Preparations for the International Festival of Youth 2026 formally began in Moscow on Tuesday with the inaugural meeting of the event’s Organising Committee, ahead of the festival scheduled to take place in Ekaterinburg in September 2026.

The large-scale international youth gathering, established by presidential decree, is expected to bring together about 10,000 young people from 190 countries.

The Organising Committee, chaired by Sergei Kiriyenko, First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office, comprises senior government officials, business leaders, university heads and representatives of major media organisations.

Speaking at the meeting, Mr Kiriyenko said the festival would serve as a global platform for young leaders from diverse fields, including science, technology, public administration, entrepreneurship, creative industries, sports and media.

He noted that foreign delegations would, for the first time, be formed according to participants’ areas of professional activity.

“The festival must become a space where young leaders see the real Russia—a country of opportunities and ambition,” he said, adding that its theme would be “Follow your dream. Together with Russia.”

A key feature of the programme will be regional expeditions across 30 Russian regions, designed to expose foreign participants to the country’s cultural diversity and everyday life.

For the first time, one foreign expedition is planned for Abkhazia, a country with close historical and cultural ties to Russia.

Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko said the festival would be held from 11 to 17 September 2026 and would involve 5,000 Russian participants, including 1,000 children aged 14 to 17, alongside 5,000 international participants.

About 2,000 volunteers are expected to support the event’s organisation.

He emphasised that foreign participants would be selected through an open competitive process to ensure the inclusion of talented and promising young people from across the world.

Officials from the Sverdlovsk Region and the Ministry of Science and Higher Education reported on infrastructure readiness, with the new campus of the Ural Federal University set to host participants.

Discussions at the meeting also focused on financing, security and logistical arrangements, with specialised working groups established to oversee key aspects of preparation.

The International Festival of Youth 2026 is organised by the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs, with the World Youth Festival Directorate serving as the event operator.

The festival builds on the legacy of the World Youth Festival held in 2024, which attracted 20,000 participants from 190 countries.