In 2026, the SPIEF cultural festival St. Petersburg Seasons will bring together dozens of events: from concerts and theatre premieres to exhibitions, guided tours, and city festivals. The programme events will run from 30 May to 6 June and will cover the key cultural venues of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region.
The Festival will open on 30 May with the Leningrad Retro Rally at the Brusnitsyn cultural quarter. Visitors can look forward to an exhibition of classic cars, a fashion show by St. Petersburg designers, a musical programme, and the ceremonial departure of the vintage car crews against the backdrop of the Gulf of Finland.
“The St. Petersburg Seasons Festival enables participants and guests of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum to see St. Petersburg as a modern cultural centre, where historical traditions are carefully preserved while new creative projects are being brought to life at the same time. This year the programme has turned out to be particularly rich and covers the city’s largest theatres, museums, and public spaces,” noted Deputy Governor of St. Petersburg Boris Piotrovsky.
From the very first days of the Festival, SPIEF participants will have access to a large-scale museum and exhibition programme. Key projects include the exhibition entitled ‘The Russian Imperative’ at the Manege Central Exhibition Hall, which reflects on Russia’s military history and the artistic image of national identity, plus such exhibitions as ‘Ballet. Earthly Gods’ and ‘In the Workshop of the Theatre Artist’ at the Theatre Museum and the Sheremetev Palace.
The programme includes dozens of theatre productions from the leading St. Petersburg stages: the Arkady Raikin Variety Theatre, the Musical Comedy Theatre, the Akimov Academic Comedy Theatre, as well as projects by the Kannon Dance Centre for Contemporary Choreography. Forum guests will be presented with dramas, musical performances, ballet shows, and contemporary choreographic premieres.
One of the central events of the programme will be the performance of the opera ‘Tamerlano’ on the stage of the Mariinsky Theatre on 4 June. The international production, previously staged in Tashkent and Dubai, brings together the music of George Frideric Handel in a new interpretation with national musical elements of Uzbekistan. The performance, featuring more than 160 artists, will be one of the largest theatrical projects of the Festival.
Cultural and historical itineraries will continue during the Forum. Participants will be able to visit Staraya Ladoga, one of the most ancient centres of Russian statehood, where guided tours of the Ladoga Fortress, Varyazhskaya Street, and the ancient monasteries are on offer.
Also as part of the St. Petersburg Seasons, the music, sport and gastronomy festival Sails of Kronstadt will be held at the Island of Forts museum and historical park in Kronstadt. The programme features concerts, family activities, master classes, gastronomic projects, and guided tours that immerse visitors in the era of Peter the Great.
“In 2026, the St. Petersburg Seasons programme has become one of the largest in the project’s entire history. We have sought to bring together different areas of culture within it: theatre, music, museum and exhibition projects, historical itineraries, city festivals, and family formats. For SPIEF guests, this is an opportunity not only to engage with the Forum’s business agenda, but also to feel the cultural atmosphere of St. Petersburg,” emphasized Ekaterina Ivanova, Deputy CEO for Creative and Cultural Initiatives and Head of the Creative Projects Directorate at the Roscongress Foundation.
A special place in the Festival programme will be taken by events timed to coincide with Russia’s Pushkin Day. During SPIEF, St. Petersburg will host performances, concerts, and cultural events connected with the legacy of Alexander Pushkin, whose work remains a vital part of the Russian cultural tradition.
The Festival will culminate in a major concert on Palace Square on 5 June, which traditionally brings together Forum participants, residents, and guests of St. Petersburg. It will be one of the main open-air musical events of the SPIEF 2026 cultural programme.
The programme will conclude on 6 June with a series of major cultural proceedings, including ceremonial events to mark the 260th anniversary of the Gatchina Palace, performances at the city’s leading theatre venues, the continuation of the large-scale exhibition programme, and the Sails of Kronstadt festival at the Island of Forts.
Source: SPIEF
