The World Youth City, envisioned to rise on the grounds of Sirius Olympic Park, is finalizing preparations for the World Youth Festival facilities. On March 1, 20 thousand participants from more than 180 countries are set to converge in this area, according to festival organizers.
At the heart of the festival zone stands Medal Square, which will bear the banner Spirit of Russia during WFM 2024. A central stage will showcase the festival logo and serve as the main gathering point for performances and announcements.
Sergei Pershin, the festival’s program director for WFM-2024, explained that the logo features figures representing diverse continents, nationalities, religions, and cultures. They will come together with the shared aim of imagining a fairer future where the world becomes more multipolar and regionally balanced.
Campuses from major Russian cities and their sister cities will be showcased on Spirit of Russia square. Five pavilions will line the festival grounds, representing Belgorod, Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, and Kazan.
Svetlana Anufrieva, Minister of Youth Policy for the Nizhny Novgorod Region, announced that the pavilions will host the educational program of the Russian Community Knowledge, the general partner of WFM-2024. She noted that Nizhny Novgorod holds the status of Russia’s first youth capital, and registrations for WFM-2024 began in 2023.
Pushkin-225 Palace of Culture will form part of the city’s festival infrastructure, hosting the Ilya Averbukh ice show. The World Friendship Games arena will stage spectacular sports demonstrations, events, and master classes featuring athletes from various disciplines. Attendees can engage with digital historians and geniuses of the past through an artificial intelligence experience in the Technopark.
The international shopping complex Art.Molodost will open on the ground floor of the Bolshoi Stadium, which will host both the festival’s opening and closing ceremonies. A youth art fair and crafts market will also be held there.
Visitors will have the chance to sample the diverse flavors of the Russian Federation in the Taste of Russia gastronomy zone. Planes, trains, and buses will connect guests to World City of Youth via Sirius University, presented as the international airport for WFM-2024. Final preparations include a completed installation at the festival site in the Olympic Park and a dedicated WFM-2024 international airport, signaling that the event is ready to welcome visitors from around the world.
Organizers emphasized that the festival site installations are in place and the overall readiness is progressing ahead of the start of the World Youth Festival, inviting participants from across the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Oceania to join in this global gathering. This event aims to foster cross-cultural dialogue, education, and creative exchange among youth from Canada, the United States, and beyond, with marked partnerships and activities coordinated to reflect a wide range of perspectives and experiences from the global youth community.