MURMANSK, August 29. /TASS/. More than 9,000 people visited the 3rd Gastro Industry fest in the Murmansk Region's Nickel, the organizers said reporting a 4-times' growth in the number of guests year-over-year.

"Gastro Industry fest, traditionally taking place in Nickel in late summer, this year was organized for the third time and attracted a huge number of guests - more than 9,200 people," the source told TASS, adding the number of guests a year earlier was just 2,500.

The festival's venue was the Metallurgists Square, where were several art objects (a foundry ladle, a tsar (that is 'huge') helmet), referring to metallurgy and mining - Nickel's industrial sectors. The guests were invited to see an exhibition of modern equipment at the Kaula-Kotselvaara mine, the Severny mine and of the Kola MMC emergency rescuers. The visitors participated in various technological workshops and activities: from making coins and souvenirs to Tesla and virtual reality shows. A large pyrotechnic show was a very attractive event.

Local restaurateurs treated guests with the Arctic cuisine dishes: dumplings with cod, pancakes with crab, porridge with venison, waffles with salmon, as well as beverages with northern berries. The music program featured local and visiting rock bands.

Russia's popular football players Andrey Arshavin and Roman Shirokov held master classes for local children and played football with them.

Gastro Industry fest has been held in the village of Nickel in summer since 2021. The festival is a combination of industrial landscapes and entertainment, gastronomic experiments of the Arctic cuisine, harsh northern flavor and sports. The event's organizers are the local administration, the Norilsk Nickel Company, and the Murmansk Region's Tourism Committee.