Moscow time: VK Fest was held at VDNKH for the first time
VK Fest 2026 has ended in Moscow. The final point of the festival's route, which this summer passed through Kazan, St. Petersburg and Nizhny Novgorod, was the capital. On July 18 and 19, the event was hosted by VDNH for the first time. The festival took place on an area of 95 hectares, and the organizers announced a full sale on the first day. Among the headliners were Zivert, Eva Polna, Vanya Dmitrienko, Jony, Moth, Yuri Loza, Olga Seryabkina, Artur Pirozhkov and many others. The guests also met with famous actors, athletes and bloggers, including actor Maxim Matveev and goalkeeper of the French club Paris Saint-Germain Matvey Safonov. The details are in the Izvestia report.
85 thousand people attended VK Fest in Moscow
Once upon a time, people walked along the alleys of VDNKH to pursue the dream of tomorrow, embodied in the pavilions of the Exhibition of Achievements of the National Economy. Today they have become the natural decorations of one of the main music festivals in the country — VK Fest. And there is a beautiful continuity of the past with the present.
At the new venue, the festival reached a different scale — 95 hectares and 85 thousand visitors. All tickets were sold out in the middle of the first day.
"My team and I actually put together a new festival. We've been at Luzhniki Stadium for two years in a row. VDNKH is about new logistics, new scenes, and new solutions. It's a big responsibility because we take great care of our audience. 85,000 people have chosen us in Moscow this year. This means that we are doing everything right," said Zoya Novikova, head of VK Fest.
The Russian National anthem traditionally opened the musical program. This year it was performed by Tatiana Kurtukova, whose song "Mother" has become one of the most notable musical phenomena in the country in recent years and has become widely known far beyond its borders.
The program has become a cross-section of the modern Russian scene. The nostalgic pop lyrics of Eva Polna and the intelligent hip-hop of Antokha MC, the dance hits of Zivert and the Ural rap of Vitya AK, the rock classics of Vadim Samoilov and the youth pop of Vanya Dmitrienko, the cult duo of the early 2000s t.A.T.u. and the hard trap of the new school Icegergert met on the same platform.
Maxim Matveev and Matvey Safonov in the lecture hall
The lecture hall's program turned out to be no less intense, where guests could not only hear the stars, but also ask them questions. Writer Daria Dontsova talked about what remains between the lines, actresses Ekaterina Volkova, Nika Zdorik and Eva Smirnova talked about their profession and life off the set, and Maxim Matveev talked about working on the international Russian-Chinese project "Black Silk", in which he played the role of the legendary intelligence officer Richard Sorge. The film will be released on wide screens in 2027.
"In one scene, I had to play in three languages at once — it's very difficult, because languages are difficult for me, despite all my meticulousness. I spoke to one partner in French, asked for help in German, and had to communicate with another actor in English. It is curious that at that moment it turned out to include feelings. This is strange because when we speak other languages, we don't have an emotional associative series. I love you means nothing to us. But it worked out there!" said Maxim Matveev during the meeting.
One of the most anticipated meetings for sports fans was communication with the goalkeeper of the French "Paris Saint-Germain" Matvey Safonov and his wife Marina Kondratyuk. The couple explained why the official registration of the marriage and the wedding celebration took place almost a year and a half apart.
"We live in Paris, and we don't always have the opportunity to come on certain dates. Therefore, it was decided to sign at the Russian Embassy in Paris. We did it on February 25th, my birthday. Since then, there has been unfinished business — a sense of understatement due to the fact that we were unable to share this holiday with family and friends. That's why we planned to do it when we have the opportunity. And it was just on my first long summer vacation," Matvey Safonov explained to the guests.
On the same evening, many people's attention was focused on the upcoming World Cup final, which was also discussed by the guests of the festival.
"Argentina!" singer Katya Lel predicted the finale.
While music was playing on the stages and meetings were taking place in the lecture hall, the main alley of VDNKH turned into a podium. The blue Carpet has once again become an independent event of the festival. Glucose came out in a futuristic set, partly reminiscent of the image of Milla Jovovich from The Fifth Element. Instead of a magnificent hairstyle, there is an imitation of a bald spot and an artificial mohawk. Olga Seryabkina transformed into a blonde and sang with Dima Urikh their joint hit "8901".
At the end of the Moscow VK Fest, the Russian national anthem was played again. It was performed by Julia Parshuta.
The Megamix show took over the baton. The format, which debuted in 2024, has become one of the main traditions of the festival in two seasons. Its principle remains unchanged: artists replace each other without pauses, and dozens of hits from different years form a single musical canvas.
Oleg Gazmanov and his "Clear Days" opened the mix. The actor recalled that in a few days he would be 75 years old. Hollyflame came out with his version of "Lyubochka" by Masha and the Bears, Irakli with "World War II Plague," Alexander Serov with "I Love You to Tears," Alliance with the eternal hit "At Dawn," Yuri Loza sang "On a Small Raft" in the crowd, Tim Belorussky he rose on a crane above an audience of thousands with "Wet Crosses".
Dima Bilan closed the program — he became a secret guest of the festival. The singer performed an AI version of "Grey Night" by blogger August Septemberov.
For VK Fest, the move to VDNKh was not just a change of venue, but a test of the festival on a new scale. Judging by the full house and 85,000 spectators over two days, the experiment turned out to be a success: the event retained its usual format and at the same time fit into the space of one of the main venues in the capital.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
