Andrew Harding: "If you thought the former Soviet Union was all fur hats and bad news, think again"

Every summer a remote corner of Ukraine turns into a giant beach party.

After a day dancing on the beach ...

At least 10,000 young sun worshippers make the journey from as far away as Siberia to participate into a two-week rave festival celebrating the sort of lifestyle that the communists tried to ban.

After a day on the beach, at night the raves begin with DJs and bands from places like Moscow and St Petersburg.

Entry is free and the drug scene is said to be fairly small. For both young and old ravers, it is vodka that still rules, not ecstasy.

In the shadow of the atomic plant

... a night at the rave

The strange thing about the whole event is that it takes place not in some smart holiday resort but in a grim Soviet ghost-town.

The town of Shelkino was built for workers at a giant atomic power-plant which - following the nearby Chernobyl disaster - was never completed.

The town was left for dead until the ravers decided the local beach was the perfect place to hang out.

Income for the town

Vodka rules

The festival organiser, Nikita Marshunok, says the crowds are growing every year.

Locals may not understand the fashion or music of the revellers, but Marshunok says that about 10,000 visitors bring "a lot of money for a town like this."

A ghost-town finds new life

Our correspondent says that the few weeks each year during which Shelkino is a boomtown are enough to keep the place alive.