Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
16
St. Petersburg
After Dark
Most of St. Petersburg's liveliest
and richest cultural events take place dur-
ing the magical summer weeks when there
is no “after dark,” under the soft, elon-
gated sunset of the White Nights. Its 18th-
century palaces throw open their doors for
midnight music concerts, its regal parks
and squares host open-air jazz festivals,
and much of the city seems to be wander-
ing the bridges and quays or floating down
the canals until morning.
Of course, this city that considers itself
Russia's cultural capital is alive with per-
formances the rest of the year as well, and
Where to Go During White Nights
Several festivals claim to be St. Petersburg's “official” White Nights event, but in
fact there are so many entertainment options that it doesn't matter who's more
official than whom. The city government defines the period as the 50 days when
the sun never gets more than 9 degrees below the horizon, roughly from late
May to mid-July. The biggest events run for 2 weeks in late June around the sum-
mer solstice. Some festivals with the name “White Nights” in them start as early
as May, so even if you're not in town on the longest day of the year, you have
plenty of performances to choose from. See the Mariinsky Theater website
(www.mariinsky.ru) for details of its
Stars of the White Nights
festival, consid-
ered the most prestigious in town. For schedules of the
White Nights Jazz
festi-
val, another top draw, see www.jazz.ru/eng. The Shostakovich Philharmonic
hosts a June music festival. Film festivals, fashion festivals, and beer festivals fill
up any space left on the White Nights calendar. Once you arrive, consult your
hotel concierge or the English-language
The St. Petersburg Times
for more listings.
The main all-night, outdoor party scene is along a stretch of
Angliiskaya
Naberezhnya (English Embankment)
on the south bank of the Neva, not far
from the Hermitage, with street musicians, food stands, and throngs of people.
Elsewhere, most official events are held in the evening, starting around 8 or 9pm,
except at the dance clubs, where the partying starts and ends much later. Out-
door music festivals fill up stages at the
Summer Gardens
and
Taurida Gar-
dens,
good for walks and picnics before or after the concerts. The imperial
palaces outside St. Petersburg put on summer music performances, with the
festival at
Peterhof
especially impressive, including concerts around the foun-
tains and in the ballrooms. The towns of Vyborg and Tsarskoye Selo (Pushkin)
also host music concerts; see chapter 17 for details. A few cruise companies and
dozens of private boats ply St. Petersburg's canals in the wee hours during the
White Nights, offering an excellent way to celebrate the city's overall beauty.
