VDNH is preparing to welcome the international Big Ocean Show for the first time on 2 through 5 September. Visitors are in line for some daring demo runs and test drives by Russian and world champions in 11 water sports, along with the interactive shows Planet Ocean and Antarctica. In the Embrace of the Icy Continent, 5D VR diving, a UAV light show, new product presentations, workshops, lectures, exciting photo booths and DJ sets.
Held on an epic scale, the festival aims to promote water sports, aquatic recreation, healthy living and responsible treatment of the ocean ecosystems. Support for the festival comes from the Natural Resources Ministry of Russia. Those attending the Big Ocean Show get the opportunity to learn more about marine creatures and their role in the global ecosystem, pick a hobby and a school for water sport training or book a designer tour to any destination on the planet. Tickets are available on the official event website.
The festival will run on multiple sites inside VDNH grounds. Pavilion No. 55 is to host an exhibition of water sports and travel where equipment vendors from six countries will join schools of water sports, environmental and philanthropic organisations to showcase their products and services. The same pavilion will be hosting the interactive shows Planet Ocean and Antarctica. In the Embrace of the Icy Continent, where visitors will be offered VR goggles to take a closer look at the inhabitants of the ocean and the South Pole. Two swimming pools will be set up inside the pavilion: for scuba diving test runs and VR diving—underwater swimming with 5D virtual reality effects.
All festival days will be packed with business events involving world record holders, marine biologists, explorers and environmentalists. Freediving world champion, psychologist Marina Kazankova will hold a talk on how to feel safe and control your breathing amid the ocean waves. The well-known explorer and photographer Leonid Kruglov will present his documentary about the round-the-world journey of the Sedov, the world's largest sailing ship, repeating the historic route followed by the expedition led by Ivan Krusenstern and Yuri Lisyansky. Konstantin Bogdanov, who leads the international underwater search party named Homage to the Ships of the Great Victory, will explain how to join the project and assist in the search for sunken ships.
Visitors will furthermore learn how to relate to wild animals and interact with them, how to enjoy the beauty of our planet while travelling without causing harm and how every person can contribute towards the well-being of the oceans. A series of presentations will promote water sports for people with disabilities, inclusive programmes and solutions for a more accessible aquatic environment.
Demo events in electric skateboarding, electric surfboarding and aquaskipping will be held daily on 4th Kamensky Pond at 12 noon, 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. Visitors will be welcome to try these and other sports, like wakeboarding, balance boarding and SUP boarding. A drone laser show and LED electric hydrofoil show will take place at the same location on 3 September from 8 to 8:30 p.m.
There will be more fun activities in store for wakeboarding and SUP boarding fans at 2nd Kamensky Pond. Master classes in these sports will be offered every day during festival hours. Demo events in wakeboarding, adaptive wakeboarding and wakeskating will be held here on 4 September at 3 p.m. Visit the festival's website to find out how to participate or sign up for wakeboarding, electric hydrofoiling or aquaskipping. Other activities are all free and no registration is required.
A kitesurfing event will be held on the Show Ring behind Pavilion No. 55. Visitors will be welcome to learn the basics of kiting. Test drives will be performed daily during festival hours, no registration is required.
In addition, there will be DJs, vibrant photo booths and raffles with many gifts and the festival's grand prix: an all-expenses-paid week-long trip to the Maldives. The festival will end on 5 September with a concert by the cover band The Krispy Krab. Visitors will be welcome to attend Pavilion No. 55 for the gala closing ceremony from 4 p.m.
The anti-coronavirus safety precautions continue to apply at VDNH. Festival visitors are expected to wear face masks inside the pavilions and observe social distancing everywhere on the grounds.
LOCATION: Pavilion No. 55, Show Ring, 2nd and 4th Kamensky Ponds.
HOURS: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on 2–4 September (admission closes at 7 p.m.), 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on 5 September.
TICKETS: from RUB 550 Tickets are available on the festival's website, and at any of the festival sites during the event. Bring your swimsuit, a pair of flip-flops and a towel if you plan to join a water sport event. Diving suits will be provided by the organisers.