Herring Day: Performance promenade

Floating EKA held its first-ever performance promenade. It took place on the streets of St. Petersburg and was dedicated to the fish, friendship, and the Baltic Sea.

Herring is a pack-running fish. We used its image to remind people how important it is to stick together, to take care of the Baltic Sea and its inhabitants, and to be friends with the whole world, regardless of the news agenda and closed borders. As part of the performance, a school of seven shiny fishes went on a leisurely journey through the streets of the city. Our herrings handed out little “fish eggs" with messages to people. Volunteers of completely different professions took part in the promenade as performers.

Volunteers about the performance: "People were so surprised that the messages we handed out were not agitation or advertisement, but simply interesting facts about herring!" “It was great to meet new people, go beyond the usual experience, take a leisurely walk around the city.” “There was a pleasant feeling of flow, trust, and relaxation." "Many passerbiers reacted well, and it was especially joyful to see the reaction of the police! People stopped to take pictures, smiled, but of course, the children were especially happy.”

Here are some statistics about the performance:

7 "fish-people” promenaded
13 volunteers participated
140 magical messages sent
169 000 steps made
6 kilometers walked
10 liters of water drunk
4 liters of petrol saved
5 friendly places visited
5 hours of live posting on Instagram/FB stories
55 000 views - media hits
3 000 smiles

It was fantastic to make people smile, connect, and bring their attention to the nature and culture of the Baltic Sea region! The promenade ended at Semimostye (“Seven bridges” in Russian), a place where canals and bridges come together. From there the fish-people disappeared in town continuing to reflect the city and smiles of people on the mirrored surface of the fish skin. Semimostye is a magical place, a wish made there will definitely come true. We made a wish that the connection would never be destroyed, and the friendship would be preserved. All of this wouldn't have happened without the support of our Patrons.

Thank you!

5 June 2021