Nearly 1,000 costumed paddle boarders packed into Russian canals for a festival with virtually no social distancing, and the photos are anxiety-inducing

Barnaby LaneAug 12, 2020, 19:12 IST

The Fontanka SUP festival took place in St. Petersburg on Saturday.Getty/Peter Kovalev

Nearly 1,000 costumed paddle boarders packed into canals in the Russian city of St. Petersburg for an annual festival on Saturday.
Paddlers from all over Europe travelled as far as 8km along the Moika and Fontanka rivers, as well as the Kryukov and Griboyedov canals.
Russia has recorded over 900,000 cases of COVID-19, the fourth highest total of any country in the world.
See photos of the chaotic event below.

Nearly 1,000 costumed paddle boarders packed into canals in the Russian city of St. Petersburg for the annual Fontanka SUP festival on Saturday August 8.

Russia has recorded over 900,000 cases of COVID-19, the fourth highest total of any country in the world, however enthusiasts crammed into the city's narrow waterways for the festival.

Dressed in colorful costumes, paddlers travelled as far as five miles along the Moika and Fontanka rivers, as well as the Kryukov and Griboyedov canals.

Stand-up paddleboarding (SUP), an offshoot of surfing, challenges boarders to stand atop a large floating boards and propel themselves through the water using paddles.

According the festival's website, 890 people registered to paddle board, while over 500 from "Russia, Finland, Cyprus, Belarus, Ukraine, Estonia, and Poland" walked the route.

Check out anxiety-inducing pictures of the mass event, where there was not a lot of social distancing going on, below:

Boarders were almost on top of one another at some points of the festival.

Getty/Peter Kovalev

Especially when getting in and out of the water, which did not look safe at all.

Getty/Peter Kovalev

And when trying to pass under bridges.

Getty/Peter Kovalev

There were also plenty of onlookers, who gathered in the streets. Masks were a rare sight.

Getty/Peter Kovalev

Participants were, however, able to spread out on the wider parts of the course.

Getty/Peter Kovalev

And some of the costumes were admittedly very entertaining.

Getty/Peter Kovalev

Some were very creative.

Getty/Peter Kovalev

Though some were, to say the least, just strange.

Getty/Peter Kovalev

People were clearly having plenty of fun, despite the possible spread of the coronavirus.

Getty/Peter Kovalev

However, overall the event looked like complete chaos, and it probably would have been even without a global pandemic!

Getty/Peter Kovalev

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Nearly 1,000 costumed paddle boarders packed into Russian canals for a festival with virtually no social distancing, and the photos are anxiety-inducing

Boarders were almost on top of one another at some points of the festival.

Especially when getting in and out of the water, which did not look safe at all.

And when trying to pass under bridges.

There were also plenty of onlookers, who gathered in the streets. Masks were a rare sight.

Participants were, however, able to spread out on the wider parts of the course.

And some of the costumes were admittedly very entertaining.

Some were very creative.

Though some were, to say the least, just strange.

People were clearly having plenty of fun, despite the possible spread of the coronavirus.

However, overall the event looked like complete chaos, and it probably would have been even without a global pandemic!