Aim. To identify the factors that determined the special place of the 6th World Festival of Youth and Students in Moscow in 1957 in the breakthrough of the Iron Curtain under the Cold War conditions. Methodology. The work was based on the principles of historicism, objectivity and consistency. The methods of comparative historical and historical analysis were used. A problem-historical analysis was conducted taking the social conditions of the Soviet period into account. Results. The festival opened a new page in the history of the country, changing the life of Soviet citizens in many respects. The festival broke through the Iron Curtain that had been dividing the world. After the festival, the Soviet country became more integrated and open to the world, followed by a warming of the social climate in the country. Research implications. The factors that determined the onset of a new dynamics in the relations between the countries in the midst of the Cold War were determined. A number of aspects in the history of cultural relations during the Cold War period were generalized. The findings can be useful for historians investigating the period of Khrushchev's Thaw and for understanding the current stage of international relations.