What to do on New Year's holidays in Moscow?

Since a healthy lifestyle and active recreation are in fashion now, we decided to give battle to the established Russian New Year tradition to eat to the brim, and the next seven days off to lie and digest.

Let's not do this. In one material, we have collected several sites for you, where you can not only celebrate the New Year, but also spend all the holidays with benefit.

On Tverskaya

In principle, if you still do not have enough New Year's mood, you can go out on Tverskaya Street right tonight, take a look at the surrounding beauty and feel the holiday. Already now, thanks to light installations, it is incredibly beautiful on the central street of Moscow. Imagine how magical it will be there on New Year's Eve.

Good news for walkers and sad enough for drivers: this year, on December 31, as well as on January 1 and 2, the main street of the capital will be pedestrian. Starting from December 31, while you will be proudly walking along the center of the roadway somewhere between the Central Telegraph and Kamergersky Lane, theatrical productions will take place all over the street.

On Tverskaya Street, the holiday will begin at noon on December 31 and last until 3 a.m. Therefore, if you decide that it makes sense to pull up to the center only at night, you are mistaken. From December 31, the street can be safely called "theatrical" — Tverskaya will be divided into several venues — each will have its own program dedicated to a specific plot.

At the venue based on the story "Ordinary Miracle" (Tverskaya Street, houses 25-31), at one o'clock in the morning, the famous DJ Therr Maitz will play a set for you, who will be replaced by Glintshake rockers an hour later. And a little further on, at the site dedicated to the "Snow Queen", On the Go will be lit on stage, also at 01:00.

For those who are more addicted to classics than to modern performers, Tverskaya will also have its own corners: where the plot of "Ruslan and Lyudmila" rules the ball (Tverskaya Street, houses 1-3), on New Year's Eve a symphony orchestra conducted by Ilya Gaisin will play numbers from the opera of the same name. At this time on Mokhovaya (Mokhovaya Street, houses 13-15), the New year will be opened by the troupe of the Bolshoi Theater of Russia with the production of The Golden Cockerel.

In total, 10 theater venues will work in the Tverskaya district: Sadko, Snegurochka and productions based on Bazhov's fairy tales.

In parks

Staying at home on New Year's Eve, many risk catching a "squirrel" instead of a festive mood. Obviously, this is not an option, especially since the New Year will be celebrated on an enviable scale in five parks of the capital at once.

Astronauts from the International Space Station will get in touch with the Earth at VDNH an hour before the start of 2018.

Before 4 am, anyone who, for some inexplicable reason, has not yet managed to get to at least one skating rink, must definitely go to Gorky Park. You will be able to dissect throughout the park under the incendiary sets of Moscow DJs. Immediately after the battle of the chimes, the Russian electronic group D-Pulse will perform for everyone who comes to the PG with or without skates. It will be not just a concert, but a unique audiovisual show, which is being designed by media artists from the Tundra collective.

Activities in the parks will take place all New Year's holidays, until January 14. You can read more about the festive program in the parks on the website of the Moscow Seasons.

If this year it was not possible to break out of cold Russia, if there is no good heating at the dacha and it is impossible to escape to it, it is necessary to go to the center of Moscow. After all, the territory within the Garden Ring will be literally crammed with theatrical productions, sports grounds and master classes.

Theater on the Garden Ring

Most of the productions will take place on the Garden Ring. The "Magic Hat", the performances "Fairy and Snow" and "Angry and New Year" will be shown on the Zatsepsky Shaft. From December 30 until the end of the festival on January 14, performances will be held three times a day — from 17:00 to 20:00. You will have time to walk around the holiday center with children, and then see a few New Year's fairy tales.

Theatrical productions that will appeal to both children and adults will also be held on Lermontovskaya and Smolenskaya squares.

Snowboarding Park on Novy Arbat

Since you didn't have time to escape from Russia to some Alps, you can safely grab a snowboard and go to Novy Arbat (miracles!). By the way, even if you don't have a board and you have no idea how to stand on it, you will be given all the necessary equipment on the spot, and experienced trainers will teach you to confidently stay on the board.

This street is declared Scandinavian territory until January 14. Passers—by are greeted by the characters of Sven Nordqvist's fairy tales - farmer Petson and kitten Findus. Petson and Findus will play interactive performances together with other fairy-tale characters. You can also join lectures and master classes there. Adult visitors in the classroom will be told everything about hugge (the art of being happy) and raising children in Scandinavian. And young guests will be able to paint a traditional Swedish wooden horse and make Christmas tree toys in the Scandinavian style.

Winter Games on Tverskoy Boulevard

If snowboarding on Novy Arbat doesn't seem enough to you, go to Tverskaya Boulevard. Here, under the luminous arches of garlands, you will find an ice slide and a "Snow Shooting Gallery". In fact, this is only a small part — throughout the boulevard you will find a lot of sports and winter entertainment for every taste.

Culinary workshops at the Trade Union

Two huge braziers were installed on Trade Union Street until January 14, turning this site into a center of culinary workshops. Guests will be taught how to cook festive dishes of European countries: Italian Christmas cake panettone, ginger cookies, Christmas log according to a French recipe, Italian dessert turron with cream and nuts, marzipan and other sweets.

If you are already tired of cooking, even very creative, during the first days of the New Year holidays, try ready-made delicacies and New Year's treats there.

It is impossible to cover in one material all the entertainment that will be available to Muscovites and tourists until January 14. In total, about 8000 master classes and performances will be held in the capital. You can choose the one that will definitely appeal to you on the website of the Moscow Seasons. It's up to you to decide what your winter will be like in the city.