The idea of ​​​​renewing the tradition originated in the Joint-Stock Bank "RUSSIA", which Channel Five and the Government of St. Petersburg supported, and all over the place - made the dream of thousands of schoolchildren come true. Thus, by the will of people who have not lost the ability to turn a fairy tale into reality, the magical extravaganza again became a reality. Joint Stock Bank "RUSSIA" - Together with RUSSIA!

Every year “Scarlet Sails” surprises both the graduates - the main characters of the holiday, and the multi-million spectator audience, introducing new, unexpected elements into the program of the most romantic night of the year. But the climax always remains the same: to the sounds of solemn music and volleys of fireworks, a ship with scarlet sails appears in the waters of the Neva.

Throughout the history of the holiday, the role of a sailing ship, a symbol of hope and love, has been played by a variety of ships. One of the first was the schooner "Leningrad", a sailing ship with a stunningly interesting fate.

Schooner "Leningrad" under scarlet sails
Photo: parusniki.info

In St. Petersburg, just 7 years after the founding of the city, a decree of Peter the Great was issued, addressed to wealthy residents of the new capital: “... Those who live in St. Petersburg, during the wind, travel along the Neva River on ships with sails...”

There were few people willing to sail, which upset the tsar, and then 141 ships were distributed free of charge to eminent St. Petersburg residents. Upon a special signal, the owners of sailing and rowing ships had to gather in a certain place and take joint two- to four-hour walks along the river. The Nevsky Fleet, later renamed the Imperial River Yacht Club, became the first organization of its kind in the world.

Imperial Yacht Club during the celebration of the 200th anniversary of St. Petersburg. May 1903
Photo by K.K. Bulla

In 1728, the first “Nadezhda” appeared at the St. Petersburg Imperial Yacht Club - a three-masted sailboat built at the Bazhenin brothers’ shipyard. And since then this name has been passed on like a relay from ship to ship. “Nadezhda” was also the name given to the training ship of the Leningrad Nakhimov School - a two-masted schooner with a steel hull, built in 1912. Then, under the new name “Leningrad”, she became the flagship of the Central Yacht Club of the Regional Council of Trade Unions.

Training schooner "Leningrad"
Photo: hobbyport.ru

For eight years, starting in 1971, the schooner Kodor took part in the celebration together with the Leningrad. Sailors and shipbuilders of the older generation remember an amazing fact: after the war, sailing ships of the same type appeared in the Soviet fleet - schooners and barquentines, about 100 units in total. Since then, such a large series of sailing ships have never been built in the world.

In the early 50s, the Soviet Union transferred this “order of the century” to Finland. It was a mutually beneficial contract: the USSR received ships suitable for use in small-scale cabotage, capable of entering the smallest and shallowest water ports. No one built such ships better than Finnish shipbuilders, great experts in wooden shipbuilding. And for Finland, this order was an excellent chance to save the traditional national industry - shipbuilding - from collapse.

Drawings of a typical design for a Kodor class schooner
Photo: korabley.net

The sailing ship Kodor was built at the Laivateollisuus shipyard in Turku. In the period from 1957 to 1960, as a training ship, she sailed several times along the route Antwerp-Arkhangelsk-Bergen-Wismar-Gdynia-Ghent-Gothenburg-Gibraltar-Copenhagen-Leeds-Murmansk-Naples-Odessa-Nirey-Rostock-Southampton- Trondheim-Tromso-Falmouth. Among the Soviet captains of huge sea vessels, many went through school on this and its “related” barquentines and schooners.

Schooner "Kodor", 1972
Photo: sailngstamps.ru

From 2005 to 2007, the frigate “Standart”, an exact copy of the first ship of the Baltic Fleet, which was laid down by decree of Emperor Peter the Great, entered the Neva under the scarlet Parsis. The sailboat, like many replicas of ancient ships, consists of two parts: the underwater part and the inner part are made of modern materials, and everything above the cannon deck: the wheel and steering gear, decorative decoration, masts, cannons, ladders and hatches are made as close as possible to the historical model.

Frigate "Standart" under scarlet sails, 2006
Photo: Channel Five

The fastest sailing ship in the world, Mir, also played the role of Green's galliot Secret. It was launched in 1987, and since then has repeatedly taken prizes at major sailing regattas. “Mir” is the largest among the “artists” who played the role of a ship of hope and love in the waters of the Neva. Its length is 110 meters, and the total sail area is almost 3000 square meters.

