Dancing robot met graduates at the Scarlet Sails in St. Petersburg

The main alumni celebration "Scarlet Sails — 2026" in St. Petersburg this year began with an unusual meeting. A dancing robot appeared on the playground in front of the children, which became one of the first symbols of the evening and showed how the festival program combined art, modern technology and the atmosphere of a vibrant urban event.

The robot greeted yesterday's students before the start of the main part of the program. This format immediately set the mood of the future for the holiday: graduates, for whom "Scarlet Sails" is the boundary between school life and a new stage, met not only with tradition, but also with the image of a new time.

The evening program on the Palace Square will begin at 22:00. Graduates will be congratulated by Tatiana Kurtukova, Julianna Karaulova, the family duo of Alena Sviridova and Grigory Miroshnichenko, Julia Peresild and the band "MANDRAGORA", Yelka, Alex Lim and Lucy Chebotina.

Closer to midnight, the main action will move to the Neva River. There, the audience will enjoy a water and pyrotechnic show based on Russian fairy tales. The culmination of the holiday will be the passage of the snow-white brig Rossiya under scarlet sails. By tradition, it symbolically guides graduates into adulthood.

The Scarlet Sails holiday was revived in 2005 after a long-term hiatus on the initiative of ROSSIYA Joint Stock Bank, the Government of St. Petersburg and Channel Five.

"Scarlet Sails" – 2026: what time is the start and who will perform at the main graduation ceremony in Russia

The festive program will begin at 20:00, and from 22:00 Russian pop stars will take the stage.

On the same day, it was reported that viewers around the world would immerse themselves in the magical atmosphere of one of the largest and most beautiful events of the summer. Channel Five will show the alumni celebration "Scarlet Sails – 2026" on television, on the website and on official social media accounts. Viewers of foreign media holdings and TV channels with an audience of millions will also be able to watch the broadcast.

In 2026, the water and pyrotechnic show of the Scarlet Sails festival 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.