St. Petersburg International Forum of United Cultures begins for eighth time

ST. PETERSBURG, September 24. /TASS/. The 8th St. Petersburg International Forum of United Cultures begins in St. Petersburg, Russia’s cultural capital, in the country’s northwest. The forum will run through September 26.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said earlier that the forum had changed its approach after 2022, with its discussions becoming broader and focusing on the role of culture and cultural sovereignty amid changes in the world order. About 1,300 participants attended the forum in 2023, while this year the number has reached 2,500, excluding the youth program, she said in an interview with TASS.

One of the forum’s central events is its business program, which this year includes 10 sections covering music, cinema, media culture, museums, cultural sovereignty, cultural heritage, circus, theater and education in culture. An off-program series and a youth program are also planned, with the latter being held for the first time. Key events include a session chaired by Golikova, a meeting of the Culture Coordination Council under the Russian Culture Ministry and the Hermitage Prize award ceremony.

The youth program will feature the sessions "Young Artist and Artificial Intelligence: Developing Professional Principles for Interaction," "Russia’s Creative Unions in Dialogue with the Youth of the World," and "Culture as a Resource for a Healthy Life." Meetings with prominent cultural figures, including Vladimir Mashkov, chairman of the Russian Union of Theatre Workers, and Mikhail Piotrovsky, general director of the State Hermitage Museum, are also planned.

The cultural program began on September 23 and will run through September 27 as part of the St. Petersburg Seasons Festival. It includes more than 100 events, including performances and concerts, exhibitions, tours and special programs by leading cultural institutions in St. Petersburg.

Among the festival’s standout events are a performance by the Alicia Alonso National Ballet of Cuba, as well as two programs by the Boris Eifman Academic Ballet Theater marking the choreographer’s anniversary. The theater program will showcase productions by leading St. Petersburg theaters. The music program will feature opera productions and concerts, including the opening of the season at the Dmitry Shostakovich St. Petersburg Academic Philharmonia.