Yekaterinburg represents a great responsibility, especially in light of the great success achieved by the World Youth Festival 2024 in Sirius.
Chernyshenko explained that the national youth and children project has been implemented since last year, and includes a federal project entitled Russia in the World, which aims to strengthen international youth cooperation and build a positive image of Russia abroad.
He added that the International Youth Festival will be held from September 11 to 17, 2026.
The Russian Deputy Prime Minister indicated that the festival will witness the participation of 5,000 Russian participants, including 1,000 children between the ages of 14 and 17 years, in addition to 5,000 participants from abroad, while 2,000 volunteers will participate in organizing and managing the event’s activities.
Chernyshenko also called for the selection of foreign delegations through an open competition, allowing the attraction of the most promising and talented young people according to the festival’s various tracks and programmes, calling on the federal authorities to submit their proposals for the program, especially with regard to the participation of young scientists, researchers, and representatives of culture and creative industries, sports, and education.
In turn, Grigory Gurov, Head of the Russian Federal Agency for Youth Affairs (Ros Molody) and Executive Secretary of the Organizing Committee, reviewed what had been accomplished so far, and presented the initial concept of the festival.
Gurov said: We want to show that Russia is a country where everyone can find their calling and realize their dreams. Participants will work together to draw a picture of the world of the future, where the dreams of young people turn into reality.
He explained that the concept of the World Youth City will be applied not only within the festival site, but also throughout the city of Yekaterinburg, through cultural programs, events, concerts and festivals that reflect the atmosphere of creativity, exchange of ideas and international cooperation.
