It was New Year's Eve. You stood looking up into the sky as the fireworks faded and the boom and crack of them rang faintly in your ears. That was it, you thought. That's the last party until spring time. But you were wrong! Because in London, you can have New Year's celebrations several times over before the clocks go forwards, starting with the Russian 'Old New Year' in Trafalgar Square this Sunday! And then there's Chinese New Year in February but we'll get to that once the Russian one is over...
From 12pm to 7pm on Sunday, there will be lots of festive fun for all the family but particularly those with a fondness for live Russian rock and pop. Craft and food stalls will be set up around the Square, there will be theatre and puppet shows to entertain the younger members of the audience... and then at 4pm the music showcase kicks off. It's a pretty packed programme with names and acts to get excited about - see the full details of who is playing and what to expect here.
The slightly confusing identification of this New Year celebration being the Russian 'Old New Year' comes from the dates as set in the Tsarist calendar which was abandoned after 1917. This 'Old New Year' date is still celebrated in Russia and is a big day out for our Russian friends in the capital. Join them in making merry - it's just as well you kept those party hats and streamers from 31 December...
Russian Winter Festival, Sunday 13 January from 12pm to 7pm, Trafalgar Square, free. For more information, go to the festival website here.
Image shows an ice sculpture from the Russian Winter Festival 2006, courtesy of Andwar from the Londonist Flickr pool.
