Events. St. Petersburg. Peter's Forts.

On May 30 and 31, the "Forts" festival will take place in Kronstadt. The open air will be held on May 30 at Fort Shants and on May 31 at Fort Alexander 1. Since 1996, summer music picnics aimed at fans of contemporary electronic music have been drawing increasing interest in the suburbs.

The open-air "FORT SHANTS" will take place in one of the most beautiful places in Kronstadt. The fort is a monumental engineering structure at the tip of Kotlin Island. It is a genuine defensive complex, one of the keys in defending Leningrad during the Great Patriotic War. The original name of this structure was "Shants". The fort was laid in the 18th century, significantly fortified in 1856, and completed before World War II. Over the years, Fort Shants has become embedded in the ground and is now in a semi-ruined state.

The celebration will begin on Friday, May 30, at 20:00 and will end on Saturday, May 31, at 10:00. The open-air will take place at two venues, one located on the shore of the bay, and the other on a large clearing within the fortifications of the fort.

Musical styles will change depending on the time of day. In the evening - house, at night - techno and drum'n'bass, in the morning - ambient, acid jazz, and deep house.

The preserved fortification structures create a unique landscape ideal for such an event. Designers and artists from St. Petersburg and Moscow will participate in creating decorations and overall design. In a vast area, contemporary means will arrange a space that will turn from the shore to the central part of the fort into an exhibition of installations. The show of fire performances, fireworks, and laser shows is one of the brightest moments of the celebration. Various technical elements, the brightest representatives of contemporary art, and the unique space of the Kronstadt forts, created by nature and man, will create a unified palette for the event.

On the main dance floor, the highlight will be the performance of electronic music star ANDY CATO /GROOVE ARMADA/. The London electronic dance duo Groove Armada was formed in the mid-90s by DJs and multi-instrumentalists Andy Cato and Tom Findlay. The group started performing in its own club, named just like the band - Groove Armada (after the namesake disco that operated in the 70s in Newcastle). The musicians produced their amazing creation - progressive funky house, light, exquisite and very positive.

By 1997 several singles were released, including "4 Tune Cookie" and "At the River", the debut album "Northern Star" was released the following year. The 1999 album "Vertigo" made it to the British top twenty and received silver status in the UK. It is now considered an outstanding example of British progressive house, combining electronic and live sounds, rap, retro, and ultra-modern elements. The singles from the album were similarly successful, particularly "I See You Baby", remixed by Fatboy Slim. Soon, Sir Elton John himself took notice of the group, offering Groove Armada the role of the opening act. In 2000, the "Vertigo" album was released in the USA.

Next followed a remix album ("The Remixes"), featuring DJs Icey and Tim "Love" Lee. Another mix collection - "Back To Mine" (also in 2000) demonstrated an atypical approach to remixes, which were not performed in the traditionally dance-oriented way, but rather in down-tempo, jazz and funky styles. Groove Armada continued their funkadelic explorations in the 2001 album "Goodbye Country (Hello Nightclub)", marked by collaborations with Richie Havens, Nile Rodgers, and Jeru Tha Damaja. Today Groove Armada is one of the leading British club collectives - besides their work in their own establishment, they are residents of one of London's largest clubs - "Fabric".

Domestic performers and DJs will also perform in front of a large youth audience, presenting the most relevant and interesting music of various styles and directions in electronics: Igor Vdovin, Chugunny Skorokhod, Mikha Voron, Oleg Pak, Bumer, Nastya, Tuk, Aram, Kompass-Vrubel, Lesha Haas, Kompass Vrubel, Slon, Lena Popova, Kosinus.

Artists and architects participating in the festival: "Rechnik" group, "Front" group, "Freezing of Architects", "Heterodyne", A. Barmaley, A. Stein, M. Tumblers, and others.

Powerful sound systems, computer light shows, laser and video installations will create a unique action filled with the energy of youth and the positive vibes of electronic music, uniting people regardless of age, social status, and nationality.

Tickets are sold at the box offices of stores Titanic, Iceberg, Saigon, Titanic-Video-Records, Capsule, Interactive, Desyatka, Ultra and in front of the buses.

The ticket price includes transportation by bus from the metro station "Staraia Derevnia" to the venue and back.

Car parking is organized at the traffic police post at the entrance to Kronstadt. With tickets, constantly circulating minibuses will take guests from the parking lot to the fort and back.