The story
Classics and Tag Games Festival in Stavropol
At the Tatar Gorodishche archaeological reserve outside Stavropol, the Classics and Tag Games Festival revives traditional children's games and round dances from across the many peoples of Stavropol Krai. Fourteen themed zones let visitors try both familiar and nearly forgotten folk games, alongside craft stalls, food vendors, and guided tours of the ancient settlement site, with the debut edition drawing more than fifteen thousand visitors.
Folk festivals tend to gravitate toward the big, visible traditions, costume, music, food, but Classics and Tag Games takes a smaller, quieter piece of cultural heritage and puts it squarely at the center: the games children across Stavropol Krai's many ethnic communities have played for generations, some still common, others nearly forgotten outside the memories of grandparents.