Thursday, July 18

Open-Air Rachmaninoff concert

Summer is for open-air concerts – and this Thursday, you get to enjoy one at Nikolskye Ryady. Professional pianists from Amadeus Concerts will be performing pieces by the virtuoso Sergei Rachmaninoff to make this beautiful July evening into something special. Don’t miss out!

Friday, July 19

Exhibition: Litter in My Pockets

  • Until August 18, 11 am - 10 pm 
  • ArtMuza
  • Free

Back by popular demand, this exhibition of works by Maria Kashkareva is truly unique: every exhibited piece is created in the author’s very own original technique. Maria combines various natural materials, like branches, stones, and leaves, with paint to create sculpture-like artwork. You’ll see cityscapes and picturesque countryside, as well as wildlife and stories on display. Warning: after visiting the exhibition, you just might consider everything you find in your pockets a dormant art piece!

Saturday, July 20

Legko kite festival 

Another thing summer is for: kite festivals! This is the second one we’re covering for our weekly guide, but this time it’s closer to home – right at 300th Anniversary of St. Petersburg Park. Come join the fun and watch the bright-colored kites of all shapes and sizes – and maybe even dip your toes in the Gulf of Finland while you’re there.

Sunday, July 21

Emperor’s Bouquet

This is a festival-rich weekend: Pavlovsk Park is hosting its annual Emperor’s Bouquet, a midsummer event that attracts locals and tourists alike. Walk along the park’s lanes to enjoy performances by musicians from the city’s Mariinsky and Mikhailovsky theaters, as well as find all the beautiful flower arrangements located in sunlit corners of the park. This year, the organizers even prepared a special map of the festival so you can be sure not to miss a specific concert or performance – and plan your route. Don’t forget to check our Pavlovsk guide for even more insights!

Monday, July 22

The Soap and Clock Factory “Beam”

Artist Semyon Motolyanets made the most peculiar choice of artistic material: he creates sculptures out of soap and ceramics. You can see how that’s a comment on time passing right in front of our eyes, as soap is a material affected by its environment, leading to sculptures changing shape even during the time they are exhibited. After you’ve looked at it once, you aren’t likely to see that sculpture looking the same way again – so take a closer look while it’s on display, and try to capture this fleeting moment.

Tuesday, July 23

Pleasure in Porcelain: White Sculptures from the Imperial Porcelain Manufactory 

  • Until September 15; Wed, Thu, Sun: 11 am - 6 pm, Tue, Fri, Sat: 11 am - 8 pm
  • Hermitage Museum 
  • 500 rubles (free for students) 

These days, an Imperial Porcelain store is still something tourists (or locals) would stop by if they want to bring something special yet practical back home. But at this exhibition, you’ll get to peek into the very history of the factory and the intricate porcelain sculptures it produced in the mid-19th to early-20th centuries. Perhaps unexpectedly, all the exhibited sculptures are pure white, which only further highlights the truly fine skills of their creators.

Wednesday, July 24

Karenina’s Secrets Exhibition

Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina is one of the most valued works of Western literature, not least because of the many unanswered questions we as readers have about its main character’s thoughts and deliberations before her final act. At this immersive exhibition, you will have a chance to step into the book’s world, recreated at the country’s oldest train station, and find new perspectives on its complicated story. Among the exhibits are historical costumes, original art pieces created in collaboration with experts on Tolstoy, as well as pictures from the set of a recent documentary series about the novel. For our avid Russian learners, the exhibition also features a guided tour delivered as a play, which will be a great chance to improve your experience as well as boost your language skills.