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St. Petersburg - The eagerly anticipated White Nights Festival takes place in July in St. Petersburg, Russia, and is essentially an international arts festival of classical ballet, opera, and music concerts.

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White Nights and Scarlet Sails - But the most famous and spectacular public event during the White Nights Festival is the Scarlet Sails extravaganza.

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Revelry on the Neva River - The gala sees a very special tall ship sailing slowly down the Neva River to pass the St. Petersburg waterfront.

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A traditional occasion - The tradition dates back to 1968, when several Leningrad schools united to celebrate the end of the school year in an appreciation of the symbolism of the popular 1922 children's book 'Scarlet Sails' by Russian writer Alexander Grin (1880–1932).

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Inaugural event - During that inaugural event, which attracted 25,000 school graduates, a brigantine with scarlet sails sailed along the Angliyskaya Naberezhnaya ("English Embankment") and the Admiralteyskaya Naberezhnaya ("Admiralty Embankment").

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Free from "schools and rules" -

The vessel continued towards the Winter Palace, the journey symbolic of Grin's vision of a child's dream of becoming an adult free from "schools and rules." 

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Graduation ceremony - As a result of this voyage, the brigantine and its scarlet sails quickly became emblematic of the transition to adult life upon graduation from school.

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Suspended and reinstated - The Scarlet Sails Festival took place every year until 1979, when it was suspended by the Soviet authorities for reasons that are still unclear.

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Revival - However, the tradition was revived in 2005, when St. Petersburg officials realized the tourist potential of such a colorful and romantic spectacle.

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Long days, short nights - These days, the Scarlet Sails event takes place in June as a precursor to the White Nights Festival. It's held on the weekend nearest to the shortest night of the year.

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Under sail - Here's the vessel under full sail and navigating a course towards St. Peterburg's historic Embankment district.

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Tall ship splendor - Its sails set against a canvas of exploding fireworks and probing searchlight, the majestic tall ship heads into a crescendo of noise and celebration.

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Spectacular pyrotechnics - The sail past is set against a spectacular display of pyrotechnics, when the night sky above the Neva River is illuminated in a blaze of color.

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Sails and selfies - Thousands throng the riverfront and the bridges spanning the Neva to admire the fireworks show.

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Party route - The party starts around midnight and takes place between Dvortsoviy Bridge, the Peter and Paul Cathedral, and the Hermitage Museum.

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View from the city - The tall ship adorned with scarlet sails passes the Admiralty building, as seen through the spires of St. Petersburg.

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Entertainment extravaganza - The pyrotechnics, together with a light display and water show, are all synchronized with music and with each other.

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Steady as she goes - While the vessel moves slowly along the river, it still needs to meet its cue as the combined sequences of light and sound play out. Timing is of the essence.

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Fantastic photo-ops - Each stage of the Scarlet Sails Festival offers new photo opportunities, when a sea of hands operating mobile devices reach for the sky.

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Lighting up landmarks - The fireworks are launched from floating pontoons positioned on the river. Standing on the embankment, spectators are afforded jaw-dropping views across the water and some of St. Petersburg's standout landmarks.

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Illuminating scenery - Historic buildings, including the beautiful 18th-century Peter and Paul Cathedral, are seen in a new light during the festivities.

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Starburst sky - Starbursts of color rain down on the city and the river as the Scarlet Sails Festival firework show nears its climax.

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Built for the river - Just one vessel is chosen to participate in the festival. While adhering to traditional marine sail technology, these ships are designed especially for the occasion, built with a lighter and thinner hull for greater speed and maneuverability. They are not actually sea worthy.

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Luminous mist - The show lasts around 30 minutes, by which time smoke from the fireworks is hanging in the air like luminous mist. In fact, the river resembles the aftermath of an 18th-century sea battle.

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Mid-summer highlight - The White Nights Festival is named not because of the illuminating pyrotechnics but for the fact that mid-summer in St. Petersburg sees daylight stretching far into the evening to create "white nights."

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End of the voyage - Spotlight and laser beams arrow into the sky as the firework display ends. 

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Dawn breaks - The scarlet-sailed vessel is just as impressive in early morning light as it glides across the mirror-like Neva River.

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Bridging the gap - The sailboat passes under the Palace Bridge along the city's Palace Embankment district of St. Petersburg.

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Arrive early -

The Scarlet Sails Festival attracts between 1.5 to 3 million visitors every year, and is regarded as one of Europe's most prestigious entertainment events. But if you want a good view of the proceedings, you'll need to bag a riverfront spot as early as possible. (Photo: Flickr/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

See also: Things you should never do in Russia.

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