INTERFOLK in Russia International Folklore Festival

The INTERFOLK in Russia International Folklore Festival is one of the most important cultural events in the Russian city of Saint Petersburg. Every year, it showcases folk song and dance ensembles from different countries and regions, giving them a unique opportunity to perform in front of a large audience in Russia’s cultural capital.

INTERFOLK in Russia was founded in 2008 by the INTER ASPECT Center of International Cooperation. The Center’s other projects include the Singing World Festival of Choral Art, the Super Dance Festival, the International Competition for Young Choral Conductors, the International Forum of Choral Conductors, the Children and Youth Choral World Championship, and others. One of its official partners is the European Association of Folklore Festivals.

The mission of the festival is to facilitate mutual understanding and dialog between ethnic, cultural, religious, language groups and nations, as well as to educate the general public about different cultures. According to the festival team, INTERFOLK in Russia strives to help people preserve and express their national and cultural identity through dance, music and traditions.

Every year, INTERFOLK in Russia features over 70 performing groups from different regions of Russia, as well as from other countries. Over the years, the festival has welcomed participants from Austria, Armenia, Belarus, Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Egypt, Indonesia, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Latvia, Mexico, Poland, Romania, Estonia, and other countries. There are no age restrictions: performers can be as young as 3 years old and as old as 85 years of age.

INTERFOLK in Russia is more than just a cultural festival. Every year, it hosts Grand Prix INTERFOLK, an international competition for vocal groups (choirs and ensembles) performing folk music, dance groups performing traditional and folk dances, instrumental groups (orchestras and ensembles) performing folk music, and historical reenactment groups reenacting traditional rituals, games, etc. When submitting their application, each participating group can choose whether to participate both in the festival and in the competition, in the festival only, or in the competition only.

In addition to competition and out-of-competition performances by the participating groups, the festival program includes various bonding activities (parties, excursions, etc.) for the participants, as well as lectures, workshops and discussions for the groups’ artistic directors. Admission to all concerts is free for the general public.