Love the arts and live in Moscow? All your Christmases have come at once. Tonight through Saturday, the fourth annual Night of the Arts festival will be celebrated in the capital, with more than 200 cultural institutions keeping their doors open until midnight and delighting visitors with a special program of more than 400 free events. From exhibitions to concerts, performances, masterclasses, film screenings, excursions, discussions and readings Muscovites are spoiled for choice when it comes to nocturnal cultural activities.
“I’m hugely excited about the night’s meetings, because this is the first time that Night of the Arts will have so many interesting discussions on a huge variety of topics from cinema to scenography, the circus, literature, choreography and more,” said Vladimir Filippov, deputy head of the Moscow city culture department, in a written statement to The Moscow Times.
To make the most of the experience visitors are encouraged to download the dedicated “Night of the Arts” app on their smartphones. App users can see when and where events and promotions will take place and even participate in an interactive quest at each venue.
Highlights of the evening include the “night at sea” project at the Tretyakov gallery, where visitors can enjoy free access to the Aivazovsky exhibition, and screenings of some of Russia’s best short films at the Center for Documentary Film. Over 50 of the city’s libraries are also involved in the nighttime celebrations, including the Turgenev library and reading room, which will host concerts and lectures to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the birth of famed writer Mikhail Bulgakov.
Some more unusual locations will also open themselves up to culture lovers, such as the waiting room of the Kievskaya train station. Here crowds can enjoy music from popular Russian band Glintshake and the Moscow Modern Music Ensemble. Meanwhile the Moscow Kremlin is screening films and archival footage celebrating the impact of cinema on modern culture.
And Night of the Arts is not just limited to Moscow. Over the course of the next three evenings similar events will take place in more than 70 Russian regions. Although Night of the Arts is free to all visitors, Filippov quoted the estimated cost of the celebrations at nearly $200,000. So go on, bundle up warm, face the November snow and hit the city’s galleries, museums and cultural venues. It should be a night to remember.
To see the full program visit mos.ru/artnight. Some events require prior registration.
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