St. Petersburg is the marine capital of Russia, so it’s no wonder that the Navy Day celebrations here are among the most superb in the country. The star attraction, the ship parade, will kick off at 10 am on July 29 at the Blagoveshchensky Bridge; it will also be livestreamed at the Palace Square prior to a music show that will start at 2 pm. The celebration will end with fireworks near the Peter and Paul Fortress at 10:30 pm. But if you have already seen the parade and are looking for a real adventure, go to Kronstadt (the nearby town situated on the Kotlin Island) and watch a massive historical reenactment of the Battle of Königsberg. Entrance is free.

Culture

If you’re willing to embrace Russian culture, the Day of Russian Glory Festival, which will take place in Pushkin on July 29, is exactly the thing for you: the Battle on the Ice historical reenactment, a folk crafts fair, khorovods (Russian traditional circle dances), and folk music. Entrance is free.

Fancy watching a play? You don’t necessarily have to go to the theatre to do so: the Access Point international festival, which ends on August 5, features live performances in the most unexpected places, such as malls, boats, the Finlyandsky Railway Station, and even a ladies room in a hotel!

Art lovers should also check out the Great Modernists multimedia exhibition at Lumiere Hall (Obvodny emb. 74a). Among the works on display are more than 5,000 drawings by Monet, Degas, Klimt, Modigliani, Renoir, Kandinsky, Malevich and many other renowned artists. Entrance fee is 300 rub.

Music

This weekend is heaven for music (and especially jazz) lovers! The schedule is pretty tight:

  • the Present Perfect Festival of electronic music and contemporary art (July 27-29, entrance fee varies from 2,000 to 4,700 rub depending on the number of days);
  • Usadba Jazz on Yelagin Island, the biggest Russian open-air jazz festival (July 28, entrance fee is 1,800 rub);
  • the 14th Petro Jazz International Festival, which will take place in the very heart of the city in Ostrovsky Square and feature concerts by musicians from Argentina, Denmark, Norway, Spain, Germany, Israel, Serbia, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia and Russia (July 27-29, entrance is free);
  • the Jazz Weekend in Gatchina Festival will feature jazz music from all over the world. The concerts kick off at 1 pm, 3 pm, 5 pm and 7 pm (July 28-29, entrance fee is from 150 to 500 rub).

Oh! And one more thing before you start planning your weekend. This Friday, July 27 provides a unique opportunity to see the moon eclipse! Come to the St. Petersburg planetarium at 9:30 pm, 11:00 pm or 00:30 am and enjoy! But make sure to book your tickets in advance!