So you have decided to celebrate New Year’s Eve in Russia. For many Russians, the New Year is the most important holiday of all winter festivities and the celebrations are some of the best and largest in the world. But where is the best place to ring in the New Year? The huge and crazy capital metropolis of Moscow? Or the slightly calmer, more beautiful, northern St. Petersburg? They both have fantastic New Years celebrations. To help you decide, here are the pros and cons of both:
The weather
Both cities will be frigid on New Years Eve, as you may already know, Russian winters are notoriously harsh! However, while you will need to bring your warmest coat to Moscow, you may want to bring two and many layers to St. Petersburg. Winter temperatures of -30 degrees Celsius (-22 Fahrenheit) are normal in St. Petersburg, and 2011 saw the coldest New Year’s Eve in 1,000 years. Also, at this time of year, St. Petersburg experiences polar nights, almost 24 hours of darkness. Moscow has short days, but it will still see the light of day on New Years Day, something to keep in mind, especially if you expect jet lag.
The great celebration of the town square
In Saint Petersburg’s Dvortsovaya Square (just outside the Hermitage), you can experience a large crowd of people watching the President’s speech on a big screen, fireworks, champagne, and a grand celebration. Then when you finally manage to get out of there, you can stroll along the banks of the Neva River or walk along Nevsky Prospect to see if you can find a bar to warm up. Or you can go to the Strelka on Vasilyevsky Island to see the fireworks, then walk into town to see the celebrations.
In Moscow’s Red Square, the celebration is much more epic. For one thing, the atmosphere you will experience in Red Square is unparalleled. On the other hand, it’s going to be extremely crowded so avoid it if you don’t deal well with large crowds of people, because not everyone will be polite (as most will be quite drunk at this point).
Bars and clubs
In both Moscow and St. Petersburg, food and drink establishments will be full. If you want to go to dinner on New Years Eve in St. Petersburg, book a restaurant well in advance and if you want to go to Moscow, book EXTREMELY in advance, especially if you want to have dinner somewhere central. Also, know that in both cities the subway will be very crowded on New Years Eve, although it will certainly be better to take the subway than to brave traffic in a taxi.
With regard to the festivities, Moscow will once again be more crowded. If you want to attend a club party in Moscow, there is almost no chance that you will find tickets available at the door (in St. Petersburg, you have a small chance). Moscow clubs will have giant, luxurious and extravagant (and expensive!) Club parties, while St. Petersburg parties will tend to be smaller and more intimate (they have some huge clubs but less than Moscow). It may also be easier to find a bar with some space in the “Northern Capital of Russia” than in Moscow.
