VI. World Festival of Youth and Students
The VI. World Festival of Youth and Students (Russian Всемирный фестиваль молодёжи и студентов) opened on July 28, 1957 in Moscow , Soviet Union . The festival drew 34,000 people from 130 countries. It was the first world festival for youth and students in the Soviet Union.
Nikita Khrushchev's reforms brought about some changes in the Soviet Union. Foreigners could come to visit, and Soviet citizens were allowed to meet foreigners, but only in groups and under supervision. Russian foreign language students volunteered to be interpreters.
Music from many cultures around the world came to the USSR with the festival. People danced in the streets with foreigners from all over the world. The Soviet jazz musician Alexei Koslow played with international guest musicians. The popular Druzhba ensemble from Leningrad won the first prize in pop music with its singer Edita Pjecha . Edita Pjecha, Vladimir Troschin and international guests of the festival played the popular song Moscow Nights together .
Components of the festival program were a u. a. Film festival and an international athletics competition.