The RGS Festival

The Festival was first held in 2014. Thanks to modern multimedia technologies, the guests of the event were able to visit the North Pole, dive to the bottom of Lake Baikal, observe the life of the rarest cat in the world, feel like an archaeologist exploring the kurgan of the «Kyzyl — Kuragino» expedition, study the remains of mammoths, compare ecological «portraits» of Russian cities, and much more. Visitors saw films made with the grant support of the Russian Geographical Society, were able to taste dishes of national cuisines of our country, participate in workshops of folk crafts and, together with their children, take part in educational quizzes, quests, games, and science shows.

Each day of the Festival was dedicated to a specific topic: expeditions, research, nature conservation, science, regions, and partners of the Russian Geographical Society. The guests of the thematic days were famous travelers, scientists, photographers, creative teams, and TV presenters, who held a variety of lectures and presentations.

In 2015, the Festival’s exhibition was based on the principle of natural zones: Arctic and tundra, steppes and subtropics, mountains, forests, oceans, seas and rivers. Every visitor to the event could find themselves in a place in Russia where they had not yet had time to visit.

The Festival brought together not only the most exciting projects from all over Russia, but also became a venue for an exhibition of works by finalists and winners of the first All-Russian photo contest of the RGS «The Most Beautiful Country», as well as the first geographical dictation in the country’s history.

The Festival featured many workshops, flash mobs, interesting lectures, and screenings of documentaries and feature films. At the same time, each day was devoted to a specific topic: ethnography, tourism, expeditions, history, animated films, animal welfare, and much more. During the week, scientists, travelers, researchers, journalists, and photographers told the guests of the Festival about how huge, beautiful, and interesting our country was.

In 2017, more than 30 regions of the Russian Federation took part in the exhibition and the program of the event. FSUE Russian Post, the Miklukho-Maklai Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Russian Historical Society, the Russian Military History Society, and others became project partners.

The total area of the Festival’s exhibition was more than 6000 м².

The guests of the celebration got acquainted with the traditional dwellings of the peoples of Russia: they looked into a Russian izba, a Caucasian house, and a Cossack hut, visited a yurt from Bashkiria, a real chum of Tozhu Tuvans, and a Chukchi yaranga. The visitors got acquainted with authentic household items of the Amur Evenks and other peoples, learned what tur-yurgan and pastovets were, saw how and out of what materials houses were built in different parts of our country.

Costumes of the peoples of Russia were presented at the Festival. The guests saw the traditional outfits of the inhabitants of the North Caucasus, the Urals and the Volga Region, the North, Siberia and the Far East, learned about the purpose and features of the ornament, cut, and silhouette of each costume: from the Koryak kukhlyanka to the traditional outfit of a resident of the village of Balkhar (Republic of Dagestan). A Russian costume was shown separately. Visitors learned about the difference between the northern and southern costumes using the example of women’s festive outfits from the Bryansk, Vologda, Voronezh, and Ryazan Regions.

In the zone «Holidays, Rituals, and Games of the Peoples of Russia», people learned about when and how the Chukchi and Tuvans celebrated the new year, what wedding traditions the Mansi followed, and what role the hearth played in the life of the Vainakhs. A «Glade of Games» was also organized here: everyone participated in the traditional amusements of the Tatars, Buryats, Kalmyks, and also, following the long-standing tradition of many peoples of our country, tied a ribbon on the «Friendship Tree» and made wishes.

In 2019, the Festival was held in Zaryadye Park. The festival featured thematic days of the Urals and Bashkiria — the culture of the regions was presented by musical and dance groups from Yekaterinburg, Chelyabinsk, Tyumen, and Ufa. In addition, folk ensembles from Kursk, Ryazan, Arkhangelsk, Vologda, Lipetsk, Tomsk Regions, and Karelia performed on the stage. Truly unusual performances awaited the visitors of the festival. For example, the orchestra «Perezvony» performed hits of foreign music on Russian folk instruments.

