Victory Day has always been one of the most popular Russian public holidays and this year as Russia celebrates 65 years since the end of the war, celebrations are expected to be extra special. Each year veterans and survivors of the siege of Leningrad participate in emotional yet joyous parade down Nevsky propekt and are cheered along the way by happy crowds who run out to greet them with flowers. There’s also a military parade in the morning which finishes at Palace Square, which this year will include marching bands and hopefully one or two tanks. If you are around the Hermitage area in the days before the parade you will probably see bands of young recruits rehearsing for the big day. Following the parade various concerts hit off on stages erected on Palace Square and the spit of Vasilevsky island and the whole day is rounded off with a huge fireworks display over the Neva at 22:00. Special events will also be taking place at Piskaryevskoye cemetery where hundreds of thousands of victims of the siege of Leningrad are buried as well as in Park Pobedy in the south of the city.
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On 27 May St. Petersburg celebrates its 307th birthday. The birthday itself will be marked by fireworks over the Neva in the evening but as Petersburgers really love their city the big party hits off at the weekend on Saturday May 29. If you are anywhere near Nevsky Prospekt on this day it will be a hard spectacle to miss. The annual city day carnival usually gets going at around midday with a parade heading down Nevsky from ploschad Vostanniya. The street itself becomes a pedestrian zone as dancers, musicians, theatre groups and all manner of revellers make their way towards the river. Following the parade the drinking, partying and dancing goes on well into the evening with stages for concerts erected on palace square and the Vasilevsky spit.
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