How to enjoy New Year's holidays: ideas for entertainment in Moscow
New Year's holidays are a special time when you want to fill your days with new impressions and a festive atmosphere. One of the best ways to do this is to change the environment: turn Moscow into a space for relaxation and discovery. On the website accor.ru you can choose and book a metropolitan hotel, which will be a convenient base for any holiday scenario. In the article we tell you what to do during the winter holidays in Moscow to spend time in an interesting and comfortable way.
Free entertainment during the New Year holidays in Moscow
One of the main winter gifts of the capital is its festive transformation, which turns the city into a huge setting for magical walks. This holiday format does not require complicated planning and high costs, but it guarantees a complete immersion in the atmosphere of winter holidays.
Start the route from the historical center. Streets, bridges, and squares are decorated with themed light installations and garlands, creating a fairy tale feel even on a weekday. Be sure to visit Zaryadye Park, where one of the most impressive views of the Kremlin opens from the Floating Bridge.
VDNKh and Gorky Park are ideal for a long leisurely walk. VDNKH is amazing in scale: in addition to the famous skating rink, there are fairs, warm pavilions, and ice sculptures. Gorky Park offers a more intimate atmosphere with festive lighting, cozy paths, and Christmas markets.
The main secret of a comfortable walk is proper equipment. Warm waterproof shoes, thermal underwear, a thermos with hot tea or cocoa will save you from the cold and allow you to enjoy the views all day. And if you do freeze, remember that many urban spaces in winter are equipped with additional heating points and outdoor cafes where you can take a break.
What to do during the holidays in Moscow if you want to do more than just walk? Keep an eye on the poster of free events. Open workshops are often held in parks. During the holidays, street theaters and musicians perform on numerous stages of city festivals. Such entertainment during the holidays in Moscow allows you to spontaneously diversify the day with vivid emotions without unnecessary expenses and long preparation.
Family holidays and activities with children
New Year's holidays are the best time to create magical memories for children, and for the whole family to feel a common joy. Moscow offers many special programs that will help you spend time together as interesting and comfortable as possible.
An ideal start would be to visit one of the big city festivals, for example, "Traveling to Christmas". In addition to the beautiful pavilions, interactive zones are often set up there: ice labyrinths, workshops where children make Christmas toys or candles with their own hands.
Museums with a festive program are suitable for educational leisure. For example, the Planetarium, the Darwin Museum, and the Experimentarium are preparing special science shows, quests, and creative workshops that are exciting for both children and adults.
The classic version of a family holiday is New Year's Eve performances. The capital's playbill has everything from grandiose Christmas trees in the Kremlin Palace to chamber performances in puppet theaters.
Such entertainment during the winter holidays in Moscow will become the basis for shared warm memories. The main thing is to alternate activity and rest. Plan your day with plenty of time to avoid fatigue and enjoy your walk.
Outdoor activities for those who don't like to stay at home
If your ideal winter vacation morning doesn't start with a cup of coffee in bed, but with putting on skates or planning a route for several events in one evening, you will definitely enjoy New Year's weekend in Moscow. The capital offers so much dynamic entertainment that you can start every day with a new sporting or cultural challenge.
There are many free skating rinks throughout the city. Starting from January 2, Luzhniki Sports Complex has a unique ski and biathlon track for speed enthusiasts, where lessons from professionals are available. You can try yourself in an unusual sport at festival venues in large city parks, where they teach the basics of curling.
Spend the day visiting major festivals. For example, Yummy Morozi in Muzeon offers to try dishes and drinks from the best Moscow restaurants and craft breweries. Connoisseurs of unusual shows will be interested in large-scale ice installations or light performances at venues like Zaryadye Park.
Evening is the time for the main events. Study the concert poster. Popular Russian bands and DJs traditionally perform in clubs and large halls during the New Year holidays. The playbill is also full: from New Year's musicals and comedies to modern dramatic productions. After a performance or concert, head to themed bars or a retro-themed party, which are especially popular during the holidays.
Such entertainment during the New Year holidays allows you to completely change the environment, recharge your batteries, and spend time among like-minded people. The main thing is to keep track of the schedule, book tickets for key events in advance and wisely allocate your forces so that they are enough for all holidays.
