Oranienbaum Sea Festival 

  • August 28-29
  • Lomonosov (Oranienbaum) 
  • Free

At least half of this weekend is promising to be sunny – so why not use this chance to take a trip to Lomonosov, one of St. Pete’s neighboring towns (which is officially a part of the city of St. Petersburg), to enjoy breathtaking races in the sea? The Oranienbaum Sea Festival is an annual event that brings together all sailing and rafting enthusiasts. This year, the festival will feature several regattas, both on Saturday and Sunday. If you don’t think those alone are worth the trip, check out our guide to the town of Lomonosov (spoiler: basically, part of the city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site – and there is a palace to boot). There, you will also find instructions on how to get there from St. Petersburg. 

Opera concert: Forgotten Beauty

Credit: Manuel Nägeli (@gwundrig) on Unsplash

Credit: Manuel Nägeli (@gwundrig) on Unsplash

If you’ve always wanted to get on first-name basis with opera but listening to whole pieces always seemed intimidating, then this is your chance. Spend an hour surrounded by some of the best voices in St. Petersburg that are amplified by the peculiar acoustics of St. Peter and St. Paul’s Church. To double the fun, bring a friend with you, and then spend the next hour (or two!) discussing your experience in one of the many coffee shops located nearby. A perfect way to close off this incredible summer. 

Harp concert on the roof

Another musical event of this weekend: a harp concert with the music written and performed by Olga Maksimova, who is known for her talent when it comes to taming the electric harp. We don’t know about you, but as far as we know, it’s not often that we get to hear a harp performance. And those that happen on the roof are practically unicorns! Granted, you will have to put on an extra layer of clothing and definitely grab a warm scarf with you, but the view on the Gulf of Finland combined with the intricate pattern of harp music is bound to be incredible. As an added bonus, you get to check out one of St. Pete’s new and hip places, K-30 – with all the activities available there.  

KronFest International Art & Eco Festival 

If you are into recycling (i.e. saving our precious planet), you are bound to find this event appealing! Apart from paper collecting and beach beautification (or purification…), the festival features an open-air exhibition of eco-oriented art pieces. For instance, a St. Pete-based hair studio is exhibiting a piece made from hair, trying to reimagine this material that we “waste” every time we cut our hair. In the program, there are also lectures and workshops on an environmentally conscious lifestyle, as well as other themed activities. Also, to make your trip even more exciting, check out Ostrov Fortov, a new public space with a park dedicated to the Russian navy. You can reach Kronstadt on a bus from the Begovaya, Chernaya Rechka, Prospekt Prosvescheniya, or Staraya Derevnya metro stations.