Street Music Day
On Saturday, 20 May, in St. Petersburg you can find live music flowing out on the streets, yards, parks and squares of the city. This is the second year this event is being held during which the place is flooded with professional and amateur musicians performing in open air in almost every style and genre, from jazz, to indie rock to classic. The idea for the event began with a Lithuanian musician Andrius Mamontovas about a decade ago, who suggested that anyone who can sing, perform or play an instrument is encouraged to participate in the day. It’s a chance for everyone to experience new musical adventures and make unexpected musical discoveries. Its mission is to unite people using the world’s most universal language – the language of music.
In the center of the city, some of the sites for the event will be on the main streets, Malaya Sadovaya, Arts square in front of the Russian Museum, near the Church of the Savior on Blood, on Griboyedov Canal, and the Nevsky Prospekt. There’ll also be some venues on Vasiliyevsky Island, Sennaya square, Pionerskaya square near the Young Spectator theater and Ligovsky Avenue. Here’s a map for you to get a better idea! The fun will start in the afternoon around 1pm or 2pm in different areas and go on till the late evening. Come along and enjoy. More info in Russian here, participation is free.
Museum Night
While you’re enjoying the city’s flavorful music, you can also grab a ticket to Museum Night for only 400 rubles which gives you complimentary access to a host of museums throughout the city, and free transportation. Museum night is a not-to-be-missed exciting cultural event in the city of St. Petersburg that leaves eyes ablaze, minds astounded and legs worn out.
It all starts on May 20 at 6pm and last for 12 hours until 6am. Around 110 museums, galleries, libraries, concert and exhibition halls of all kinds open their doors to welcome visitors on this sleepless night, and there are special programs, exhibitions, and concerts that you can’t catch any other time of year.
"The Night of the Museums, or Art Night is an incredible experience, not only for those who are experts in art, but simply those who are curious about it. I like that there are completely different options - for families with children, for teenagers, young adults and for older people. It's a great feeling to see crowds of different people all night long moving from museum to museum, briskly sharing their impressions, and discussing where else they want to go until the early hours of the morning. At many venues of the city there are special exhibitions and programs, created for this night, and you are faced with the need to build the most interesting route for yourself, because you cannot visit everything and you need to choose what is most important for you. I’ve been going to the Night of Museums since 2008 - that was the year when St. Petersburg participated in this cultural event for the first time, and there were not very many museums, only about 30. But there were still quite a lot of people, and the unforgettable sensations remained with me. Since then I go every year, with my family and friends. Often in the morning we are so full of impressions that instead of going to sleep, we spend all day walking around our beloved city, and discover it anew - after such a night you look at everything with completely new eyes." explains Maria Khuzina, Manager of the Internationalization Office.
This year, Museum Night in St. Petersburg is dedicated to the Year of Ecology. Even if you can’t stay up all night, join in for an extraordinary experience at the hours of your choice, the metro will be open all night long and seven nightly bus routes will be available free of charge to anyone with a Museum Night ticket! Read more about it and check out the program here.
Vintage Transport Parade
If you’re not exhausted yet, on Sunday 21st May from 12pm to 7pm you can check out the unique transport collection from the Museum of Electric Transport. Different kinds of vintage Russian transportation will be on display during this special parade which starts from the Pribaltiyskaya Hotel, through to Vasilevskiy Island and then all the way to the Engineering Foundry street where you can check everything out at an open-air exhibition. Some of the highlights are historical trucks used during the siege of Leningrad on the Road of Life. Entrance is free, and you’ll find the transport already parked out on Engineering street by 2.30pm.
Read more about it here and here.