Frigate "Mir" under scarlet sails, 2008
Photo: Channel Five

In 2009 scarlet sails brought to the Neva by the training schooner “Young Baltiets”. It was built 30 years ago for the Leningrad Palace of Pioneers and Schoolchildren, and took part in many European regattas, including the famous Cutty Sark.

The schooner “Young Baltic” under scarlet sails, 2009
Photo: Channel Five

This year, the brig “Tre Kronor” - “Three Crowns” translated from Swedish - will enter the Neva under scarlet sails. He will play the role of the main sailboat of the holiday for the eighth time.

Brig "Tre Kronor" under scarlet sails
Photo: Channel Five

The full name of the ship “Tre Kronor af Stockholm” is “Three Crowns of Stockholm”. This was once the name of the residence of the Swedish kings. The sailboat is an exact copy of the brig “Gladan” - “Red Kite”, built at the end of the 19th century. At first it was a training ship, and then it became a warship for polar explorers and went on expeditions to Spitsbergen and Greenland. The “Three Crowns” were recreated according to the drawings of the “Gladan”, stored in the Swedish military archives. The sailboat's godmother was Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Victoria.

Tre Kronor Castle, painting from 1661
Photo: wikipedia.org

Expedition of the brig "Gladan"
Photo: onlinecoolgames.ru/bellabs.ru

Launching "Tre Kronor af Stockholm"
Photo: cont.ws

A sailboat comes to St. Petersburg under white sails, and “changes clothes” in scarlet only in the Neva delta. The masts are equipped with 16 sails with a total area of ​​735 square meters. The sails are not decorative - they are sewn according to all maritime laws, only from a slightly thinner fabric than real canvas. And if suddenly a squally wind blows in capricious weather-wise Petersburg, the brig will cope with the onslaught of the elements and, without losing control, will perform the complex dance that it must perform in the widest part of the Neva, a river with a powerful and unpredictable temperament.

The brig "Tre Kronor" enters the Neva waters
Photo: Channel Five archive

50 years have passed since graduates first came to greet the scarlet sails in Leningrad. A lot has changed: the name of the country, the name of the city, the sailboat itself, which enters the Neva on the longest of the white nights. One thing remains unchanged - scarlet sails still remain a symbol of all-conquering love.

Elena Utekhina

Following established traditions, this summer the Scarlet Sails holiday took place in St. Petersburg, and a ship under scarlet sails again sailed into the waters of the Neva. Every year this event attracts more than a million people, most of them tourists from other countries. A visit to this holiday becomes part of a tour dedicated to the White Nights.

The dates for the gala event change every year, which is why those who want to see this excellent holiday should inquire in advance about the days it will take place.

The history of the holiday

The history of the Scarlet Sails holiday in St. Petersburg is quite long and dates back to the 60s. Graduates have developed a tradition of holding hands and walking along the embankment along the Neva. It was here that they enjoyed the excellent view, talked about the future, and recalled their school days. In 1968, a committee of the City Council of Pioneers developed a scenario for holding a graduation ceremony.

The history of the Scarlet Sails holiday in St. Petersburg is very interesting, since it was originally a mass event. A vast territory was allocated for its holding, limited by the Bronze Horseman monument and the Summer Garden. This area was divided into several separate sectors, each of which was equipped with a stage. Artists performed on stage. Graduates also participated with great desire in various competitions, as they wanted to receive a prize. It was very important to correctly determine the theme of the holiday. Ideas arose regarding holding it based on the work of Alexander Greene “Scarlet Sails”.

Preparing for the gala event turned out to be very difficult, and the technical aspects were difficult to achieve. However, high walls were erected, the embankment was decorated, and the required equipment was installed. On June 7, 1968, a boat set sail from the Peter and Paul Fortress, with a guy and a girl on board. The guy was holding a lit torch in his hands. This symbolized the opening of the holiday.

The most touching moment was the appearance of a ship with colorful scarlet sails. This ship became a symbol of the beginning of a new life for graduates. Under the sails, everyone present saw Assol, who was proudly and confidently looking into the distance.

This solemn event was held for 11 years, and then there was a long break. Until 2005, this holiday was not held, but then the tradition returned to St. Petersburg again, and every year it becomes more vibrant, large-scale and spectacular. Children begin to look forward to it from the first grade, as it is truly a unique and unforgettable event.