During the festival, outdoor installations appeared on the territory of Zaryadye. The park housed the dwellings of the peoples of Russia: chum, yurt, yaranga, urasa, kuren, and a modern traveler’s house, the geodome. The guests of the festival, for example, learned that the Yakut urasa is the oldest frame dwelling, and during the construction of the Kuban hut (kuren), pieces of pet fur and poultry feathers are thrown into the foundation for a thriving home.

A stylized underwater vehicle «Bathyscaphe», which «plunged» the guests of the holiday into the depths of the White Sea and Lake Baikal, was prepared for the fans of deep-sea exploration. Visitors to the park saw a sea angel that lives only in the northern seas, and a Baikal seal.

Zaryadye hosted a reconstruction of a 19th-century White’s rescue whaleboat. Its design provided for special compartments that were filled with cork, so that the vessel became practically unsinkable — even completely filled with water, it remained afloat along with the crew and passengers.

Through the «travel doors» installed in the park, it was possible to go on virtual tours of the most interesting places in Russia together with the best guides of the country, finalists of the Russian Geographical Society’s «Best Guide of Russia» competition. One just had to ring a doorbell to be transported to Crimea, Stavropol Territory, or Karelia.

The V Festival of the Russian Geographical Society in 2022 was attended by more than 700,000 guests in 11 days. They were able to explore our country from Kaliningrad to Kamchatka, see the Arctic nature and animals in augmented reality, attend over 80 lectures and master classes, and get acquainted with the culture and way of life of the peoples of Russia.

One of the main themes of the event was once again the richness of the cultures of the peoples of Russia. In total, more than 50 regions of our country took part in the Festival. Folk groups performed on the Main Stage of Zaryadye, folk art workshops for children and adults were held in the Lecture Hall, and traditional indigenous dwellings, the Bashkir yurt and the Yakut urasa, were located right next to the Kremlin walls. The Festival guests were able to explore endangered species of animals, watch 360° movies in a VR cinema, see great Russian travelers brought to life in holographic reality, learn about the most interesting tourist attractions of the country, and be inspired to travel around Russia on their own.

In the year of the 180th anniversary of the Society, from July 12 to July 20, 2025, the VI RGS Festival was held at Moscow’s Zaryadye Park. About 600,000 people from most regions of Russia and foreign countries who are interested in geography became its visitors, thereby increasing the total number of guests of the RGS Festivals to 2 million people.

The main theme of the RGS Festival in 2025 was «Wonders of Russia»: protected areas, animals and plants, historical and cultural monuments. The RGS Festival was held throughout Zaryadye Park. The point of attraction for visitors was the Regions Square. One of the two stages of the RGS Festival was also put up here. For nine days, dozens of, ensembles, solo and group performers from different regions of our country performed on it. In the opposite part of the park was the second stage, where the Festival of Ecological Music was held. The artists performed dance and song numbers in tune with nature. Art installations were presented in the outdoor part of the exhibition of the RGS Festival.

One of the most visited locations of the RGS Festival was the VR cinema, set up for the first time this year in the open air. Films created with the participation of the RGS were broadcast here. A stand of the Youth Movement of the Society was set up for the first time at the RGS Festival. 95 events were held here: lectures, master classes, film screenings, quizzes, and intellectual games.

The exhibition of expedition equipment was a great success — visitors saw snow and swamp buggies, an all-terrain vehicle, an airboat, etc. 

Travelers, scientific educators, employees of museums, reserves, and state corporations spoke at the lecture in the «Reserve Embassy».

The Yakut holiday Yhуаkh took place on July 19. It attracted more than a thousand people with its grand ceremony in the meadow.

Some of the events of the RGS Festival were held at the Headquarters of the Society on Novaya Square. From July 12 to 19, excursions were held within its walls, attended by 290 people. On July 18, a round table on «Development of the Tourist and Cultural Potential of the Regions of Russia» was held in the media studio, organized by the RGS jointly with the social investment program «Rodnye Goroda» (eng. «Hometowns») of the «Gazprom Neft» company.

The total reach of the RGS Festival across all promotion channels amounted to 335 million users, more than 1,000 posts were published in the media, and more than 5,000 messages on social networks. The section of the RGS website about the RGS Festival was viewed more than 170,000 times.