Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Sochi became the epicenter of comedy for two weeks, hosting the 37th International KVN (KiViN-2026) Festival. Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University made an unprecedented splash by bringing three of its strongest teams to the country's main qualifying stage. This fact eloquently proved that St. Petersburg remains one of the undisputed comedy capitals of Russia.
The festival truly set a record for the number of participants—615 teams from Russia and neighboring countries competed for a spot in one of the KVN leagues: official, central, or television. The competition was fierce, and the standard was set by KVN legends from the First League, who served as editors: Dmitry Bushuev, Oleg Valentsov, and Alan Dzigoev.
The first of the Polytechnicians to take up the baton was the team "Cherche La Femme," a member of the KVN leagues "Youth of Moscow" and "Fontanka." They surprised the audience with skits with elements of subtle absurdity.
"We feel like we performed better than last year. We worked with Moscow editors again, which was definitely a joy," shared fourth-year student Nadezhda Arbuzova.
Another Polytechnic team, "Anomaly," wowed the audience with their signature blend of humor, charm, and stunning acting.
The "Great Byt" team, vice-champion of the NEVA Central League and participant in the Murmansk, Samara, and Moscow Student Leagues, lived up to the audience's expectations. Approaching the task with gusto, the team attended a closed screening for NEVA League editors and producers before the festival to gauge the reaction to their material and gain valuable feedback. As seasoned competitors, they were given 5 minutes and 30 seconds to present at the festival. Their trump card on the Sochi stage was a unique prop—a detailed model of a St. Petersburg neighborhood and a humorous text that was highly praised and earned the team a boost in ratings for the new season.
This isn't our first time in Sochi, so it's always a pleasure to return to the festival atmosphere, where working on jokes and props alternates with strolls along the embankment and shooting at the shooting range. Every Sochi is unique for us, and this one was no exception. We introduced a new team member to the audience and were recognized by the editors," shared Ivan Pavlov, a graduate student at the Institute of Energy.
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