City Walk, the lifestyle destination by Meraas, supported by the Russian Government through the Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Dubai and the Northern Emirates, will host the third edition of the Matryoshka Festival from 2 to 5 May 2018.

Miss Russia Victoria Lopyreva, FIFA World Cup 2018 Ambassador and face of the Matryoshka Festival, announced the event in the presence of Ilya Raevskiy, Vice Consul of the Russian Federation in Dubai and the Northern Emirates.

During the three-day cultural extravaganza, City Walk will be transformed into a magical wonderland in keeping with this year's fairytale theme. Showcasing the best of Russia, the fun-filled family event will offer visitors an insight into some of the most influential aspects of Russian culture and lifestyle, including contemporary fashion, classic and modern performing arts, sports, and cuisine.

This year's festival line-up includes leading Russian singer Nikolai Baskov, iconic designer Igor Gulyaev, in addition to renowned entertainers such as Bis-quit and the Acapella ExpreSS. The Matryoshka Festival also brings to City Walk a yarmarka (Russian market) fair, fashion displays, an iconic 3D art installation, light shows, and unique stage performances by prima ballerinas from the Mariinsky Theatre of St Petersburg.

During the Matryoshka Festival, the piazza area – Multaqa Al Adwa – will be decorated with statues and figurines from popular Russian fairytales. Pop-up shops will display current fashion collections, while UAE-based Russian vendors have a chance to showcase their products at the yarmarka. A special day will be dedicated to the FIFA World Cup, where visitors can meet Victoria Lopyreva as well as prominent athletes and other sports personalities.

Speaking on the occasion, the FIFA World Cup 2018 Ambassador said: "Dubai is already a fairytale city, and we look forward to bringing the Matryoshka Festival to City Walk. We invite all our friends, guests and compatriots to come and enjoy the best of Russian art and culture at City Walk this May as we prepare to host yet another successful cultural pageant."

Each day of the festival will reveal a bouquet of surprises starting with morning masterclasses hosted by celebrities and topped off with a raffle draw for FIFA World Cup 2018 match tickets. An art competition designed especially for the event will showcase local and international talent expressing the 'Dubai story' by painting large matryoshka dolls that will also be on display at the destination. Younger audiences can look forward to participating in traditional games, activities, and musicals featuring star singers and folklore performances.