Every day plenty of events take place in St. Petersburg. You don’t need to empty your pockets and piggy banks just to be part of it all- you can visit events organized for a wide audience, charity activities and also ones sponsored by donators, where you can donate as much as you see fit.
Here are some tools to help you plan your jam-packed free September. Learn about concerts, workshops, exhibitions labeled with "for free" on special communities in social network Vkontakte and online event schedules. Kudago.com is the largest platform offering all kinds of events in Moscow and St. Petersburg. One can also find a list of free of charge only activities. All posters have a red label "besplatno" (for free) near the titles. Piter Besplatny community on Vkontakte (Petersburg for free) presents upcoming events that you can visit for free or for donation. Nakhalyavu.com ("freebee") is one more online service with free of charge events. It has special sections such as "Exhibitions," Cinema," "Education," "Theatre" and others. The most interesting upcoming events are presented in the upper section "Samoye" ("the best ones").
Start your September in the very heart of the city watching Extreme Sailing Series (September 1−4, starts at 2.30 pm), one of the most famous regattas in the world. One will enjoy the race of bright ships guided by the best sportsmen from Russia and Europe. The boat race will be in the Neva’s water zone, on the shore of Peter and Paul Fortress. Apart from unexpected manoeuvers and competitive spirit one has to admire the fantastic location surrounded by St. Petersburg’s main sights. To reach Peter and Paul Fortress’s beach, use the subway, and it’s 10 minutes by foot from Gorkovskaya metro station.
The All Russian Color Festival will make the first weekend in September vivid with color powders and a good mood. If some strangers want to color you when you’re walking in Babushkin Park you don’t have to be afraid — the main rule of the festival is to cast a piece of powder at as many people as it possible. Join the event on September 3−4, 2−6 pm in Babushkin Park (149 Obukhovskoy Oborony Prospect), which is 10 minutes by foot from Lomonosovskaya subway station.
The following exhibition is a wonderful event for those who love contemporary art and at the same time want to laugh at its' paradoxical simplicity. #StarTrap art community creates extraordinary collages — colorful pictures present typical Instagram looks and food pictures popular with social media users. The artists are sure that contemporary pictures suffer from the lack of ideas and sense. It makes their pictures provocative and full of irony. According to the organizers of FoodFlood, the main concept of the exhibition is that it has no concept. The exhibition is open from July 23 to September 22 in Loft Project Etagi at Green Room Café (47 Ligovsky Prospect).
Amateurs of the conservative art movements can visit an exhibition called "Walk Paris Around With Me." Creating her pictures Alexandra Ovchinnikova focuses on simple every-day life activities. Inspired by the images of Paris, its' people and culture, the painter turned the routine into bright canvases. The pictures are storytellers that open doors of houses, pubs and other public places where people spend their time. The exhibition will take place in Borey Art Center (58, Liteyniy Prospect, 15 minutes by foot from Mayakovskaya Subway Station) on September 6−24 (Tu-Sat, 12.00−8.00 pm).
The organizers of the following event suppose that you can enjoy art objects even while having lunch. Moreover it will be possible to look at and listen to at the same time. Evgenia Anisimova combines music and visual arts by presenting photos of Russian indie musicians made at live concerts. Nearby each picture you will find a device with special headphones. One can listen to a song which was sung in the very moment that the photo was taken. #MuzykaBezDna (Whirlpool Music) exhibition is open from July 20 to September 12 in Bushe Bakery (1−3, Lev Tolstoy Street).
On September 4 St. Petersburg residents and guests will get an opportunity to listen to a live concert right after Dvortsovaya Square. Danila Kozlovsky, a famous Russian actor, whose main hobby is singing is the headliner of an open air initiated as a part of "Bud s Gorodom" (Stay with the City) charity event. Danila will start singing at 8 pm. He will sing jazz songs accompanied by a symphony orchestra.
There are only several examples of free events in September. Using special services mentioned above you can find other local and huge events.
One more good news for students — some museums organize Free Entrance days for all visitors. Visit the Hermitage for free on the first Thursday of each month, as well as Russian Zoological Museum, which open its' doors on the third Thursday of each month.
Today Mayakovsky Library is not only a place where one takes books — it also has a cinema center, which organizes free of charge screenings. Most movies are art house of so-called festival works as well as documentaries. The schedule is always updated, so you can learn about upcoming screenings on the official website, in the section "Sobytiya I pokazy" (events and screenings).
To top it all off, it doesn’t matter how much money you are ready to spend on your leisure time because anyway you will find events you like and can afford. The only bothering thing is that many free events are difficult to know about because usually the organizers don’t have enough facilities and budget for promotion. We hope that this article was useful and you will use these tips to look for something interesting.
Photo credit: extremesailingseries.com
