Moscow has announced a grand winter festival, "Winter in Moscow," set to kick off on December 1st. The event will bring together a multitude of festivals, theatrical performances, workshops, sports events, and magical fairs.
This format has already proven popular with locals and tourists alike. The "Summer in Moscow" festival earlier this year attracted over 38 million visitors. The winter edition aims to continue this success, offering residents and visitors a vast array of outdoor and indoor activities.
Over 1,900 venues will be involved. Major winter festivals like "Journey to Christmas," "Manors of Moscow," and "Moscow Tea Party" will be integrated into the project. The city is also preparing 25 outdoor stages and 110 indoor venues for concerts, workshops, lectures, sports events, and more.
The festival's overarching theme will be tradition. Many venues will feature popular songs from past decades, themed disco parties, concerts, and workshops on creating retro-style Christmas decorations.
A magical atmosphere will be created with festive illuminations. The city will be adorned with over 4,500 light installations and bright art objects, as well as around a thousand sparkling Christmas trees. The "City of Lights" festival will transform familiar architecture and building facades into fantastical canvases through mapping and video content, while the "Snow and Ice" festival will delight residents with media installations and ice sculptures. It is worth noting that a significant portion of the festive decorations is created by local businesses. The most active and creative ones can expect grant support.
One of the flagship venues of the winter project will be Bolotnaya Square, where a magical market "Made in Moscow" will operate with a goods market, a food court, an ice rink, and a fairy-tale train around it. Bright themed pavilions with products from Moscow manufacturers, ranging from winter clothes and cosmetics to children's toys and home goods, will appear on the city's central pedestrian streets.
Tourists can also expect a new gastronomic experience. Guests of the "Moscow Tea Party" festival will be treated to a warming "Moscow" tea and sugar-coated buns. Tea tastings, musical conversations, and theatrical flash mobs will take place on Tverskaya Square and other venues. Another food festival will be held in Gorky Park, called "Delicious Frosts." Its guests will participate in workshops on making non-alcoholic mulled wine, candy sticks, and painted gingerbread. In addition, chef performances are planned.
For the first time this year, a family festival space will be organized on the territory of the Palace of Pioneers on Vorobyovy Gory. An ice rink will open there, a fair with gifts from charitable foundations will operate, a Santa Claus house, a winter workshop, and an ice town with a maze.
Moreover, this winter, everyone will be able to participate in the largest New Year's quest in the entire history of Moscow. For completing interesting tasks, they will receive a special traveler's passport and collect stamps when visiting different festival venues. The most active participants will receive useful gifts and souvenirs.
Special attention during the winter period will be paid to sports. Residents and tourists will be able to participate in the Christmas Santa Claus Run and the "Snow Maidens on Ice" flash mob, remember Russian hockey in felt boots, play snow darts and curling bowling, and, of course, go ice skating, skiing, and sledding.
Most of the ice rinks and ski slopes will be located near residential areas. The VDNKh ice rink will regain its status as the main ice rink in the country and the largest in Moscow. Its area will exceed 20 thousand square meters. Up to 4.8 thousand people will be able to skate at the same time. In total, about 50 ice rinks with artificial and natural ice, 86 ski slopes with a total length of over 280 kilometers will open in city parks. In addition, residents can expect two dozen hills for tubing and sledging in parks.
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