A ship with scarlet sails is seen on the Neva River in celebration of the Scarlet Sails festival in St. Petersburg, Russia, June 29, 2025. St. Petersburg celebrated the Scarlet Sails festival over the weekend while commemorating school graduation for students. (Photo: Xinhua)

 

A ship with scarlet sails is seen on the Neva River in celebration of the Scarlet Sails festival in St. Petersburg, Russia, June 29, 2025. St. Petersburg celebrated the Scarlet Sails festival over the weekend while commemorating school graduation for students. (Photo: Xinhua)

 

A ship with scarlet sails is seen on the Neva River in celebration of the Scarlet Sails festival in St. Petersburg, Russia, June 29, 2025. St. Petersburg celebrated the Scarlet Sails festival over the weekend while commemorating school graduation for students. (Photo: Xinhua)

 

A ship with scarlet sails is seen on the Neva River in celebration of the Scarlet Sails festival in St. Petersburg, Russia, June 29, 2025. St. Petersburg celebrated the Scarlet Sails festival over the weekend while commemorating school graduation for students. (Photo: Xinhua)

 
From Saturday night into early Sunday morning, the Russian city of St. Petersburg hosted its annual Scarlet Sails festival, a grand celebration marking the graduation of high school students.

According to the organizers, this year's event welcomed nearly 100,000 graduates from across Russia. In addition, more than 500 students from Moldova, Cuba, Venezuela and several African countries were invited to attend as special guests.

The celebration began with a large-scale concert in Palace Square, where popular Russian singers and bands beloved by young audiences took to the stage. St. Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov also delivered a speech, extending his congratulations to the graduates.

The festival, inspired by the eponymous novel of Russian author Alexander Grin, has become one of St. Petersburg's most iconic cultural traditions.