Bear Lake Fun: A Mud Festival Adventure
Thanks to its salty waters, Bear Lake in the Kurgan Region is a popular destination for outdoor recreation and wellness. But July brings an extra reason to visit: the annual Mud Festival. It is packed with activities that make summer truly special — team fish soup cooking, a foam disco, presentations of rural homesteads from the Petukhovsky District, mud games, and more.
Prologue
The Dead Sea of the Trans‑Urals — that’s what they call Bear Lake because of its high mineralization
Its therapeutic mud helps with musculoskeletal disorders and other ailments
Cool weather cuts down the number of tourists on the shore, but never to zero!
The festival is held for the fifth time, this year in the village of Novo‑Ilyinskoye
The program kicks off with a procession: participants represent the settlements of the Petukhovsky District
Today they are set to cook fish soup and host guests at themed homesteads
The opening ceremony is approaching: a rousing song fills the air
The crowd is welcomed by performers from the Petukhovo Cultural Center
And, of course, there are congratulations from the officials
For the first time, the Deputy Governor of the Kurgan Region Andrey Alekseev has come to the lake
His right‑hand man at the festival was the head of the district Anton Volkov
Together they unveiled a new art object featuring the event’s annual branding
Fish Soup, Concert, and Fair
Meanwhile, by the freshwater Lake Prudok, the culinary battle “Fish Soup Galore!” gets underway
True to the name, teams cook fish soup — each with its own secrets
The rich broths come with all kinds of snacks on the side
Soon everyone will get a taste
Food safety rules are strictly observed
As the proverb goes, a good cook can make fish soup out of a rooster!
Fish in every possible preparation — why not?
The table is all set for the presentation…
…if only it would start already!
Finally, the women from the village of Rynki announce: “We see our dear guests!”
The deputy governor, the head of the district, and their entourage approach the culinary area
They are met with applause
A whole theatrical performance unfolds…
…after which all the cooked food goes to the festival‑goers and tourists
And the star of the show, of course, is the fish soup!
The “Street of Masters” fair runs all day. Tatyana Nazarevich (Ishim)
Here one can buy, for example, traditional folk toys
A separate row is dedicated to natural soft drinks
The multi‑hour concert program continues
Mikhail Kozlov’s repertoire is built around patriotic feeling
Together with Olga Shevel, they form a strong vocal duo “Milya” (Kurgan)
National Homesteads
Time to stroll through the “Wreath of Friendship” exhibition of national homesteads
At the Belarusian homestead of Novo‑Ilyinskoye, they sing beloved folk songs…
…and, of course, treat visitors to potato pancakes with sour cream
The baton passes to the Russian homestead
It’s Petukhovo (Rooster Town literally), as the photo zone props make easy to guess
The local women are elegant and charming
They welcome guests here the traditional way — with bread and salt
The ditties are spirited and full of timely wit
The attention is genuine, the applause well deserved!
Another Belarusian venue is called “Korovinskaya Zavalinka” (Novogeorgievka 2nd)
For a second, it might seem like there’s no festival bustle around…
…but that’s not true: this homestead with its flags is perhaps the most interactive of all
The craftswomen show how people used to spin in the old days…
…and how they prepared national dishes
Visitors can even turn the millstones of an old hand‑cranked mill
Moving on, we reach the “Oktyabrsky Stan” venue
The mini‑exhibition by local artist Vladimir Dudko, an art school teacher, is worth a look
There’s also a small program to introduce visitors to the village of Oktyabrskoye
A trio of spoon players demonstrates this simple but striking musical instrument in action
The tour through tradition ends with round dances
The lake visitors that day are thrilled by the variety of experiences
The final homestead is organized by the cultural and leisure center of Pashkovo village
The beautiful women invite everyone who walks by to join the dance
By the way, they design and sew those bright outfits themselves
This isn’t the first time the performers have drawn on Romani culture
This venue fully lets you feel the joy of a folk celebration
And in between dances, it's so great to meet the friends once found at Bear Lake
Foam Disco
Another much‑anticipated festival activity is the foam disco!
They’ve gone all out with the setup
At the attendees’ request, the foam cannon “fires” not just in a parabolic arc, but also in a direct line
Nearly an hour of carefree fun is on the schedule
The soft white bubbles let one hit pause on everything and just enjoy the moment
Kids are probably the stars of this foam party — but definitely not the only ones
Seems like we’ve finally uncovered the secret behind the most picturesque clouds :)
We can never have too much foam!
And even when the soap solution runs out, no one’s in a hurry to leave
Mud Games
The main show kicks off at 5 PM — the festival’s grand finale
Preparations are set on the shore of the salt lake for several rounds of mud games
The two teams ask everyone to remember them as clean now — because that chance won’t come again later!
The first challenge: “decorate” and present the captains. Time’s on the clock!
Remember: the mud is therapeutic, so there’s no need to hold back
The team leaders are more than happy to “upgrade” their own looks
“Shoulder boards” growing right before our eyes turn the captains into generals, at least
Final touch — and the transformation is complete
The opposing team has made serious progress with their camouflage too
The second contest begins
It is required to build two mud slides easy to slip on
The teams pull it off in just about three minutes
The third challenge: cross the slides under one key rule
The next team member’s moves must not copy the previous one’s
That is why the course is conquered in the most creative ways possible
On all fours, on knees, or with other unexpected tricks — anything goes
The main thing is to keep the competitive spirit high and not be afraid to get covered in mud from head to toe
Hurray! Everyone made it through the third round!
The fourth round is all about… irrigation work
In simple terms: connect the mud slides to the water body
The flow only needs to last long enough for spectators and rivals to see it
The fifth challenge is also a construction task
Teams get to show off their towers built from a very tricky material
Precise measurements reveal the winner, even though it’s impossible to tell by eye
For the sixth battle, pins are set up along the edges of the makeshift structure
They must be knocked down — yes, with mud “ammunition”
It’s not as easy as it sounds when you are doing it for the first time
But this trial soon becomes another milestone behind them
The seventh round is creative: a joint photo session with the contestants and the audience
Not everyone’s ready for this close encounter that risks their clean clothes, but there are still plenty of volunteers
Team posing takes on more and more new shapes
The charming contestants send us all air kisses…
…setting a personal example and inspiring everyone to embrace a little daring adventure
All the photos are taken, and it’s time for the eighth round
To upbeat music, the teams set off on a “round‑the‑world” trip
In the breaks, they act out what they “encounter” along the way — like a Mexican cactus
In the same playful style, they also show the Eiffel Tower and other landmarks
It’s not always easy to recreate and recognize the intended object…
…but every attempt sparks genuine laughter and joy
The “round‑the‑world” journey keeps going for quite a while
Teams move from 3D figures to flat ones
Then they switch to dances from around the world
Evergreen rock’n’roll suits the young crowd perfectly
The round ends with two equally impressive pyramids
The audience applauds all the brave participants, without picking favorites
The final, ninth battle is a tug‑of‑war. On your marks… Get set… Go!
It looks like the first seconds give one team the edge
But in the next moment, the tide turns against them
No matter what, they’re not about to give up so easily
Soon the sides switch places and adjust their tactics
The comeback pays off: friendship wins!
With that, the mud games come to an end
The results are announced…
…and the most charismatic participants, who weren’t scared of the cool weather, are singled out
Everyone receives prizes
The last keepsake photos are taken
In a minute, the shore will be empty — but the memories will last a long time
That’s how the fifth Mud Festival unfolded: creative, lively, and full of variety
It’s held every year at Bear Lake, a salt lake in the interflow of Tobol and Ishim rivers
The meeting point: the Petukhovsky District of the Kurgan Region!