Vessel for celebration

The celebration involved not just one ship with scarlet sails, but several different boats, thereby forming a truly unique performance. Since 1970, only one vessel began to be launched on the waters of the Neva. For the first time, the role of a ship with scarlet sails was played by the schooner Leningrad.

Then, in the period 2005-2007, this role was performed by the frigate “Standart”. This ship was an exact copy of the ship built by order of Peter the Great. In 2008, the sailing ship Mir was launched. However, this ship turned out to be quite large and it was possible to get it into the water only with the help of a tug.

In 2009, the ship “Young Baltic” was launched. However, this ship was also unsuitable in size. Since 2010, the sailing ship Tre Cronor began to participate in the celebration, which was made using ancient technology, but at the same time its maneuverability and convenience make this ship the most suitable for the celebration.

How exactly does the ceremony take place?

The gathering of participants and guests of the gala event takes place on Palace Square, where only graduates of St. Petersburg schools attend. The concert program is compiled on the basis of online voting by the graduates themselves. After midnight, a grandiose fireworks display begins in St. Petersburg. Flashes of fire literally illuminate, coloring the surrounding buildings and sky in different shades.

After this, a ship with scarlet sails appears to the tune from the film “The Children of Captain Grant.” A girl in a snow-white dress is standing on the deck. The concert program continues until the morning. At this time, the embankment turns into a huge dance floor.

The Scarlet Sails holiday in St. Petersburg is included in the list of world tourism and is recommended for visiting in many European countries. Many people note high level organization and security.

When will the holiday take place in 2017?

The Scarlet Sails festival in St. Petersburg in 2017 took place on the night of June 23-24, since it was at this time that the peak of the white nights occurred. That evening popular bands and famous artists performed on stage. The pyrotechnic show and fireworks delighted everyone present.

The fireworks during the ceremony became part of a colorful show, which was marked by the passage of the famous Swedish brig along the Neva. This year, the brigantine was able to boast of new sails, which, as always, looked simply impeccable with scarlet lighting. The final stage of the graduates' celebration was a disco, which lasted until dawn.

How to get invitation cards

School graduates can attend the Scarlet Sails festival in St. Petersburg and receive invitations completely free of charge. In addition, you can get an additional ticket for an accompanying person. The best graduates of regional educational institutions can receive free tickets.

For everyone else, you will need to purchase a ticket to attend the gala event.

Transport operation and traffic restrictions during the holiday

The metro operates without interruption on the night of the gala event. All metro stations are open to passengers 24 hours a day. Trains will run at increased intervals.

In addition, night buses and trolleybuses operate, which is why it is possible to get to the festival site at any time. During the holiday, traffic on the central streets of the city will be limited.

Therefore, in the famous alumni celebration in St. Petersburg, the role of the galleon “Secret” is played by the Swedish brig “Tre Kronor”

There are no historical sailing ships in Russia that could sail into the waters of the Neva under scarlet sails, the organizers of the alumni festival, which took place a week ago, told a correspondent of Evening Petersburg, and that is why since 2010 the Swedish brig Tre Kronor." The holiday has already passed, the sailboat has returned to Sweden. But the journalists decided to check the categorical statement of the organizers.

So what's our potential?

Bark "Sedov". It is huge - four-masted. This is the world's largest training sailing vessel! It is used by cadets of fishing educational institutions of the Federal Agency for Fisheries.

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The Sedov bark was built at the Krupp shipyard in Kiel (Germany) in 1921 to transport bulk cargo between ports in Europe and South America, Australia, Southeast Asia and Oceania. During World War II, the barque sailed in the Baltic Sea under the German naval flag. After the war, the Soviet Union received the Commondor Jonson as reparations.

Length - 117.5 meters, displacement 7320 tons, crew - 230 people, sail area - 4192 square meters. A ship can only enter the Neva as far as the Lieutenant Schmidt embankment. There is no question of taking it beyond the Blagoveshchensky Bridge.

Bark "Kruzenshtern". Also four-masted. And also a training vessel of the Federal Agency for Fisheries. Belongs to the Baltic State Academy of Fishing Fleet.

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The bark "Kruzenshtern" was built in 1925 at the Tecklenborg shipyard in Gestemünde for the company "F. Laeizs." According to tradition, the names of the ships were given by women from the large family of the head of the company, and these names had to begin with the Latin letter “P”. This high honor went to eleven-year-old Christina Lajes. She named the ship Padua. Also went to the Soviet Union for reparations.

