Moscow City Day


Moscow City Day is an official event in Moscow that honors the city's founding. Moscow traditionally celebrates during the first weekend in September. The celebration involves free cultural events, a parade and evening fireworks.

History

The Moscow City Day was on January 1, 1847, celebrating Moscow's 700th anniversary. At the end of prayers held in the Chudov Monastery, the bells in the Ivan the Great Bell Tower sounded. The city celebrated its 800th anniversary in 1947, this time during Soviet rule. According to a mandate of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union, a special medal was awarded to almost 1.7 million Soviet citizens. In 1997, the 850th anniversary of Moscow was celebrated. Moscow Day was introduced as an annual event in 1986 by future-President Boris Yeltsin, who served as Secretary of the Moscow City Committee at the time.

Celebrations

About 1,000 different events and activities are held during the holiday, including parades, fairs, street entertainment, sports contests, and live music concerts. 67 Moscow museums offer free admission. Over 170 free walking and bicycle tours are organised. Dozens of Moscow museums offer free admission on this day and historical tours are organised over the holiday weekend.

Parade

The celebrations begin with a procession along Tverskaya Street and finishes at the Kremlin. Tverskaya traditionally transforms into a pedestrian zone. The parade usually includes various national academic and military marching bands, and occasionally the participants of the Spasskaya Tower Military Music Festival and Tattoo, which takes place earlier in the month.

Concerts

Evening concerts usually take place in large areas such as Red Square, Cathedral Square and Manezhnaya Square. Classical music concerts are also held at city parks such as Kolomenskoye, Tsaritsyno and Sokolniki. The Patriarch Ponds annually hosts a unique concert-on-water. Concerts range from rising independent artists to international performers and urban classical orchestras.

Mass event

A traditional mass event is held at Luzhniki Stadium in the Khamovniki District. The event features amusement rides, games and competitions. The main stage opposite the central entrance features famous singers, while the car park by the South Sport Complex provides a venue for a rap music concert.

Controversies

The past two Moscow City Duma elections have coincided with the city day commemorations. During the 2019 election, hip hop recording artist Timati took part in a congratulatory video featuring Guf in which both rappers expressed support for Mayor Sergey Sobyanin and criticised the political protests. On September 10, Guf apologized for the video by explaining that he was unaware of the political developments while Timati said that "a high-profile opinion is often perceived through the prism of negativity, as any unpopular decision is", but this time "it was over-the-top".

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