From 20 to 21 August 2026, the V International Children’s Cultural Forum took place at the Moscow Palace of Pioneers on Vorobyovy Gory. Over the course of two days, it brought together more than 1,800 participants from regions across Russia and 17 other countries. Young musicians, actors, artists, dancers, filmmakers, writers and journalists met well-known cultural figures, took part in workshops and discussions, presented their own projects and learned about the traditions of different peoples.
At the official opening ceremony, participants were welcomed by Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Tatyana Golikova.
Together with the Forum curators, she also served on the jury of The Children’s Initiatives Competition in the Sphere of Culture and Art. This year’s winners were Grigory Shabunin from the Tomsk Region with the project «Songs of the Peoples of Siberia. A New Breath»; Sofya Shibaeva from the Chelyabinsk Region with the project «From Pestryad to the Catwalk: The Nagaybak Code in Contemporary Fashion»; Anna Minina from the Arkhangelsk Region with the animated film «Northern Lights»; and Mikhail Krisko from the Kemerovo Region with the «Native Word» project and the educational card game «Speak Your Own». All the winners will receive organisational and financial support from the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation.
Sergey Bezrukov, curator of the Theatre and Circus track, discussed with the participants the differences between an actor’s work on stage and in film. Edgard Zapashny, who was responsible for the Theatre and Circus track, together with Askold Zapashny, spoke about trust in circus arts and in life. Egor Druzhinin, curator of the Choreography track, held a dance workshop. The Music track was curated by Olga Khomova. She spoke about the musical traditions of the peoples of Russia and how they are preserved and given a new sound. Gavriil Gordeev, who led the Film and Animation track, together with industry representatives, spoke to the participants about camera work, casting and the acting profession. The Literature and Journalism track was led by Dmitry Bak. He gave a lecture on classical poetry and its relevance today. Kristina Trubinova, curator of the Museums and Fine Arts track, told participants how a museum can become a space for their own ideas and projects.
Other Forum speakers included Evgeny Mironov, Ruslan Bratov, Alexey Chadov, Dmitry Chebotarev, Mila Ershova, Batyr Morgachev and other well-known representatives of culture and the arts.
«The most important thing I would like to convey to the younger generation — so creative and so wonderful — is that all the Forum’s calls to “develop”, “change” and “achieve your goals” can only be realised on the basis of a clear understanding of who you already are. Do not only change, but also understand who you are at this very moment. This is exactly what literature enables us to do», said Dmitry Bak, Director of the V. I. Dahl State Museum of the History of Russian Literature, literary scholar, literary critic and journalist.
«You need to use your imagination and be creative… That is, not to wait, but to dream about the future. And dreams do come true! The Forum gives young people this opportunity and helps them find their direction», said Sergey Bezrukov, Artistic Director of the Gorky Moscow Art Theatre and People’s Artist of Russia.
The theme of the unity of the peoples of Russia held a special place in the programme. At the interethnic session «A Journey Across the Map of Unity: Living Traditions», participants spoke about the rites, crafts, music, dances and ornaments of their peoples and showed how these traditions continue to live in contemporary culture. During the cultural warm-up session «Good Morning, Russia!», children greeted one another in their native languages and performed elements of national dances, while «Games from Around the World» brought together young people from different countries through traditional games.
The theme of cultural diversity continued in the music programme. During the meeting «Music of the Peoples of Russia. What Does the Motherland Sound Like?», experts spoke about the traditions of different regions and the country’s shared musical and cultural code. On the second day, participants heard national instruments performed live during the discussion «National Musical Instruments of the Peoples of Russia», while Nadezhda Babkina and the «Russian Song» Ensemble held the workshop «The History of Russia — in Folk Music».
The creation of the «Labyrinth of Cultures» art installation became a unifying creative project spanning both days. Participants from Russia and other countries painted its elements dedicated to the cultures of their peoples. As a result, the individual works came together in a single composition symbolising the cultural diversity of the countries and the unity of the Forum’s participants.
As part of the partner programme, the Defenders of the Fatherland Foundation held the open dialogue «A Word Can Save: Poetry About Courage, Memory and Hope», as well as the «A Letter to a Soldier and Kind Drawings»campaign. During the Forum, the participants wrote more than 200 messages containing words of support and warm wishes for military personnel carrying out combat missions. All the letters and drawings will be delivered to them in the near future. At the «Star Team» meeting, prepared jointly with Roscosmos, participants asked questions about space, the profession of a cosmonaut and teamwork. The Movement of the First organised a meeting with writer Elena Nesterina.
The venue also hosted exhibitions, games areas and creative spaces. Participants completed the «I Know Russia» quiz quest, played chess, learned about traditional arts and crafts, took part in visual arts and music workshops, tried their hand at animation and explored other creative formats. On the second day, excursions to the National Centre RUSSIA and the All-Russian Decorative Art Museum were organised for delegations from Russian regions and other countries.
Concert events were a vibrant part of the programme. The first day concluded with the «Circle of Friendship» gala concert at the Irina Viner Palace, which brought together participants from different regions of Russia and other countries. The Forum concluded with the official closing ceremony: the results of the two-day programme were announced on stage, and the winners of the Forum’s competitions received their awards. The programme ended with a disco featuring a performance by DJ Smash.
More than 60 events were held over the two days of the Forum, including events from the main programme, additional activities and official ceremonies. The venue also featured numerous interactive areas.
The Forum was organised by the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, the Federal State Budgetary Institution of Culture ROSCONCERT and the Russian Cultural Foundation.
The Forum’s general information partner was TASS. The general media partner was Gazprom-Media Holding. The information partners were the Rossiya Kultura TV channel, the federal TV channel Karusel, Detskoye Radio, Radio Orpheus, RG Media, Radio Kultura, NEWM TASS, Ballet magazine, the digital magazine Ballet, YUNPRESS and VK Video Kids.