It is not much smaller than Sedov. Length - 114.5 meters, draft along the structural line - 7.2 meters, displacement - 6400 tons.

The next largest is the three-masted sailboat "Mir". It belongs to the State University of Maritime and River Fleet named after Admiral S. O. Makarov.

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The sailing ship "Mir" was built in 1987 in Poland in Gdansk at the Lenin shipyard. Along with it, ships of the same type were built: “Gift of Youth”, “Druzhba” for Odessa, “Khersones” for Sevastopol, “Pallada” and “Nadezhda” for Vladivostok.

Nevertheless, the Mir is considered the fastest sailing ship in the world. The officially registered maximum speed under sail is 21 knots (38.9 km/h). And in 2010, Mir set an average speed record of 11.3 knots.

It's big enough. Its length including bowsprit is 109.6 meters, width - 14 meters, draft - 6.5 meters, displacement - 2256 tons. The sail area is 2773 square meters. Nevertheless, in 2008 he participated in “Scarlet Sails”. Due to the large dimensions, I did not go by myself, but with the help of tugs. The Neva is, after all, a river with a strong current and a complex fairway. And it’s not for nothing that there are areas on the Neva where even bridges cannot be built, since the very fast current will make it difficult for small vessels to maneuver. In general, one day “Mir” passed - miraculously. After all, its mainmast is 50 meters high, that is, higher than the raised wings of the bridges. And it’s very difficult to pass without catching anything.

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The gaff schooner “Young Baltic” was created by the Central Design Bureau “Baltsudoproekt” and built at the Baltic Shipyard in 1988. This is the only sailing ship in Russia built after 1914.

“Young Baltic” took part in “Scarlet Sails” in 2009. Despite the fact that the schooner is still not very maneuverable, and the gaff (triangular) sails do not provide such mass scarlet color, which I would like to see, it could, in principle, become a symbol of the holiday. But in August 2012, “Young Baltic” was transferred from the City Palace of Youth Creativity to the management of the Marine Technical College of St. Petersburg. That is, now it is a state ship with its own program. And for him, as well as for Mir, June, when Scarlet Sails takes place, is the height of training navigation. And our sailboats are not always able to return from long voyages in order to stand for 25 minutes in the waters of the Neva under scarlet sails.

The next candidate is brig "Triumph". This is a two-masted private sailing vessel.

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The brig "Triumph" was rebuilt in 1988 from a small fishing trawler built in 1953. Length - 22 meters. Displacement - 80 tons. Brig is a “standard” weapon. But depending on circumstances, it can be re-equipped into a schooner, brigantine, etc.

There have been attempts to propose it as a symbol of the “Scarlet Sails”. But it has a massive body and poor maneuverability. And the most important thing is the low masts, which are not visible above the Neva because of the bridges and large quantity people.

There are two other options that could possibly compete with Tre Kronor.

Certainly, schooner "Nadezhda". By the way, she became the first sailing ship of the “Scarlet Sails” back in those early years. Only it was called “Leningrad” then.

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The schooner Nadezhda was built in Holland in 1912 as a sailing fishing vessel. And at first it was called “Sterna”. In 1927, the sailing ship was purchased by a shipowner from Hamburg, who converted it into a universal cargo ship and renamed it Edelgard. In 1936, the schooner was purchased by Count Felix von Luckner, a German national hero during the First World War. Under him, the schooner received a new name “Seeteufel” - “Sea Devil”. After the war, it came to the USSR as a trophy and was named “Nadezhda”. Then it was renamed “Leningrad”. She was a training sailboat at the Nakhimov School.

Probably, her participation in “Scarlet Sails” would be the most logical, as a continuation of those Soviet traditions when she played the role of the galleon “Secret”, and the director of the holiday was Georgy Tovstonogov. But in the year of its centenary, in 2012, Leningrad/Nadezhda fell into private hands. The new owner was able to repair it and give it to her new life. But for some reason it was not possible to agree on participation in “Scarlet Sails”. Someone again talks about low masts, which are no longer suitable for the modern interpretation of the holiday. But most likely, the maneuverable and good-looking Tre Kronor, which has been participating in the festival since 2010, has a full set of sails. And sewing it again for the ship - it costs more than half a million rubles - is irrational, especially since the Swedish brig has never let the organizers down. Why let us down? This ship was built in Stockholm in order to make money with its help, which is what the owner does.

