Mandalorian, Titanic and Gopniks at Chelyabinsk SUP Fest

The SUP Fest in Chelyabinsk has ended, but its aftertaste seems unlikely to fade over the Miass any time soon. For this float parade, participants spent weeks — some a whole month — designing costumes, sewing cloaks, moulding masks, painting paddleboards and turning ordinary boards into full-fledged stage sets. We gathered the brightest heroes of the carnival float — from Gandalf and the Mandalorian to Bridget Jones and an almost genuine newlywed couple.

Nikita and Darya Rupasov came to the first 74 SUP Fest dressed as a groom and a bride. In their case, this is not just a costume for a carnival float. On 25 August they will officially become husband and wife. The couple«s story really is almost like a romantic film: they were in the same class at school, then lost sight of each other for several years, and met again at a school reunion evening.

“And the spark flew. We have not been apart since. And we started paddleboarding together — it is already our family hobby,” Darya said.

Apparently, the boat of love sailed just as it should. They were also hugely lucky with their start numbers: 0999 and 0777. How did that happen?

“My husband is dressed as a bandit. He sorted out the little questions,” Darya explained jokingly.

The victory in the “1+1” category really was not long in coming.

“My husband arranged the victory. It is all bought,” the bride added.

“We agreed at the very highest level!” the groom chimed in.

Kristina chose the Avatar look. Her explanation was as simple as could be — you would not even want to argue:

“Because the water is blue, and I am blue!”

While her mother was conquering the Miass, her two-month-old baby was sleeping in a pram on the bank. During the float, his father looked after him. So the family«s SUP debut went ahead with a reliable shore crew.

Sergey came to the 74 SUP Fest dressed as Gandalf from “The Lord of the Rings” and approached the transformation thoroughly. He spent a whole month rebuilding his paddleboard: he hid a battery inside, installed special flashing lights similar to those used on road machinery, and even built a small tower on the board. All of it flashed impressively as the mighty wizard paddled along the Miass.

“I am Gandalf. This is my friend — the hobbit Fyodor Sumkin. I greet you most categorically!” the character said of himself.

But the main magic is not only in the costume. The hobbit Fyodor can also talk: a mechanism is hidden inside that produces various phrases. In short, it is all special effects.

Sergey ordered the costume on AliExpress and explained that it will also come in handy for Halloween. In everyday life he works as a loader at Soyuzpishcheprom (a Chelyabinsk food producer).

Another duo arrived straight from the “Star Wars” universe — the Mandalorian and Grogu.

They spent about a month preparing the costumes and made almost everything with their own hands. The masks were moulded from fibreglass: first a frame was created, then it was given the required shape. A metal mesh was used for the helmet, and the Mandalorian«s cloak was made from an ordinary blanket. What ingenuity!

Neil«s girlfriend transformed into Bridget Jones — her favourite film heroine.

“I thought no one else would come in a costume today and I would be alone — like Bridget Jones at that very party where she showed up in a Playboy bunny costume and then it turned out the theme had been cancelled. So I decided to be a little mischievous and a little indecent,” she explained. “It turns out there are so many people here in such great looks! Just wow!”

Irina and Dmitry also decided to add a little Hollywood to the float. Their paddleboard carried a real “Titanic,” and they even printed a full-length Leonardo DiCaprio. They have watched the film about five times.

“Aren«t you afraid of repeating the Titanic»s fate?” we asked cautiously.

“Well, even if we fall off the paddleboard, it will be a funny precedent,” Irina and Dmitry replied with a laugh.

However, Irina did fall off the paddleboard during the float. Fortunately, the participant was quickly helped back onto the board, so it never came to a real drama.

Sofya and Ksenia chose the most recognisable look — gopniks (a Russian street subculture stereotype), and ones who had just come out of a brawl. Everything follows the canon: the right clothes, bruises under the eyes and a slightly battered look after the “showdown.” The costumes were easy to make, but what self-irony!

These people work at the Federal Treasury. Office life had apparently become too predictable at some point — and they decided to take up paddleboarding. They made and sewed the costumes of a hedgehog and fly agaric mushrooms themselves. And at last what they said they had not expected happened: the first victory of their lives.

Igor and Anna looked as if they had stepped out of ancient Egyptian images. They were the Pharaoh and Nefertiti — with the appropriate outfits and everything needed for a genuine royal look.

True, instead of the Nile there was the Miass, and instead of a royal barge — a paddleboard.