The grand opening of the festival began at 11 a.m. On a small stage near the bank of the Vychegda River, the mayor of Syktyvkar Vladimir Goldin, the first deputy chairman of the regional government Elmira Akhmeeva, the chairperson of the committee on social policy of the Komi State Council Nadezhda Dorofeeva, and the head of the culture department of the Syktyvkar administration Vladimir Yurkovsky expressed their wishes to the participants.

“We love our ecology very much, we love our nature very much. People gather here with their families and their children, with friends, to relax, to fish, and have a good time, and of course to catch a small fish,” said the mayor of Syktyvkar.

After that, the judges read out the rules for participation in ice fishing. And already at 12 o’clock in the afternoon, the start began, after which the festival participants immediately began to take the best places on the ice. In total, 116 fishermen took part in the competitions not only from Syktyvkar, but also from many regions of the republic, and the festival was visited by more than 800 spectators. Many came there with their families.

Foreign students from one of Syktyvkar’s higher education institutions also came to the festival to get a feel for the culture and way of life of the republic. Students from India, Sri Lanka, Cameroon and South Sudan tried fishing under the watchful eye of professionals. Almost everyone managed to catch a small catch. However, some students felt sorry for them and released the fish back into the river.

The largest catch was made by a resident of the capital of Komi, Sergei Badanin. In total, the man caught 1,304 grams of fish and received a prize of 15 thousand rubles.

There were also other thematic areas at the event. People walked freely around Trehozerka, tents with hot food were located everywhere, and there were areas with attractions for children. A program dedicated to the festival was held in the House of Culture of the village.