
Governor of Leningrad Oblast Aleksandr Drozdenko (in photo at left) met with the festival’s participants and visited the exhibition tents and the display of folk arts & crafts produced by Russia’s different ethnic groups.

Art groups from Tikhvin treated the guests to merry welcoming songs, circle dances, and ethnic dainties.
Ethnic groups presenting their cultures at the festival included Ingrian Finns (see photos). Bishop Laptev received the Governor’s personal invitation to the event.
Announcing the host of the next ethno-cultural festival, Governor Drozdenko passed the festival’s symbol, the Ladya Boat, to the town of Volkhov.