[2] Famous musicians and performers from around the world performed at the festival as headliners, including Michael Bolton, Alla Pugacheva, Thomas Anders, Sumi Jo, Alessandro Safína, Patricia Kaas, Lou Bega, Marylya Rodovich, Valery Leontiev, Svetlana Loboda, Bosson and others.

Vitebsk was chosen to host the festival according to the agreements with Polish city Zielona Góra where "Soviet Song Festival" (Polish: Festiwal Piosenki Radzieckiej) was held since 1965.

The main goal of the very first festival was an attempt to acquaint the Belarusian audience with pop and folk trends from Slavic countries.

On this stage all vocals must be sung live with the National Concert Orchestra of Belarus.

The children's contest during the festival in Vitebsk was first held in 2003, an expansion of the cultural and artistic diversity of the event.