Moscow City Day (russian: День города Москвы, Den' goroda Moskvy) is a city-wide holiday held in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

. It is celebrated on the first or second Saturday of September. The celebration involves free cultural events, a parade and evening fireworks. The first city day was held in 1847 to celebrate Moscow's 700th anniversary.

History

The first city day was held on January 1, 1847, celebrating Moscow's 700th anniversary. At the end of prayers held in the

Chudov Monastery The Chudov Monastery (russian: Чу́дов монасты́рь; more formally known as Alexius’ Archangel Michael Monastery) was founded in the Moscow Kremlin in 1358 by Metropolitan Alexius of Moscow. The monastery was dedicated to the mi ...

, the bells in the

Ivan the Great Bell Tower The Ivan the Great Bell Tower (russian: Колокольня Иван Великий, ''Kolokol'nya Ivan Velikiy'') is a church tower inside the Moscow Kremlin complex. With a total height of , it is the tallest tower and structure of the Kreml ...

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 Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin ( rus, Борис Николаевич Ельцин, p=bɐˈrʲis nʲɪkɐˈla(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ ˈjelʲtsɨn, a=Ru-Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin.ogg; 1 February 1931 – 23 April 2007) was a Soviet and Russian politician wh ...

, who served as Secretary of the Moscow City Committee at the time.

Celebrations

{{Main, Tourism in Russia 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.

Parade

The celebrations begin with a procession along

Tverskaya Street Tverskaya Street ( rus, Тверская улица, p=tvʲɪrˈskajə ˈulʲɪt͡sə), known between 1935 and 1990 as Gorky Street (russian: улица Горького), is the main radial street in Moscow. The street runs Northwest from th ...

and finishes at the Kremlin.

Concerts

Evening concerts usually take place in large areas such as

Red Square Red Square ( rus, Красная площадь, Krasnaya ploshchad', ˈkrasnəjə ˈploɕːətʲ) is one of the oldest and largest squares in Moscow, the capital of Russia. Owing to its historical significance and the adjacent historical build ...

, Cathedral Square and Manezhnaya Square. Classical music concerts are also held at city parks such as Kolomenskoye, Tsaritsyno and Sokolniki. The

Patriarch Ponds Patriarch's Ponds (russian: Патриаршие пруды, ''Patriarshiye prudy'') is park, pond and an affluent residential area in downtown Presnensky District of Moscow, Russia. For the last 200 years, there has been only ''one'' pond, altho ...

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 Luzhniki Stadium ( rus, стадион «Лужники», p=stədʲɪˈon lʊʐnʲɪˈkʲi, ''Stadion Luzhniki'') is the national stadium of Russia, located in its capital city, Moscow. The full name of the stadium is Grand Sports Arena of the ...

in the

Khamovniki District Khamovniki District (russian: Хамо́вники) is a district of Central Administrative Okrug of the federal city of Moscow, Russia. Population: The district extends from Bolshoy Kamenny Bridge into the Luzhniki bend of Moskva River; nor ...

. 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.

Other

Due to the

COVID-19 pandemic in Russia The COVID-19 pandemic in Russia is part of the ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). The virus was confirmed to have spread to Russia on 31 January 2020, when two Ch ...

, the 2020 celebrations were reduced to a singular ceremony attended by President Putin in the

Zaryadye Park Zaryadye Park ( rus, Парк Зарядье) is a landscape urban park located adjacent to Red Square in Moscow, Russia, on the site of the former Rossiya Hotel. The park was inaugurated on 9 September 2017 by Russian President Vladimir Putin a ...

Concert Hall.{{Cite web, title=Putin commends Moscow authorities for well-coordinated work amid pandemic, url=https://tass.com/russia/1197687, access-date=2020-09-05, website=TASS

Gallery

File:Moscow 09-13 img01 Moscow Day.jpg File:Кремль Москва.JPG File:800th anniversary of Moscow OBVERSE.jpg File:RR5109-0013R 850-летие основания Москвы.gif File:Putin - Day City Moscow 2017 (6).jpg

References

{{Reflist

External links

{{Commons category, Day of the Town (Moscow)
История празднования Дня города в Москве

Фоторепортаж с 870-летия Москвы
Events in Moscow Observances in Russia Public holidays in Russia Russian culture Summer events in Russia Culture in Moscow