Registration is now open for the Gorozhane Guest Program of the International Festival of Youth. Up to 5,000 residents of the Sverdlovsk Region will have the opportunity to attend Festival events in Ekaterinburg. Applications must be submitted no later than August 10 through the official website of the World Youth Festival Directorate – the International Platform of Opportunities.

Russian citizens aged 14 and older who are permanent residents of the Sverdlovsk Region are eligible to participate in the selection process. Applicants are required to complete an application and submit a questionnaire that includes a motivational essay.

“It is important to us that residents of the Sverdlovsk Region become full participants in the International Festival of Youth hosted in their own region. They will have the chance to share stories about their homeland, present their ideas, and engage with young leaders from 190 countries. Ekaterinburg is welcoming the world, and we want the people of the Sverdlovsk Region to be an integral part of this cultural dialogue,” said Dmitry Ivanov, Director General of the World Youth Festival Directorate.

Residents of the Sverdlovsk Region will be able to visit the Festival site from September 13 through 16. The program includes access to exhibition spaces, guided tours of the Festival grounds, cultural and special activities, a gastronomic area, as well as open sessions and meetings with industry leaders. Participants who successfully pass the competitive selection will receive complimentary transportation to the IFY – 2026 venue and a personal accreditation pass.

Being the part of the Youth and Children national project, the IFY will take place from September 11 to 17, 2026, in Ekaterinburg and will bring together 10,000 participants from 190 countries – 5,000 from Russia and 5,000 from abroad – including 1,000 teenagers between the ages of 14 and 17. Delegates will represent creative industries and art, public administration, science and education, sports, entrepreneurship, media, digitalization and IT, and civic engagement.

Held under the motto “Follow Your Dreams,” the Festival will serve not only as a platform for open international dialogue and cross-cultural unity but also as a showcase of Russia’s most advanced projects and practices. It will offer foreign young leaders a firsthand view of the real Russia – a country of boundless opportunity, where every individual can discover their calling and turn their aspirations into reality.

Overview:

The World Youth Festival took place in Sirius on March 1-7, 2024, according to the Decree of Russian President Vladimir Putin on the development of international youth cooperation. The WYF-2024 brought together 20,000 young leaders from 190 countries.

In line with the Russian President’s instructions to preserve and further develop the legacy of the World Youth Festival, festival events are now held annually across the Russian Federation. In 2025, the World Youth Festival Assembly was held in Nizhny Novgorod, bringing together 2,000 young people from 120 countries. In 2026, the International Festival of Youth will welcome 10,000 participants. The next World Youth Festival for 20,000 participants will take place in 2030.

The World Youth Festival Directorate continues its work to strengthen international youth cooperation and develop a global community of young people committed to shaping a better future.