Packing your backpack for the Festival is an art of its own 🤔 It may feel like you need to bring your whole life with you, but in reality, you only need a few things — the kind that can actually save the day: during a lecture, while waiting in line for coffee, or at 2 a.m. after meeting a new friend from the other side of the world. We’ve been through it, so we put together a packing list you can count on 👇 ➡️ Backpack Your main companion throughout the Festival. Compact, comfortable, and big enough for all the souvenirs you’ll collect from 191 countries. ➡️ Sneakers The program is packed and there are lots of locations to explore — so get ready to walk. A lot. ➡️ Travel mug For coffee before a lecture, tea after a concert, and water between new introductions. ➡️ Camera Moments like these don’t happen every day. Want to look back on them somewhere other than your phone gallery? Bring a camera! ➡️ Postcards from your region A small but meaningful way to exchange contacts and leave someone with a little piece of home. They’re sure to travel all around the world. ➡️ Power bank With so many new friends, videos, and Stories, your phone definitely won’t make it through the day without a recharge. ➡️ Book Bring your favorite one and exchange it with someone from another country. Bookcrossing can be the beginning of a real friendship — and a reason to pick up your new treasure years later and remember the IFY–2026. ➡️ Notebook and pen Write down ideas, contacts, and thoughts after meeting people from all over the world. A year from now, you’ll read them again and feel like you’re back in Ekaterinburg. The Festival is about more than just the program. It’s about friendships that start with a simple conversation and continue across years and continents 🤝 💼 So, what would you bring with you?