HRH Princess Stephanie of Monaco. The 2018 festival marked the 10th time that French singer Mireille Mathieu (who is also the festival's mascot) has appeared in the festival. It also marked the first time that military bands from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) did not participate in the festival 2019: Individuals such as Georgian born People's Artist and singer Tamara Gverdtsiteli., as well as others such as Hibla Gerzmava and Anita Tsoi were among the vocal performers in the festival. 2020: The theme for the 2020 festival was "75 years - the end of the war", in honor of the diamond jubilee of the defeat of Nazi Germany. It was expected that the festival for this year be one that tells about the history of the military music in Russia. The bands of the anti-Hitler coalition were also invited to the festival. Due to the COVID-19, foreign bands were not able to participate in the festival, and later, it was announced that the festival was cancelled altogether, marking the first time since its establishment that the public event on Red Square had been cancelled. Instead of the normal program, it was announced that an online festival would take place on 6 September on the Cathedral Square of the Main Cathedral of the Russian Armed Forces, with over 12 musical units from the armed forces and other organizations performing, including a few first time participants. Virtual greetings were given by the Royal Thai Navy Band, the French Air Force Southwest Band, the Zürich City Police Band, and the PLA Band. 2021: The 2021 edition saw Till Lindemann of the German band Rammstein serve as headliner. Bands in the Parks The Bands in the Parks is a program sponsored by Directorate of the Spasskaya Tower International Military Music Festival and is carried out from May to August in support of the Ministry of Defense of Russia and the Government of Moscow. The first of these performances took place at VDNKh in 2016 and was greeted with a standing ovation by Muscovites and guests of the capital. In the anniversary year a year later, the program of performances was expanded. The number of concerts and city venues involved in the project has increased. Performers Foreign Normally, each festival included a maximum of 12 countries, apart from Russia. Other low-level participants have included the Republican Specialized Academic Lyceum of Music of the Uzbekistan