Thursday, December 7 

Ice rink on Yelagin Island

  • Until spring, 8:30 am - 9 pm (Mon-Thu), 8:30 am - 11 pm (Fri, Sat, Sun + holidays)
  • Yelagin Island
  • 0-400 rubles (w/o entrance fees and skate rental) – tickets here

Glide into the festive season on Yelagin Island’s grand outdoor ice rink! Open to all ages, the rink can boast 4,000 square meters of pure skating fun. Take a spin around a dazzling Christmas tree, grab yourself a warming drink after the ride, and have an ultimate winter experience in the park. In the mornings, from 9 to 11 am, you can skate for free – or solely for the price of skate rental, if you don’t own skates.

Friday, December 8

Winter season at Nikolskye Ryady

  • Until March 2024, 12-9 pm (weekdays), 10 am - 10 pm (weekends and holidays)
  • Nikolskye Ryady
  • Free entrance

The countdown is over! Nikolskye Ryady have reopened for the new season – with even more fun-packed activities to join: a cozy backyard ice rink, a traditional carnival merry-go-round, curling, and even an ice mini-golf, in addition to an electric lineup of events yet to come.

Saturday, December 9

Multimedia show at Palace Square  

This weekend, the story of St. Petersburg is to unfold in a blaze of images projected onto the majestic facade of the General Staff Building. A 13-minute-long 3D performance, with the words of Russian historians and poets at its heart, will offer a glimpse into the history of the city through vivid masterpieces of art and architecture, archival photographs, graphics scenes, and original soundtracks. The performance will proceed with a kaleidoscope of homeland-inspired projects created by the winners of a media art competition from various republics, cities, and districts of Russia.

Sunday, December 10

Market by the Sea: pre-holidays edition

'Tis the season of holiday markets! The smells of comfy foods and drinks, over 150 residents, and a festive and joyful atmosphere, Market by the Sea is back in town to help you get into the holiday spirit and start your holiday shopping for yourself and your loved ones. The market is a true shopping wonderland of apparel and accessories, as well as home and holiday decor; it will also delight visitors with live music and workshops where you can learn to make and paint ceramic decorations or even create DIY stained glass (some workshops require registration).

Monday, December 11

Christmas Fair

Another must-visit on our holiday list is *the* Christmas Fair – the signature holiday market that this year spans the picturesque Manezhnaya, Palace, and Moskovskaya (starting from December 22) squares. The Nutcracker-themed festival traditionally brings together the magic of the classic Christmas story, multitudes of holiday shopping and festive fun (a slide for kids and adults alike at the city’s main square!), a tempting selection of street food stalls, as well as a glimpse of Ded Moroz along the way. 

Tuesday, December 12

Diderot’s Salons. Exhibitions of Contemporary Art in Eighteenth-Century Paris

  • December 8 - March 17, 11 am - 6 pm (Wed, Thu, Sun), 11 am - 8 pm (Tue, Fri, Sat)
  • The State Hermitage Museum
  • 500 rubles (300 rubles for students) – tickets here

The State Hermitage Museum and the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts (Moscow) are celebrating the cultural role of Parisian salons in the Age of Enlightenment and Denis Diderot’s ventures in art reviews with an exhibition of more than 200 works created by the hands of such famed French artists as François Boucher, Jean-Honoré Fragonard, Jean-Baptiste Greuze, and many others.

Wednesday, December 13

Leningrad-St. Petersburg Through the Lens of Sergey Kompaniychenko

  • Starting from December 13, 11 am - 7 pm (Mon, Wed, Sat-Sun), 12-9 pm (Tue, Thu, Fri)
  • ROSPHOTO
  • 300 rubles (200 rubles for students) – tickets here

This retrospective covers a span of over 50 years with more than 140 black-and-white images taken by local photographer Sergey Kompaniychenko that feature the turbulent ‘80s and ‘90s, portraits of politicians and public figures, and one-of-a-kind photo essays. The main star of it all, according to the artist, is the city itself. The exhibition introduces viewers to the many facets of the photographer’s art, gradually moving from his reportage series to the ever-beautiful urban scenes.