Paddleboard enthusiasts brightened up Saint Petersburg with their parade of colourful costumes on Saturday, as they made their way down the Fontanka River, which runs through the central district of the city.

In its fifth edition this year, the Fontanka-SUP (stand-up paddleboarding) festival is a yearly affair where participants dress up and paddle past well-known sites of the northern Russian city.

Stand-up paddleboarding, an offshoot of surfing that originated in Hawaii, is starting to gain popularity not only in Russia, but Singapore as well.

Unlike other water sports, such as windsurfing or surfing, stand-up paddleboarding is not heavily reliant on external factors such as the wind or waves, making it a favourable option in the calm and placid waters here.