The Stars of the White Nights 2026
29 May - 24 July 2026
The Music Festival Stars of the White Nights 2026 at the legendary Mariinsky Theatre invites you into a world where opera, ballet, and symphonic music unfold with grandeur, precision, and emotional depth. Set in the cultural heart of Saint Petersburg, this prestigious festival continues its tradition of presenting the finest achievements of Russian and international performing arts — a living dialogue between heritage and innovation.
The 2026 season is gradually being revealed, with the programme currently announced for May and additional highlights expected to follow. Even at this stage, the festival promises a rich and diverse artistic journey, where iconic masterpieces and new productions coexist on the same stage, reflecting the Mariinsky’s signature breadth and ambition.
At the core of the festival lies a compelling operatic programme. Audiences can expect monumental works of the Russian repertoire, including Modest Mussorgsky’s Boris Godunov - one of the most anticipated productions of the season, Gioachino Rossini's L’italiana in Algeri, Giuseppe Verdi’s Otello — works that combine dramatic intensity with the extraordinary vocal and orchestral power for which the Mariinsky is internationally celebrated.
The festival also shines through its ballet programme, a cornerstone of the Mariinsky tradition. Spectators will experience timeless classics such as Swan Lake, Romeo and Juliet, Raymonda, and The Sleeping Beauty alongside contemporary choreographic works and premieres that continue to redefine the language of ballet.The Mariinsky Ballet, with its world-renowned dancers, brings elegance, virtuosity, and expressive depth to every performance.
The festival’s concert programme expands the artistic landscape even further. Symphonic evenings with the Mariinsky Orchestra under Valery Gergiev include works by Mahler, Shostakovich, Prokofiev, and Rachmaninoff, while chamber recitals and vocal concerts create moments of intimacy and reflection amid the grandeur of the season. The White Nights atmosphere gives every performance a unique emotional resonance, with concerts often continuing late into the luminous northern evenings.
Among the officially announced leading artists of the 2026 festival are world ballet star Diana Vishneva, bass Ildar Abdrazakov, soprano Hibla Gerzmava, mezzo-soprano Olga Borodina, and violinist Pavel Milyukov, whose appearances add exceptional artistic prestige to the programme.
What truly defines the Stars of the White Nights is its constellation of leading artists. The Music Festival Stars of the White Nights 2026 is more than a programme — it is a living organism, continuously evolving as new performances are announced. It invites you not only to witness great art, but to become part of a cultural tradition that has shaped the global stage for generations.
The full programme for the festival will be posted at a later date