Movement of the First Festival was held at the RUSSIA EXPO

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On June 1, the International RUSSIA EXPO hosted the Movement of the First Festival, timed to coincide with the International Children's Day. The guests heard songs of modern artists on the Main Street Stage, danced to children's musical tunes, and witnessed the Procession of Dreamers.

The festival began with an address by Russian President Vladimir Putin. The head of state congratulated all young Russians, parents, grandparents, teachers and mentors on the International Children's Day. Emphasizing the importance of the holiday, the President noted that it is around the interests of families and children that "virtually all our actions, all state activities and decisions are based, and in a variety of areas — in education, healthcare, and in the economy, in the development of housing programs".

Famous Russian artists took part in the opening ceremony of the festival. They included Mia Boyka, Misha Marvin, Rodion Gazmanov and other performers. In addition, Olympic champion, biathlete Olga Zaitseva and Russian hero, cosmonaut Andrei Borisenko addressed the participants of the ceremony.

Furthermore, the festival's opening ceremony marked the start of the summer health-improvement campaign. Five children's camps — "Artek" in Crimea, "Ocean" in Vladivostok, "Orlyonok" in Tuapse, "Scarlet Sails" in Yevpatoria, and "Smena" in Anapa — got in touch with the Exposition.

As part of the festival, the Exposition guests took part in the Children's Radio disco, where both adults and children could hear songs from cartoons and movies for an hour, as well as dance and take part in interactive activities.

The winners of the photo contest "Look" within the framework of the All-Russian gathering "Eaglets of Russia" were awarded. Its participants are schoolchildren, students, educational advisors of directors, as well as activists of the Movement of the First. The list of awardees included 20 works that received the highest evaluation of the expert community.

The Procession of Dreamers took place from the North Loop to the Exposition's Main Street Stage. It was attended by about two thousand people: regional participants of the Movement, honored guests with children, as well as about 150 foreign guests from more than 40 countries. The procession consisted of five columns, each symbolizing one of the letters of the word "Dream" ("Mechta" in Russian). Regions were represented in the columns. Each letter at the head of the column symbolized one of the key elements in achieving the dream. The longest chain of handshakes was recorded during the procession.

The festival also featured a performance by the Movement of the First choir, whose members sang patriotic songs. The program ended with a concert by the youth singer Milana Star and NILETTO.