A "party for insiders" has grown into a 1000-person festival: how the Fantasy Fest was held in Yakutsk

Second Fantasy Fest The event took place on June 8th in Urdel Park. As organizer Nikolai Balanov told NeMoskva, it all started last year: Dungeon and Dragons board game players decided to throw a small, friendly "get-together." They partnered with a cafe and held the event. 

"We gave it a simple, straightforward name—'Fantasy Fest.' To our surprise, over 100 people visited in one day! That's when we realized people were interested," Balanov says. 

This year, we decided to take on an entire park in the city center. We decided to take a professional approach and found sponsors and partners.   

"According to rough estimates, 1000 people came to us, which is absolutely incredible! I hope next year we can do even better, even more, even more colorful. We want to collaborate with other regions: Khabarovsk, Irkutsk, Vladivostok," says Balanov. 

Fantasy Fest was all about activity and creativity. You could swordfight, try archery, participate in a cosplay contest, and even go horseback riding. Everything was stylized as medieval: merchants sold their goods in the shops, the dancing was also medieval, and a traveling circus provided entertainment. 

Alexander Fedorov, a representative of the local Go federation, told NeMoskva that he attended the festival last year as a spectator, but this time he personally taught the Eastern board game to anyone interested. He believes the festival was a great success. 

"Fantasy is so popular because people want to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life for a while and immerse themselves in a completely different world, drawing energy and inspiration there to return to reality. Festivals like these help us find like-minded people," Fedorov shares his impressions. "If there's a festival next year, we'll definitely participate."

Photo: "Yakutsk Evening".