If you ever hear me say that I'm going to the dress rehearsal of the Scarlet Sails Festival again - remind me that it's a bad idea! It's hard to see anything during the dress rehearsal. The embankments are blocked off and ordinary spectators can't get close enough. This is, of course, reasonable - otherwise, even more people would come to the dress rehearsal than to the holiday.
The excitement is connected with the fact that, on the one hand, "Scarlet Sails" is the most beautiful summer city festival. And on the other hand, for the majority of ordinary residents and tourists the sites of this festival are completely inaccessible. The "Scarlet Sails" holiday is held only for one category of people - for school leavers. All others can watch the holiday only on television and internet broadcasts.
I have never been to this holiday. In the year when I was graduating from high school this holiday was not held. After the graduation party former schoolchildren just went for a walk around the city, nobody arranged special theatrical performances and concerts on the main city square and the Neva embankments. Although the idea of the festival originated in the 1960s, in 1979 the festival was cancelled. The festival was re-launched only in 2005. My generation was not lucky!
The festival takes place in June on one of the brightest summer nights. The day closest to the summer solstice is chosen for the festival. One of the shortest days was also chosen for the dress rehearsal and it was held on 27 June. The main performance of the festival is the passage of a sailing ship with scarlet sails along the Neva River. At the same time a fireworks display is organised. Judging by photos and video, it is a spectacle of extraordinary beauty.
In June there are several rehearsals of the holiday. During the rehearsals, the sailing ship rises upstream. Bridges over the Neva River are raised for the time of the sailing ship's passage. During the first rehearsals the ship practices its manoeuvres, and during the general rehearsal there is a full run-through of the theatrical action, except for fireworks.
Last time I went to see the ship at a regular rehearsal. I chose a convenient spot on the quayside, thoroughly enjoyed the spectacle and took lots of photos that time. I found in my archive some photos taken in 2022 to give you a better idea of what was going on. Because this time the ship was too far away and most of my photos only show people who also came to the dress rehearsal hoping to see this beautiful spectacle.
Information about rehearsal times is not secret. For rehearsals, car traffic is blocked across bridges over the Neva River, and information about road closures is always published in advance. The city's social media groups process this information and inform everyone about the time of the upcoming rehearsals. Perhaps someone was able to choose a better point for observation, but from my shore I was able to see a little. Nevertheless, I don't regret going to this rehearsal at all, the walk on a summer evening was a pleasure in itself.
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| Smartphone | Google Pixel 3a |
| Location | Saint Petersburg, Russia |