Artists from nine countries join Russian sports stars for Spasskaya Tower Festival

17 Russian ensembles will join 11 groups from eight different countries for the 16th Spasskaya Tower International Military Music Festival. Artists from Belarus, China, Egypt, Guinea, Russia, South Africa, Thailand, Turkey, and Venezuela will all perform at venues in Moscow and the Moscow Region.

Russian President Vladimir Putin extended greetings to the festival participants, organizers, and guests.

“Muscovites and guests to the capital always look forward to this creative event with great anticipation. The scale of the idea, the colorful spectacle, the talent of the participants, and, of course, the special atmosphere that reigns is always very moving,” Vladimir Putin wrote.

The festival is organized by the Spasskaya Tower International Cultural Centre with the support of the Presidential Administration and the Government of Moscow. This year’s festival has also received special support from the Presidential Foundation for Cultural Initiatives. It is managed by RC Sport, the Roscongress Foundation’s sports platform. The official partner of the festival is the Healthy Fatherland public movement.

The festival kicked off in grand style in Red Square with the Presidential Orchestra and the Special Guard. The Admiralty Orchestra and the Central Frontier Ensemble performed patriotic compositions. The Military Band of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army performed ‘Kalinka’, and Egyptian musicians introduced the audience to the hymn of the goddess Isis. The ceremony ended with the legendary march ‘Farewell of Slavianka’, during which the square was illuminated with candles in memory of the defenders of the Fatherland.

It should be noted that the festival opened this year for the first time with a sports show. The Healthy Fatherland public movement took to Red Square to present excerpts of a sports procession planned for August 2025. 70 athletes performed synchronized sports exercises to the musical accompaniment of parades from the Soviet era.

Russian sports stars will hold workout and autograph sessions with the spectators, and Spasskaya Tower will welcome gymnasts Nikita Nagorny and Daria Nagornaya, synchronized gymnasts Svetlana Romashina and Alexandra Patskevich, swimmer Evgeny Rylov, and other champions.

The festival will last until 1 September. Concert tickets can be purchased through the official festival website (spasstower.ru) or official box office located on Manezh Square next to the kilometer zero near the Museum of the Patriotic War of 1812. The box office is open from 11:00 to 20:00 on weekdays and from 12:00 to 21:00 on Saturday and Sunday.