The events are organized by the “Northern Character” project as part of the “Fidel’s Era: Heritage and Memory” program, and are based on the visit the renowned revolutionary made to Murmansk in April 1963.

Fidel Castro was the first foreign leader shown the Soviet Union’s strategic facilities, particularly the submarine base located in that region.

The celebratory program will begin on August 13 itself with an mmersive audio experience titled “Guest from the Island of Freedom.”

Subsequently, the Murmansk Regional Museum of Local History will unveil a photographic exhibition and screen the short film “*¡Viva Fidel!*” (Long Live Fidel!).

Visitors will be able to view photographs taken by Yuri Shumilkin during Fidel Castro’s 1963 visit to Murmansk, as well as stills from the film, which was shot in the city in the autumn of 2025 with regional government support.

The film tells the story of a young man from Murmansk who is unexpectedly transported from the present day back to 1963—the day of Fidel Castro’s arrival—and meets the Cuban leader.

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