Loud folk music and foot stomping coupled with boisterous cries of “VODKA!” welcomed those attending the opening of the 18th Annual Russian Festival in San Francisco at around 6:15 p.m. on Friday.

“It’s a chance to catch up with friends, party and...enjoy our Russian culture,” says Alexei Krassovsky, 18, a backstage volunteer, who plans to apply to SF State in the near future. “It’s a great feeling being here, a feeling you just can’t describe.”

People - young and old - packed in to enjoy the lively atmosphere and take part in supporting a tradition that the Russian community in San Francisco has been holding close to their hearts for many years. The festival is one of the largest of its kind on the West Coast. It runs for three days straight and usually attracts over 10,000 visitors in the course of one weekend, according to the Vice President of the Russian Center Zoia Chaglokoff.

This year's festival began on Feb. 10, and will end on Feb. 12.

People travel great distances to take part in the festival and usually attend more than one day, said Chaglokoff, who organized the event.

“If you are Russian, or maybe you’re just interested in Russia, this festival is the place to be," she added. "We have everything from our culture – food, music, art – it’s a lot of work every year, but very exciting and fun to put together."

Young girls - wearing long dark braids, headdresses of gold and traditional costumes patterned in colorful printed designs - greeted festival-goers at the door of the Russian Center (on 2460 Sutter St.) with programs listing the weekend’s events.

A big part of the culture and community in Russian tradition is their food and drink, both of which the festival has no shortage of.

There are plenty of alcoholic beverages to sample, including “Kvass,” a natural, home-brewed Russian beer-like drink that is made from rye or barley. A large "Vodka Tasting Booth" offering 20 different flavors of vodka, also includes Chaglokoff’s own special recipe, "Zoia’s surprise" - a cherry vodka mixture.

The upstairs buffet room holds a bar lined with miniature open-faced sandwiches smothered in smoked salmon, caviar, dill or pickled herring.

Also available in the buffet room is a large sampling of Russian dessert cakes and cookies, as well as one of the main food attractions, blini, or blintz, a thin buckwheat pancake traditionally served in Russia the week before the Lenten season.

SF State psychology major Yelena Spichak and festival cook Larissa Fedishina have been preparing this favorite dish for the festival for the past 10 years.

“It’s the most difficult job since the blintzes are extremely popular and the stovetop must stay very hot,” said Fedishina, 48, a property manager in Castro Valley. “Sometimes, we don’t get a break at all, but it’s important for us to be here to support the older generations and keep our traditions alive.”

More hearty food choices are available downstairs in the gymnasium level, which include piroshki - a meat or cabbage turnover dish, pelmeni - a small meat dumpling, and beef or chicken stroganoff.

The festival also offers Russian craft booths and performances featuring Russian dance and traditional instruments throughout the day.

Fedishina said that there is a certain magic to the festival that everyone should experience.

“It’s amazing to me what you see at the festival, so many different cultures come together," she said. "It doesn’t matter what language you speak, everyone just belongs, and that’s what being part of a community is really all about.”

For more information on the festival, visit the Russian Center's Web site at www.russiancentersf.com.