The "Scarlet Sails" is a celebration that is awaited all year long. Hundreds of school graduates bid farewell to the ship of their childhood under the bursts of fireworks. St. Petersburg is the only city in Russia where the school graduation turns into a citywide celebration. The "Scarlet Sails" is a festival where a grand show of light and music unfolds on land and water. In 2026, the festival will take place on the night of June 27-28. Feeling like the heroes of Alexander Grin's tale, saying goodbye to school life, and thinking about a new, adult life has become a tradition for many generations of graduates: the "Scarlet Sails" is a long-standing tradition of the Northern capital. The festival first took place in 1968. At that time, a brigantine with scarlet sails sailed along the Neva, mesmerizing thousands of Leningrad schoolchildren. This continued until 1979: romantic sails, beautiful music, spiced with dreams of a bright future. However, in the 1980s, the tradition was interrupted and was only remembered again in 2005. The revival of the "Scarlet Sails" was justified: the show became more powerful and vibrant, attracting more and more spectators each year. The "Scarlet Sails" is not just a city graduation. The festival unites the citizens and attracts tourists to St. Petersburg. Photo: Regina Erofeeva / Shutterstock / FOTODOM To learn more about the history of the festival, you can read our article. First, a musical show will take place at Palace Square. Invitations to the musical show are received only by the graduates - the honorees of the celebration. After 00:40, the celebration continues in the water: under the bursts of fireworks, a frigate with scarlet sails sails along the Neva. The festivities continue until morning, and the flashes of fireworks illuminate the already bright sky of St. Petersburg. Photo: FOTOGRIN / Shutterstock / FODODOM The "Scarlet Sails" of 2019 was recognized as the best festival in the world. In 2019, guests saw a new ship, the brig "Russia". And in 2020, the festival took place for the first time in the waters of the Gulf of Finland: the concert was shown online due to the pandemic. At that time, the project also won the prestigious Global Eventex Awards, winning in four categories: "Art Event", "Celebration of the Year".