And one more contender for the symbol of “Scarlet Sails” - a three-masted frigate "Standard". He participated in the celebration from 2005 to 2007.

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The frigate "Standard" is an exact copy of the warship built by Peter the Great in 1703 for the defense of St. Petersburg. This was the first ship of the Baltic Fleet. It was designed by the Dutch shipbuilder Vybe Goerens and built at the Olonets shipyard. "Standart" combines two shipbuilding schools - Dutch and English.

With a displacement of 220 tons, a length of 34.5 meters, a beam of 7 meters and a draft of 3.3 meters, it is capable of maneuvering on the Neva no worse than a Swedish brig. But legal conflicts practically closed the way for Shtandart to Russia, to St. Petersburg. Here the frigate is outlawed.

We contacted Shtandart captain Vladimir Martus (pictured on the right), who is now in Denmark.

— Do you still have problems with Russian legislation?
— I would say this: in Russian legislation there are problems with the existence of wooden ships of more or less serious size - more than 20 meters.

- This still does not explain why there are no problems with the existence of a wooden Swedish sailing ship, but there are problems with the wooden Russian sailing ship...
— A Swedish ship arrives in St. Petersburg with a safety certificate issued by the Swedish Maritime Administration. They have special rules there in Sweden, which mean that the ship can be built from wood. In Russia, such rules were introduced in 1944, but now they do not seem to apply. As a result, the Russian Maritime Register refuses to examine the Shtandart for seaworthiness. There is a complicating circumstance: when the ship was being built, a representative of the Maritime Register did not study what was inside it. Therefore, now they answer us: “We can’t say anything about the seaworthiness of the vessel, because we don’t know what’s inside it.” Well, of course, I’m simplifying it a little so as not to quote long official letters.

— Maybe you should change your home port?
— Petrovsky frigate under the flag of another country? There could be an alternative option. Consider the “Standard” as a sports yacht (large, with a large crew), especially since we constantly participate in international regattas of training sailing ships. But even here there are no steps forward. And “Standard” has been in Europe for 6 years. And during this time, the maritime authorities had no complaints about seaworthiness or any issues at all.

The Russian Maritime Register has not yet been able to comment on their position, but we asked them a question. We are waiting for an answer.

Well, the statement of the Scarlet Sails organizers has so far been confirmed. There are no sailboats in Russia that would meet the challenges of the modern interpretation of the Scarlet Sails holiday.

Sailboats in movies

All the sailboats described are very well known to our TV viewers.

"Sedov" starred in the films “Sofya Kovalevskaya”, “Heart of a Pirate”, “Tragedy of the Pamirs”.

Bark "Kruzenshtern" noted in the films “Mutiny on the Elsinore”, “The Heart Is Anchored”, “Knight of Dreams”, “Sails”, “Above the Rainbow”, in “Passenger” by Stanislav Govorukhin. He also appeared in the film “Black Rose is the Emblem of Sadness, Red Rose is the Emblem of Love” (1986).

Schooner "Nadezhda" starred in the films “War and Peace”, “The Suicide Club, or the Adventures of a Titled Person”, “Pippi Longstocking”, “Matveeva’s Joy”.

Frigate "Standard" became the hero of the adventure film “Servant of the Sovereigns”.

Brig "Triumph" can be seen in episodes of the film "The Prisoner of the Chateau d'If".

Of course, these are not all the films where our sailboats were filmed. And we hope that they will have many more acting roles in films ahead.

According to tradition, on one of the shortest nights of the year, all graduates will be treated to a fabulous holiday with a concert, fireworks and a ship with scarlet sails passing through the Neva waters. This time the event will take place on the night of June 23-24 and starts at 22.00.

History of the holiday

2019 is a special year for the holiday. Exactly 15 years ago, the holiday for all graduates was revived after a long break. The history of modern “Scarlet Sails” - a grandiose multimedia performance with luxurious musical accompaniment and the latest achievements of pyrotechnics - began in 2005.

But for Soviet schoolchildren from 1968 to 1979, slightly different sails were sailing. Then the main symbol of a romantic night was the schooner "Leningrad". Also passing along the Neva was the galliot “Secret”, on which a huge hammer was depicted, on the ship following it a sickle was built, and the ship “Atom”, dedicated to science, came up behind the procession. The celebration was accompanied by Dunaevsky's music and, of course, fireworks.

