Discover the Ultimate IT Gathering in Samara: The Story Behind Festival 404
Explore how a small developer meetup in Samara blossomed into Festival 404, a premier event uniting internet professionals from across Russia with inspiring talks, networking, and innovation.
After a three-year pause, Festival 404 returns to Samara from October 6 to 7, transforming from a casual developer meetup into a vibrant hub for internet professionals nationwide.
The Beginning of Something Big
Back in 2007, Samara had many IT companies but lacked a unified community. Developers worked in isolation until one company initiated a picnic for developers to share ideas and unwind.
The event quickly gained traction, attracting over a hundred participants, including visitors from other cities. What started as a casual gathering evolved into a mini-conference where companies introduced themselves and discussed pressing industry challenges. It became clear that a small picnic wasn’t enough — a larger scale event was needed.
The following year, organizers from Dominion secured a conference hall equipped with microphones and projectors, elevating the event’s professional atmosphere.
The name "404: Festival Not Found" was born organically, reflecting the internet theme and aiming for viral recognition. Since the 404 error is familiar to all internet users, the concise title resonated well and stuck.
Yuri Marin
Digital Producer, BBDO Group. Moderator of the 'PR and Marketing' section
Outside Moscow, few festivals gather this many speakers and attendees. Festival 404 is a blend of a great program, venue, and perfect timing.
In 2009, Turbomilk joined as co-organizers and moved the festival to Samara's Holiday Inn, which generously provided free conference spaces. The festival's appeal expanded beyond developers to designers, marketers, and entrepreneurs, evolving Festival 404 into a gathering for all internet professionals.
Maxim Salnikov
Full-stack Developer, ForgeRock. Moderator of the 'Frontend and Backend' section
The festival's organizers are longtime friends, so attending Festival 404 feels like going back to when many current internet technologies were just dreams. It inspired many local developers to dive deeper into web development. The community here makes work exciting.
The event’s mascot, the "Hare of Misfortune," is famous for disrupting plans — a playful nod to the 404 error’s frustration. The festival respects this symbol, ensuring a smooth and engaging experience for all attendees.
Maxim Salnikov
Russia has conferences with strong technical tracks but lacking social interaction, while informal meetups offer networking but fewer insights. Festival 404 uniquely combines valuable presentations with friendly networking, letting you chat informally with authors whose code and articles you use daily.
Artem Geller
CEO of Artem Geller Laboratory. Moderator of the 'Design' section
Festival 404 is Russia’s largest event for design and development, gathering the entire industry and offering invaluable networking opportunities.
Each year, Festival 404 grew with new sections and an expanding lineup of speakers and participants. However, due to financial uncertainties and organizational challenges, the festival paused after 2014.
Festival 404 Returns in 2018
In 2018, Mercury Development joined preparations, with support from Dmitry Azarov, Governor of Samara Region. The festival expanded with new tracks and an increased number of speakers and attendees, expecting over 1,000 guests. Impressively, the first 100 tickets sold even before the program was announced, with only the dates and a 'Buy Tickets' button available.
The festival continues to deliver top speakers, engaging talks, a vibrant atmosphere, and unforgettable afterparties. Mark your calendar: October 6–7 at Samara’s Holiday Inn.
The educational program features 10 curated sections including frontend and backend development, mobile apps, design & UX, marketing & entrepreneurship, startups & product management, information society, and future technologies — detailed schedules are available on the festival website.
Sergey Pugachyov
Full-stack Developer, Booking.com. Festival 404 Speaker
This fall, I was invited to many conferences but had to decline most due to time constraints. Festival 404 stands out with its quality speakers and unique atmosphere, even though it requires a 10-hour trip with transfers.
The organizers have an exceptional talent for attracting top speakers. This year’s lineup includes Ilya Krasilshchik, publisher of Meduza; Tanya Simakova, editor-in-chief of The Village; Dmitry Kolodin, head of SMM at PornHub; Vladimir Zimin, acting design director at Alfa-Bank; and Sergey Gaber, creative head at ZAMONA.
Maxim Salnikov
I’m excited about Alexey Rodionov’s talk on building web applications across platforms using a unified codebase — a modern, practical vision of the web’s future. Sergey Pugachyov’s session on WebAssembly, which enables running code from other languages in browsers, is also highly anticipated.
Anton Shein
Head of Search Interface Design at Yandex. Festival 404 Speaker
Don’t miss Mikhail Tansky’s talk "Expensive UX: Cutting Costs Everywhere," offering valuable insights from a designer turned business leader.
Artem Geller
I’m looking forward to Katya Romanovskaya’s presentation on startup promotion — perfect timing as I prepare to launch a new project.
Festival 404 isn’t just a gathering of random people but a community of like-minded professionals. It’s a space to engage with fascinating individuals, discuss work, and exchange insights from the talks.
Anton Shein
The real magic of Festival 404 happens in the conversations between sessions. The weekend buzz at Holiday Inn is a peak moment for meeting new people and building connections. Personally, attending Festival 404 helped me begin my journey at Yandex.
Yuri Marin
Many attendees travel from Moscow not only for the talks but to take a break. Unlike typical Moscow conferences, here you can fully disconnect for two days.
Holiday Inn offers festival participants a discounted stay — simply mention Festival 404 when booking your room on the hotel’s website.
Tickets are available exclusively on the festival’s website and won’t be sold at the door, so secure yours early.
Use promo code LIFEHACKER during ticket purchase to get a $15 discount.
Join the vibrant community at Festival 404 and experience an inspiring blend of knowledge, networking, and fun in Samara this October!
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