On September 14th, a World Youth Parade took place in Yekaterinburg, which was part of the World Youth Festival. This large-scale event gathered over two thousand participants and was organized within the framework of the Young Art Festival, hosted by the art cluster 'Tavrida.ART'.
The main goal of the parade was to demonstrate the cultural diversity of young people gathered in Yekaterinburg from 191 countries, as well as to emphasize their unity. The young people, together with representatives from youth policy ministries of various states, marched through the territory of the City of World Youth, created specifically for this festival. The route ran from the 'Energiya' stadium to the 'Tavrida.ART' Young Art Square, where participants displayed their national flags, attributes, and costumes.
The musical aspect of the parade was its distinguishing feature: during the procession, participants performed folk melodies on national instruments. Initially, they did so individually, and then played simultaneously, forming a soundscape that the organizers called the 'Rhythm of the World'. The parade was structured in several stages, at each of which new groups joined, enriching the 'Rhythm of the World' with their unique sound.
The event started with a multinational round dance at a point named 'Heart Rhythm', symbolizing European music and Russian hospitality. Subsequently, participants from Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East joined the parade along the route, ultimately creating the aforementioned 'Rhythm of the World'. During the march, the youth met various artists, including Varya Surdina, Taotao Zhou, Namrata Otayot, and Diogo Nazareth.
It is worth noting that this parade is not a new phenomenon; it was first held during the VI World Festival of Youth and Students in 1957 and has been regularly repeated since then. Starting in 2024, the Parade has been officially established as an annual tradition of the World Youth Festival.