In 1980, the head of the Leningrad regional committee of the CPSU, Grigory Romanov, banned the event, considering a large gathering of young people unsafe, and the tradition was interrupted for 25 years. The revival of “Scarlet Sails” took place on June 24, 2005, and since then the action has become more and more large-scale and, of course, more and more expensive.

Program "Scarlet Sails - 2019"

The holiday starts at 22.00: at this time the concert will begin on Palace Square. The main stars who will perform for the graduates on this fabulous night will be Sergei Lazarev, the Marseille group, Polina Gagarina, Yulia Parshuta, Vladimir Presnyakov, BURITO, the duet #2MASHI, singers Zara and Lera. The presenter will be Ivan Urgant and Dasha Alexandrova.
Many surprises await the audience. A new unique stage in the form of a shipyard, on which a ship rises, will be transformed during the concert. Interesting solution V musical arrangement will be a collaboration between the orchestra and DJs.

A colorful show with fireworks in the Neva waters starts after midnight. Trinity Bridge will also take part directly in the pyrotechnic show.

Ship

The main character of “Scarlet Sails - 2019” this time will be the domestic brig “Russia”. The ship will enter the Neva waters under the Russian flag and with a Russian crew. The sails for it were created from 900 square meters of scarlet fabric.

Prior to this, since 2010, the water procession was led by the Swedish ship Tre Kronor, which sailed along the Neva under the leadership of Captain Allan Palmer and his crew.

How to get to the event

“How to get to the concert on Palace Square” is one of the most popular questions on the eve of the holiday. Be careful: long before the cherished day, many scammers appear on the Internet who sell fakes for crazy money. There are no free tickets on sale, so if you really want to, theoretically on the day of the holiday you can buy tickets on the street from schoolchildren, who often sell them. Although this behavior of eleventh graders, of course, causes mixed assessments.

As for the show in the waters of the Neva, anyone can freely attend it: however, the place with good review It’s better to borrow on the embankment a couple of hours before the start.

Where to watch

You can see the magic show from the Palace Bridge, Birzhevaya Square, Birzhevoy Bridge, Admiralteyskaya Embankment, Petrovskaya Embankment and Kutuzov Embankment. IN lately some St. Petersburg residents even began to bring folding stools and stepladders with them in order to better see the Scarlet Sails.

Transport work

On Scarlet Sails, night buses will operate on routes No. 8, 12, 56, 77, 80, 93, 106, 114, 130, 142, 154 from 00-00 to 06-00, the interval is 30 minutes. All metro stations will also operate without closure: trains will operate from 01:00 to 05:00.
In addition, the metro noted that from two o’clock in the morning until half past five in the morning, only tokens will be available at the ticket offices. You cannot top up Podorozhnik and activate online payment at this time.

The Scarlet Sails holiday symbolizes the hope placed on promising and talented youth, including graduates, on whom the future of not only St. Petersburg residents, but the entire country depends. This year the holiday motto is “Together with Russia.” This slogan has a deep meaning - it is the graduates who will build the future of our Motherland.

The presenters will be Ivan Urgant and Daria Alexandrova. The following will perform at the festival:

• Marcus Riva
• 2MASHI
• #Lera
• Vladimir Presnyakov
• BURITO
• Yulia Parshuta
• Marseilles
• Sergey Lazarev
• Polina Gagarina

This year a completely new pyrotechnic show program will be presented. Guests of St. Petersburg will see a truly enchanting spectacle, the most beautiful in their lives. Nine towers will be constructed on the Trinity Bridge, four of which are 33 meters each. In addition, 13 pyrotechnic structures will be installed on pontoons in the Neva waters. A sailboat under scarlet sails, music and colorful tints of all colors of the rainbow will create a spectacle of stunning beauty.

Guests of the holiday will be treated to a premiere - this year the show “Scarlet Sails 2019” will be presented by a new sailboat created in Russia and especially for this holiday. He arrived from Kronstadt and is located on the Lieutenant Schmidt embankment, his name is “Russia”.

The basis of the future sailing vessel was the hull of a former fishing seiner. In order for the brig to match the sailing ships of the 19th century, experts almost completely rebuilt the hull. When creating the vessel, we took into account ancient methods shipbuilding, and also used modern technologies. The length of the sailboat is 50 meters, width - 7.6 meters, draft - 3.5 meters. Main engine power - 610 hp. The size of the scarlet sails is 900 square meters. meters. On the open sea, the brig can move at a speed of 16 knots per hour (about 30 km per hour), which is the maximum for this class of ships.

