The Blue Nights food and drink festival in St. Petersburg was canceled just before the event began, Fontanka reported.
“Blue Nights” was supposed to be held on May 23 from 13:00 to 20:00 at the DAA EXPO exhibition complex near the Novocherkasskaya metro station. The cost of festival tickets is from three to 15 thousand rubles. Their price includes unlimited tastings of drinks. Organizers stated that the event “will bring together 70 craftsmen from across Russia to present their distinctive drinks.” It was expected that one and a half thousand guests would attend the festival.
However, by the time the event began, entry to the festival was suspended. An hour and a half later, a message appeared saying, “The event has been postponed to another date.”
When a Fontanka correspondent asked him about the reasons for what happened, Blue Nights organizer Boris Shekhlev replied: “Show masks.”
The organizers reported on the festival’s VKontakte page that they did not know the official reason for canceling Blue Nights. They added that the festival was agreed with the St. Petersburg Culture Committee and the FSB, the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Emergency Situations and the administration of the city’s Krasnogvardeisky district were notified.
According to what was reported by the Peterburg newspaper Delovoy, security forces seized alcohol at the festival site.