Father Frosts, Nutcracker on Ice, and Actors’ House Party: RUSSIA EXPO’s Impressive Festivities

The New Year will be celebrated 11 times at the expo

RUSSIA EXPO, an international exhibition and forum, invites guests to celebrate the New Year with a festive array of entertaining events, master classes, and shows. The organizers have curated an extensive program to brighten the holiday season, offering a diverse range of activities for visitors of all ages.

Attendees can encounter 18 different Father Frosts, enjoy songs by renowned Russian singers, participate in hands-on activities like crafting Christmas tree decorations and cards, and witness ‘The Nutcracker and the Mouse King,’ Ilya Averbukh’s captivating ice show. The Festival of Ice Sculptures, an interactive show with Father Frost, a New Year’s Eve house party with poetry readings, and the ‘The Universe of Gaidai Characters,’ a free exhibition, are among the many attractions awaiting visitors.

The festivities at RUSSIA EXPO will extend from the end of December to January 8, featuring master classes, performances, and shows catering to both children and adults. Anastasia Zvyagina, the deputy director general of the organizing company, explained to RT how the New Year will be celebrated at the All-Russian Exhibition Center (VDNH) in Moscow.

“We plan to celebrate the New Year 11 times, in accordance with the number of time zones in our country. At 3pm, we will celebrate it together with the Far East, Kamchatka, and Chukotka. At 4pm., we will wish a Happy New Year to Magadan, Sakhalin, and Yakutia. And so on, until we get to the time when 53 regions of Russia will celebrate the New Year as their clocks simultaneously strike midnight. Our New Year’s marathon will end on January 1 at 1am – at that time, the New Year will come to the homes in the westernmost region of our country, Kaliningrad,” Zvyagina said.

The main stage at RUSSIA EXPO will host a concert featuring popular Russian performers such as Dikoteka Avaria, Zivert, Niletto, and MakSim, among others. Additionally, visitors can meet 18 different Father Frosts representing various regions of Russia, each participating in a festive procession down the main avenue at 6pm on working days.

Interactive performances, adventure games with prizes, and dance flash mobs are scheduled throughout the holiday season. On December 30 and 31, an interactive performance titled ‘Visiting Father Frost’ will engage children of all ages, featuring beloved characters like the Snow Maiden, Father Frost, Snow Queen, Red Riding Hood, Karabas Barabas, and others.

On Sunday, December 31, the center will come alive with a dynamic dance flash mob show titled ‘In the Rhythm of the Capital,’ featuring local dancers and performers. Another exciting event on the agenda is the theatrical show ‘New Year’s Film Salad, or the Song about a Festive Mood.’ This mini-concert, presented by actors and directors from the Live Saturday project in Moscow, promises 30 minutes of enchanting songs from classic New Year’s movies, complemented by readings of poetry and prose celebrating the winter season.

Workshops ranging from painting Christmas tree balls to making Mezen ornaments, wax candles, Christmas gingerbread, origami, and snowboard balancing will be available both before New Year’s Eve and through January 3.

“Throughout the New Year’s vacations, there will be the Russian Winter festival, decorated in the style of Lukomorye, a remote fairytale northern kingdom, home to the World Tree, which has its roots in the underground and its branches in the sky. Many Russian fairytales originate there. Fairytales shape our character from childhood. Fairytale characters teach us, entertain us, and help us through difficulties. And even after growing up, we continue to turn to them in moments of joy and sadness. New Year is a time when we especially want magic, that’s why fairy tale characters will appear at the RUSSIA EXPO,” says Anastasia Zvyagina.

“Each day of the New Year holidays will feature a new hero and new activities. One of the features of the VDNH outdoors program will be a ride on a Russian self-propelled oven. Visitors will have a chance to imagine themselves as Yemelya and take a ride on the oven along the Main Alley.”

From December 29 to January 14, the VDNH skating rink will showcase Ilya Averbukh’s New Year’s ice show ‘Nutcracker and The Mouse King,’ starring Tatyana Totmyanina, Maksim Marinin, and Aleksey Yagoudin.

The outdoor program at VDNH will feature an ice sculpture festival from December 26, reflecting Russia’s key achievements and recent events, including the Mendeleev periodic table (commemorating the discovery of six new elements), the world’s only Arctic floating university, the MS-21 airliner, and ice figures dedicated to characters from the movie ‘Vyzov’ (The Challenge) by Klim Shipenko and the Sapsan high-speed train.

For fans of film director Leonid Gaidai, a special free exposition, ‘Gaidai’s Universe of Characters,’ will offer an immersive experience in an apartment building inhabited by characters from Gaidai’s films.

“The guests of the exhibition will have a chance not only to try on the images of Gaidai’s main characters but also to immerse themselves in their habitat: Take a look around Shurik’s kitchen, peek into Shpak’s stashes, and become characters in Gaidai films,” said the deputy director-general of the RUSSIA EXPO.

The RUSSIA EXPO, inaugurated in November 2023, will continue its vibrant celebration until April 2024.