New Year's Eve and a festive night in the city
The culmination of the holiday — the night from December 31 to January 1 — may look completely different in Moscow. You can join the mass rejoicing in the streets or arrange a chamber dinner with your loved ones. Let's look at a few scenarios to help you decide how to spend your New Year's holiday in the capital.
City party
For those who want to feel the beating of the city's heart, the best option is to go to one of the main holiday venues. It can be Red Square, Zaryadye Park or VDNKh. There is an atmosphere of universal fun here: music, thousands of lights, installations, waiting for midnight in a huge company.
This is an option for maximum engagement, requiring readiness for a large crowd of people, but giving unforgettable emotions and spectacular photos against the background of the symbols of the capital. After the chimes and fireworks, the festivities continue — you can move from one site to another all night.
Everything according to the scenario in a restaurant or club
The classic format is a New Year's banquet or a party. It is the choice of those who appreciate comfort, gastronomic pleasures and a light entertainment program. This scenario requires booking a table in advance: several weeks or even months before the event.
You are guaranteed an exquisite dinner, lots of music, a show program, and a smooth transition from food to dancing. The only difference is in scale and concept. In Moscow, the New Year can be celebrated in chamber jazz clubs or at grandiose shows in large banquet halls.
New Year's Eve at the hotel: a hassle-free holiday
The perfect balance between comfort and location in the heart of the action. You don't have to think about cooking, cleaning or taxi: a festive dinner, entertainment program and a cozy room are all in one place. You can participate in a banquet at the hotel restaurant, and after midnight and the fireworks, just take the elevator to your room.
This is the optimal solution for everyone who values their time and wants to enjoy the holiday. On the Accor website, you can choose a hotel that will be an ideal base for such a scenario. Examples of our hotels for New Year's Eve celebrations in Moscow:
- Mövenpick Moscow Taganskaya. The key advantage of the hotel is its own spa complex with a swimming pool, hammam and Finnish sauna. Let yourself relax completely on the last day of the year. The festive night can be spent at the Shagal restaurant, where they prepare a special New Year's menu, arrange an entertainment program with music and a lottery. Every day after lunch, you can taste desserts from the chef during the signature "Chocolate Hour".
- ibis Moscow Kievskaya. Excellent cost-effective solution. The hotel's trump card is conveniently located within walking distance from Kievskaya metro station: from here it is easy to get to any festive event in the center. After walking through the decorated streets or attending a concert, you can quickly return to your stylish and functional room. The hotel has a 24-hour ibis Kitchen restaurant and a lobby bar. This option allows you not to overpay for accommodation, save your budget on tickets, dinner in the city or gifts. At the same time, you stay close to the very center of the capital and the festive events.
- Swissotel Krasnye Hills Moscow. It offers a New Year's scenario with one of the most impressive views in the city. The panoramic windows of the restaurants and many rooms offer a view of the Kremlin, the Moskva River and other iconic places. Celebrating the New Year with such a picture outside the window is a special experience. The main night of the year can be spent at the City Space Restaurant, located on the 34th floor. A multi-serve dinner, French sparkling wine, cocktails, gifts and live music are waiting for you here. A holiday at this hotel is the choice of those who want to make the night from December 31 to January 1 exceptional. Enjoy the combination of the highest level of service and the unique atmosphere of the capital.
Tips and conclusions
When planning what to do in Moscow during the New Year holidays, follow a few simple recommendations. They will help you spend time with maximum comfort.
- Transport and logistics. Please note that on December 31, the metro and ground transportation operate on an extended schedule, but after midnight, only special night routes are relevant. Walking or taking a taxi is often more convenient for traveling around the center during the holidays.
- Tickets and reservations. For key events — a New Year's Eve session at the GUM Skating Rink, the ballet "The Nutcracker" at the Bolshoi Theater or a banquet in a restaurant - it is better to book tickets and tables well in advance. Please remember that you can only get to Red Square on the night of December 31 to January 1 with a ticket to the skating rink.
- Equipment and route. Winter in Moscow can be moody. The average temperature on New Year's Eve is about -4.5 °C, but both thaws and severe frosts are possible. Choose warm and waterproof clothes. When making a route, do not try to embrace the vast: choose one area or park for a day for a detailed study.
To make the holiday in the capital easy and hassle—free, allow yourself to focus on impressions - delegate comfort issues to professionals. Book a room in one of the Accor Moscow hotels on our website to celebrate the New Year without unnecessary worries about the domestic side of the issue.
