On the last day of spring, 31st May, the central square of Gorno-Altaisk was flooded with a diverse array of snow leopards, as participants in a vibrant costume parade marked the final stage of the 16th "Land of the Snow Leopard" festival, held in the Altai Republic on the eve of Children’s Day.
For the second consecutive year, the "Irbis" Association, together with the company "Evalar," supported the celebration. The winner of this year’s costume parade (in the "Friends of the Snow Leopard Cubs" category) was the team "Nak Irbister" (3rd-grade pupils from the Ulagan Primary School, led by their form teacher, Olga Yuryevna Kazakulova).

Daria Petrova, Director of the Interregional Association "Irbis," presented the children with a 150,000-rouble voucher for a household appliance store. A special prize from the Association was awarded to the "Ak Bars" team from the Ust-Kansky district.
Those who had not yet seen the remarkable film "Master of the Altai Mountains," produced by the "Irbis" Association in 2023, had the chance to watch it during the festivities.

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We extend our gratitude to the Head of the Altai Republic, Andrey Anatolyevich Turchak, and the Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Altai Republic, Alexander Sergeyevich Prokopyev, for their assistance and support in organising the festival. It brings such joy to see the happy smiles of children and to realise the care, attention, and soul that parents, children, and teachers have poured into preparing for this holiday—the wonderful costumes they have created, the interesting performances! It is so important for children to learn to treat nature with care and responsibility

Daria Petrovna remarked in her welcoming address.

Twenty-six 'snow leopard' teams, representing schools and kindergartens, arrived from the city and across the republic’s districts. There were also individual 'cubs'—in total, the parade involved around 400 participants (with a further 200 people being finalists in competitions judged earlier). Notably, it was not only the children but also their mentors, parents, and other supporters who donned a variety of utterly charming snow cat costumes.
Although the festival is always a colourful and bright affair, the judging panel noted that this year the teams approached the preparation of their costumes and performances with particular responsibility and creativity.
The costume parade is consistently the main and most spectacular event of the festival, which begins earlier with a series of competitive tasks. Participants from all municipal districts of the republic prepare souvenirs, posters, drawings, musical compositions, and theatrical performances, and write fairy tales, poems, or essays.

Separate competitions for teachers—for the best teaching resource, idea for an environmental campaign, or lesson plan about the region’s nature—are also organised. The unchanging goal remains promoting the conservation of the snow leopard, this beautiful and rare predator, and fostering a respectful attitude towards nature in general.
Both participants and guests of the festival could try their hand at creative workshops and masterclasses, games and competitions, get their faces painted, have a snowball fight (a dedicated zone with real snow was provided!), and take photos with snow leopards, unicorns, fyoki (white fluffy creatures resembling snow fairies), and even Father Frost.
Interesting stories could be heard from the real guardians of the snow leopard—scientists, rangers, and volunteers. For the children, the organisers prepared "three thousand free portions of ice cream—as cold as mountain peak snow—and a kilometre of candy floss—as white as mountain clouds."
In 2025, the festival was organised by the Government of the Altai Republic, the Republic’s Ministry of Education and Science, the Republic’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology, the Interregional Association "Irbis," the company "Evalar," and the Sailugemsky National Park, with the support of the Republican Centre for Additional Education, the Altai and Katun State Natural Biosphere Reserves, and the Directorate of Specially Protected Natural Areas of the Altai Republic.