Tinkoff Stereoleto 2018
June 10-11
StereoLeto celebrates its 17th event in a new venue: the ARTPLAY design center, the largest creative cluster in the city. The festival this year boasts a lineup of local and international artists: from the St. Petersburg bands Great Revivers, Electroforez and Kirpichi to the Scottish indie-rock band Franz Ferdinand and the German group Milky Chance, who gained international fame with their first single “Stolen Dance.” Among the international guests are British band HMLTD, Squarepusher, the American ambient pop band Cigarettes After Sex, the Danish electronic composer Lydmor, the Swedish singer Jonna Lee, the Latvian band Brainstorm, Estonian rapper Tommy Cash, the Finnish duet Jori Hulkkonen & Jimi Tenor, and the Ukrainian Poshlaya Molly.
Tickets: bestfest.ru
The Stars of the White Nights
May 24-July 22 For lovers of classical music and theater, the Mariinsky Theater will host an unmissable festival: a two-month celebration that will bring together the best performers from the Russian and international theater scene. The festival, which started in 1993, will be directed by its founder, Valery Gergiev. This year, on its 26th anniversary, it will encompass a total of 190 events, including the long-awaited premiere of Giuseppe Verdi’s “Falstaff.”
Tickets: mariinsky.ru
Present Perfect
July 27-29
Celebrating its third anniversary, this year’s Present Perfect festival will be dedicated to electronic music and contemporary art. In spite of its short history, the festival has already affirmed itself as one of the most-awaited events dedicated to contemporary music culture; every year it attracts big names from the Russian and international electronic music scenes.
Tickets: runited.ru/ppf/2018
Usadba Jazz Festival
July 28
The annual Usadba Jazz Festival is dedicated exclusively to jazz. Among the big names this year will be the Belgian artist Zap Mama, the French blues harmonica player Jean-Jacques Milteau, Israeli jazz bassist Avishai Cohen, the Chicago-based brass group Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, the Brooklyn-based jam band Snarky Puppy, the legendary funk group Earth Wind & Fire Experience, the jazz-hip-hop band The Herbaliser, and the Cuban jazz star Chucho Valdes.
This year the festival will have an environmental theme: there will be designers and restaurateurs working with natural materials and healthy ingredients and eco-friendly artists.
Tickets: usadba-jazz.com/piter
VK Fest
July 28-29
Imagine what would happen if an algorithm analyzed your social media behavior, hobbies and interests, then created a festival based on the information collected. In St. Petersburg, such a festival has existed for four years. VK FEST is one of the most famous festivals in Russia. Located at the 300 Years of St. Petersburg Park on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it has over 300 interactive sites, with music, workshops, games, competitions, lectures, food, and much more. This is a must for every Russophile who wants to explore all the nooks and crannies of contemporary Russian culture.
Tickets: vk.cc/tickets