It is expected that the Scarlet Sails holiday will gather more than 33,000 graduates of St. Petersburg schools and more than 1.5 million citizens and guests of St. Petersburg.

The Scarlet Sails holiday was first celebrated in St. Petersburg in 1968 and was celebrated for 10 years until 1979. This significant day began to be celebrated again in 2005. It is held on the weekend closest to the long day June white night.

Program for the Scarlet Sails holiday in 2019

	Name	Venue
	Gathering of graduates and guests
	Concert program with the participation of show business stars
1:10 - 04:00	Continuation of the concert program with the participation of youth groups	Events during the Scarlet Sails holiday in St. Petersburg Now “Scarlet Sails” is a show of international scale, gathering more and more viewers every year. Graduates of St. Petersburg schools receive 2 invitation cards - for themselves and for their friend. The celebration usually takes place on 2 sites - on the Spit of Vasilyevsky Island and on Palace Square, where large screens are installed and a teleconference is organized between the sites. Entrance to Palace Square is via invitation cards. Everyone is usually present on the Spit of Vasilyevsky Island. On the night of the event, traffic on the Neva stops. The governor of St. Petersburg addresses the graduates with parting words. The motto of the holiday is “Russia – a land of opportunities.” Its symbol is Dunaevsky's overture to the film "Children of Captain Grant". Then a concert is held on Palace Square, the program of which includes famous artists, and one of the presenters for several years in a row is Ivan Urgant. Many guests also watch the concert on the Spit of Vasilyevsky Island. The culmination is a spectacular lighting show, accompanied by colorful fireworks and the live sounds of a symphony orchestra in the waters of the Neva between the Troitsky, Dvortsovy and Birzhevoy bridges. To the music of Dunaevsky for the film “Children of Captain Grant,” a ship with scarlet sails appears from the Trinity Bridge. After the colorful show, concerts continue in which youth groups take part. Unfortunately, by the morning, celebration venues are strewn with trash and lawns are trampled. Very drunk young people are walking along the streets. Sometimes fights break out. In this regard, proposals are being discussed to limit the sale of alcohol stronger than 15 degrees on the eve of and on the day of the holiday. But it’s wonderful that only a small part of young people celebrate the holiday so vigorously. The Scarlet Sails holiday in St. Petersburg gives graduates faith in a bright future. The organizers are trying to make the event interesting not only for young people, but also for older people. How the Scarlet Sails holiday appeared in St. Petersburg Then, in 1968, the director of the City Palace of Pioneers was given the task by the city leadership to organize a citywide celebration of graduates. Since the guys always walked along the embankments of the Neva after receiving their certificates, the embankment from the Bronze Horseman to the Summer Garden was chosen as the venue. The first part of the event included concerts and competitions on the embankments of St. Petersburg. Every 100 meters, platforms were organized where artists performed and competitions were held. For winning the competition, schoolchildren were rewarded with a trip through the city at night or a ride on a river bus along the Neva. At that time, all graduates wanted to win such a prize and therefore they gladly participated in funny competitions. For example, there were scales and a stadiometer on the site, and the children were asked to guess whether the weight of all class graduates would reach a ton and their height would reach 1 km. And on one platform there was a 3-liter jar of nuts and you had to guess how many nuts were in it. The children took part in a dance competition and performed songs accompanied by a button accordion or accordion. The song had to be sung to the end. They usually started out together, and the class who knew the words of the song completely won. Everyone understood that the name of the celebration should be associated with water and at first, except for the name associated with water - Aurora, they could not come up with anything. The idea of ​​calling the holiday “Scarlet Sails” was accepted with enthusiasm. Directly special events started at 23 o'clock. A boat departed from the Peter and Paul Fortress, on which stood a guy and a girl with a burning torch in their hands. The boat was moving towards the Spit of Vasilyevsky Island. The torch was passed to the cadets standing at the Rostral Columns, who lit the torches on the columns and announced the opening of the holiday. Then, from behind the Kirov Bridge on the surface of the Neva, a sailboat with scarlet sails appeared, on which Assol stood. The spectacle was unusually beautiful and short-lived. Unfortunately, only those who stood in the front rows on the embankment could see it. That year, the holiday, in which 25 thousand people took part, lasted until 2 a.m. and was remembered by all participants as a bright and good event.