"Capital of Sunsets" (Stolitsa zakatov) is a city event in Nizhny Novgorod that has existed since at least 2022. The festival dates back to 2021, when it became one of the main events of the celebration of Nizhny Novgorod's 800th anniversary: concerts were held on the Nizhne-Volzhskaya Embankment every Saturday throughout the summer, more than 30 artists of various genres took the stage, and at the end of the season the festival received the top award at the 10th National Russian Event Awards in the category "Best Tourist Event in a Hybrid Format" and was shortlisted for the international EFEA Awards in the "Event of the Year" category.[1] It features street events, concerts, and sports runs that make use of light shows and the city's infrastructure.

History

In 2022, the "Capital of Sunsets" festival was included in the list of key summer events of Nizhny Novgorod Region. Deputy Governor Oleg Berkovich mentioned it among 65 events for which funding was planned to be requested, at an average cost of about 8 million rubles each. Since 2022, the festival's format has expanded: events run all summer from Friday to Sunday at several city venues that were improved for the 800th anniversary of Nizhny Novgorod and united into a single tourist route; in 2022 the festival drew 350,000 visitors, in 2023 — 400,000, and in 2024 — 550,000. In the jubilee year of 2025, the festival was attended by 490,000 spectators: over the three summer months, 139 events took place at 10 venues.

Over its six years of existence, the festival has been visited by about 2.3 million guests in total; during that time, about 4,000 young performers, entrepreneurs, scientists, and creative professionals took part in its events, and the number of events held exceeded 1,800.[5][2][1] The same list included a fireworks festival and concerts using the The Chkalov Staircase and the pakgauzy (former freight warehouses).

Berkovich pointed out that Nizhny Novgorod Region competes for tourist flow with Kazan, Crimea, and Krasnodar Krai, and that regular large-scale events are necessary to retain that flow. "Capital of Sunsets" is a multi-genre music festival. The 2026 program on the Rakushka stage included pop-rock singer Dora (May 31), hip-hop artist Markul (June 13), Australian jazz musician Dan Barnett (July 4), and the indie-rock band Beautiful Boys (August 22).[2] It includes several permanent strands: "Gastro Rozhdestvenskaya" — weekly Saturday food markets on the pedestrian Rozhdestvenskaya Street; "Solo at Sunset" — instrumental concerts and DJ sets at scenic spots (Fedorovsky Embankment, Nizhne-Volzhskaya Embankment, Strelka, the Kremlin); "Rakushka" — concerts on the historic summer stage in the Alexander Garden, which opened back in the 1960s and was revived in 2021; in 2025, singer Eva Polna, the Global Jazz Quartet, rapper L'One with a choir, and the band Zveri performed on the Rakushka stage.[2] "Iskra" — family city gatherings in Sverdlov Square with markets, lectures, and workshops.[1]

Events and Program

As part of "Capital of Sunsets," a night run of the same name is held. In 2026, during this run, a light show was projected onto the section of the fortress wall of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin between the Georgievskaya and Borisoglebskaya Towers. This section of the wall is regularly used as a screen for light projections during city events. In 2023, the festival received the grand prix of the board of trustees of the Russian Event Awards international prize in the "National Event of 2023" category, and the gastronomic strand "Rozhdestvenskaya" was recognized as the best gastronomic tourism event among cities with a population of over 100,000; in 2024, the festival won in the "National Tourist Event" category of the 13th International Russian Event Awards.

In 2026, the festival was among the finalists of one of the national tourism awards in the "More Than a Place of Power" category.[5] The festival's anthem was written by the Nizhny Novgorod duo Going Deeper; in 2024, the festival held the "New Names" competition for the first time, giving young musicians the chance to perform before a wide audience.

According to Ekaterina Romushkina, head of the communications department of the autonomous nonprofit organization "Center 800," the tradition of seeing off the sun with music and dancing grew out of a spontaneous urban practice: Nizhny Novgorod residents were the first to begin posting striking photographs of sunsets on social media and declared the city the capital of sunsets. By 2026, the festival's media coverage had exceeded 23,500 publications, and its total social media reach had hit 154.5 million users.[5][4][1]

In January 2026, Rospatent entered the "Capital of Sunsets" trademark in the state register, officially securing this tourism brand for Nizhny Novgorod; the rights to use the mark were transferred to the autonomous nonprofit organization Center 800. At the same time, Rospatent registered a second tourism brand of Nizhny Novgorod — "100% Real Russia," which positions the city as a place where the full diversity of the country is concentrated: nature, culture, science, crafts, and achievements.[3]

Sources

  1. Vremya N — Over the six years of the festival's existence, its total audience has come to about 2.3 million people, and the number of events held has exceeded 1,800. The project has involved (archive)
  1. Newsroom24 — Over the six years of the festival's existence, about 2.3 million guests have attended it in total; during that time, about 4,000 young performers have taken part in its events,
  1. KP — Nizhny Novgorod — In January 2026, Rospatent entered the "Capital of Sunsets" trademark in the state register, officially securing this tourism brand for Nizhny Novgorod. T (archive)
  2. nn.aif.ru — According to Ekaterina Romushkina, head of the communications department of the autonomous nonprofit organization Center 800, the tradition of seeing off the sun with music and dancing as part of the "Capital of Suns (archive)
  1. Kommersant (Volga Region) — The "Capital of Sunsets" festival has been held in Nizhny Novgorod since 2021, not since 2022 as previously stated.
  1. stolicazakatov.nn-afisha.ru — The festival dates back to 2021, when it became one of the main events of the celebration of Nizhny Novgorod's 800th anniversary. The concerts were first held on the Nizhne-Volzhskaya Embankment (archive)
Materials used from the articles (2)

Georgievskaya Tower of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin, Berkovich Oleg