“I love you, Moscow” – the day will soon come when you will simply have to admit your sympathy for the city. In honour of the 877th birthday of the capital, a grand celebration will be organised: the preparation of the programme of events, venues, installations and shows began a long time ago. Spectators can only watch as much as possible.
What we will tell you about:
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History of the holidays
Judging by the age of Moscow, it is easy to guess that in order to obtain historical information, one will have to delve into the distant past. The city was first mentioned in the Ipatiev Chronicle in 1147. But it was not a tradition to organize a holiday for the townspeople every year.
The anniversary was first celebrated in 1847, when Moscow turned 700 years old. In honour of this round date, bells rang throughout the city and the main attractions were illuminated: the Kremlin, the monument to Minin and Pozharsky, Moscow University, the Novodevichy Convent and the governor’s house on Tverskaya.
After that, we had to forget about the holiday for another hundred years. In 1947, City Day was celebrated not only by fireworks, but also by the beginning of the construction of “Stalinist” skyscrapers. Only after 1997 did City Day begin to be celebrated regularly in Moscow.
Photo: mos.ru
When is City Day?
The festival is not dedicated to a specific historical event, so the date changes from year to year. The mayor signs a decree with the exact days; normally the first or second weekend of September is chosen to honour the capital.
In 2024, City Day is scheduled for September 7-8. On Saturday, the sites will be open to visitors from 12:00 to 21:00, and on Sunday from 15:00 to 20:00. Residents and guests of the capital will have a rich program, which we will describe below.
Photo: mos.ru
Main sites
Moscow is spread over more than 2,500 square kilometers and of course the celebration cannot be held in just one place. Below is a list of the main places where the events will take place:
Tsvetnoy Boulevard and landscape park on Paveletskaya Square (CAO); Poklonnaya Gora Park (JSC); Cosmonaut Park and Babushkinsky Park (NEAD); (Southern Administrative District); children’s landscape park “Yuzhnoye Butovo” (areas of the South-West Administrative District in Solntsevo and Novo-Peredelkino districts) (landscape park “Mitino” (North-West Administrative District in); Zelenograd (Zelnograd Administrative District) in Troitsk and Moscow settlement (TiNAO);
Photo: istockphoto.com / Ababsolutum
interesting events
It will not be possible to attend all the events at once, because so many people and organizations want to congratulate their beloved city. Here is a selection of the most exciting, sporting and large-scale events, one of which will certainly interest you.
“Territory of the future. Moscow-2030”
This forum-festival will cover several venues in the capital: Zaryadye, Muzeon, Manege, Gostiny Dvor and Luzhniki. Exhibitions, musical performances, gastronomic delights and, of course, sports – all this awaits visitors.
Let’s take a closer look at the opportunity to spend the weekend actively. At Muzeon you can ride an artificial wave, do yoga in hammocks, work out in a fitness area, ride a saddle and even fly in a wind tunnel.
Luzhniki is not far behind, where everyone can find sports entertainment for themselves: from beach volleyball to chess and frisbee, skateboarding and rock climbing. An exhibition of special equipment of municipal services will also take place, where about 100 units of modern road construction, utility and rescue vehicles will be presented. Then you should not miss the opportunity to take part in an open training of a master of sports in rhythmic gymnastics. And for those who do not want to do any activities yet, the duo Bahh Tee & Turken and Vanya Dmitrienko will perform on the territory of the complex.
Photo: istockphoto.com / Mordolff
City Day at VDNKh
The country’s main exhibition always surprises with its scale and diversity. And this time, traditions will not change. And to learn more about this place, you can visit the exhibition “VDNKh: City of Dreams. 85 years of the main event venue”. The eco-centre “Floriculture” has also prepared its programme for the city day, which is called “Flower Stories”. Several more author’s excursions will take place in the ATOM Museum.
Let’s take a break from the educational part of the programme and move on to sports. And here there is something to say, because interesting disciplines have been chosen for the competition: the Moscow Open Go Cup and the crossminton team tournament will be held at VDNKh.
Photo: istockphoto.com / Pavel
City Day at the Pushkin Museum
According to established tradition, more than 100 exhibits will be displayed in a separate exhibition on City Day at the museum, including samples of art furniture, rare books, archival materials, and objects of decorative and applied art. One of the most valuable exhibits will be a portrait of Princess Natalia Golitsyna; the authorship of the painting is unknown, but it was made based on the original by the French artist Louis Guersan in 1824.
Among the exhibits there will also be paintings by Vladimir Lapovok and Maryam Saderdinova (a series of illustrations for “The Queen of Spades” and “Little Tragedies” by Alexander Pushkin), Anatoly Larionov (picturesque views of Mikhailovsky, the family estate of Alexander Pushkin), Anatoly Eliseev (biographical Pushkiniana). You can visit the exhibition until October 6.
Photo: um.mos.ru
“My sports area”
“My Sports District” is one of the main projects of the Moscow Department of Sports, thanks to which tens of thousands of people go out to train in courtyards and parks. In honor of the City Day, classes in 13 disciplines will be held at 114 venues.
Anyone can take part, all you have to do is dress in the right clothes and come to the right place. Everyone will be able to choose something for themselves: Zumba, yoga, wushu, roller sports, football, volleyball, running, stretching and many other interesting areas will surely find a response to their heart.
Photo: Press service of the Moscow Sports Department.
Technical Sports Festival
A festival will be held at the Technical Sports Complex in honor of the City Day. Visitors will not only be able to watch the drive-in cinema and visit the exhibition, but also take part in the activities. Try your hand at the “Race for Moscow” drifting tournament and try to win a million rubles? Or maybe try to overtake Formula 1 driver Sergei Sirotkin in a karting race? It won’t be boring, but the emotions will surely accelerate above 100 km/h.
Photo: tech-fest.moscow.sport
Will there be fireworks?
Large-scale fireworks have become an integral part of a large number of holidays and many people really look forward to them. However, this year fireworks will not be held for City Day. This was told to TASS by the head of the Department of Trade and Services Alexey Nemeryuk. We remind you that in 2023 the holiday will also take place without pyrotechnics to ensure safety.
Photo: mos.ru
Autumn has already begun and all that remains is to catch the last warm days. The best way to do so is to walk around festive Moscow. It seems that many people have already decided their plans for this weekend, all that remains is to choose the right clothes and plan a route;
For those who want to stroll through sporty Moscow on the weekend:
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Top 11 interesting and large-scale sports facilities in Moscow
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