Published on: 2026-09-05
Source: Moscow Government – Правительства Москвы –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Today and tomorrow Moscow celebrates its 879th birthday. Specialists of the urban management complex have decorated the capital with more than 3,500 flags and decorative structures. They appeared on key highways, city entrances, bridges, and pedestrian zones. The main symbol of the festive decoration is the word “Moscow” and the number 879. Flag structures decorated Tverskaya Street, Poklonnaya Hill, as well as the Bolshoy Kamenny, Bolshoy Moskvoretsky, Krymsky, Borodinsky, Novoarbatsky, and Bolshoy Ustinsky bridges.
In Zaryadye Park, as well as on Lubyanskaya and Pushkinskaya Squares, “Fakel” structures with built-in media facades have been installed, broadcasting festive greetings. Videos dedicated to City Day are also shown on the media facades of the book-shaped buildings on New Arbat. On September 5 and 6, the architectural and artistic lighting of the buildings operates in festive mode.
Over the course of two days in capital Various festivals, concerts, performances, master classes, lectures, and excursions will take place. Everyone can join them. those wishing. And participants of 25 capital fairs on September 5 and 6, in celebration of Moscow’s birthday, will offer discounts of up to 50 percent on fresh products and farm delicacies from more than 40 regions of Russia.
Due to the holding of mass events in the city, there are temporary traffic restrictions on certain road sections. Before going about your business or just taking a walk around Moscow, it is worth studying the overlap scheme and plan your route in advance.
In order for guests and residents of the capital to comfortably get home after the events, the operation has been extended on the night of September 5 to 6 urban transport. Metro stations and Moscow Central Circle Passenger entry will be open until 02:00. In various districts, 17 tram routes will also operate until the same time. 18 regular night bus and trolleybus routes will continue to run as usual.
“Museum Mile,” sports events, and a parade of retro trams
On September 5, the capital will host a sports-cultural run for the first time “Museum Mile”, organized by the League of Military-Applied Sports “League of Heroes” with the support of the capital Department of Sports as part of the “Summer in Moscow” project. The event is timed to coincide with City Day and will combine sports, history, and architecture. Participants will be able to choose a distance depending on their age: 8.79 kilometers for adults, 879 meters for children aged six to 17. The length of the routes is symbolic: this year Moscow is celebrating its 879th anniversary. The routes will pass through the Muzeon Art Park, Bersenevskaya, Sofiyskaya and Kadashevskaya embankments, Balchug Street, and Repinsky Square. Along the way, participants will see more than 30 museums and historical buildings. Throughout the run, athletes will be able to listen through headphones to an immersive play featuring voices of theater and film actors, and at the main points of the route, they will be greeted by “living paintings” — professional actors portraying characters referring to the history and culture of Moscow.
In addition to the “Museum Mile,” Muscovites and guests of the capital can look forward to dozens of other sporting events on City Day. Today in “Luzhniki” A sports festival is underway featuring a master class by Olympic medalist Alexander Enbert, as well as the final of the beach volleyball championship. The Union State Cup will take place at the Northern Modern Pentathlon Center: 12 teams from six countries will compete for victory. And tomorrow, the festival “Russian Bogatyr” will bring together all sports enthusiasts at the Luzhniki Southern Sports Center with strength training, family events, and craft workshops.
Moreover, on September 6, one of the most spectacular events of the autumn will take place — tram parade. A column of 18 historic cars from different generations will travel from Kursky railway station to Sergiy Radonezhsky Street. The event will begin at 11:30 at the turning circle near Kursky railway station. From 12:00 to 17:00, a historical tram and retro car exhibition will be held on Sergiy Radonezhsky Street. For guests, Soviet arcade machines from the 1980s, a themed quiz, interactive zones with reenactors, and a photo area with instant printing have been prepared. Games and workshops will be organized for children. Performances on stage will include artists from the “Music in the Metro” project, the academic choir of the Moscow Metro, and a secret guest. Visitors will also be treated to free refreshments.
Time travel at VDNH
One of the main attractions these days will be VDNH. More than 80 events have been prepared here — from performances by artists and dance lessons to excursions introducing the history. capitals. The program at the country’s main exhibition will be dedicated to the lives of Muscovites from different generations. The thematic areas on the complex’s territory will be designed in the spirit of specific decades — from the mid-last century to the present day.
The immersive journey will begin in the “1950s Yard” in front of Pavilion No. 1 “Central.” Songs from the post-war years will be performed on stage, and waltz and foxtrot master classes will be held on the dance floor. The area behind the pavilion will be dedicated to the 1960s — an era marked by the development of science and art. Everyone can join creative workshops, listen to retro hits, or read books in the library hall. In the “1970s Yard” near state services center The “My Documents” center will prepare interactive activities and a photo zone with the legendary “Moskvich” car for city residents. On the sports ground behind the “Friendship of Peoples” fountain, visitors can experience the atmosphere of the 1980s and test their physical fitness. In the future zone, guests will be greeted by a robo-dog and a robot that will invite them to play a game of chess.
The pavilions of VDNH will host themed lectures and tours. On weekends, at the Slavic Writing Museum “Slovo,” visitors will learn about the main stages of Moscow’s history—from its founding to the present day. On September 6, the “Books” pavilion will explain the features of regional dialects and highlight what distinguishes the linguistic culture of the capital’s residents. At the “My Russia” show-model site, miniature copies of city landmarks can be examined. As part of the festive program, on September 5 and 6 at 17:00, VDNH staff will hold a lecture titled “There is a corner in the north of Moscow.” Visitors will be told how the idea for the country’s main exhibition arose, how the first pavilions were constructed, and about the opening of VDNH in 1939. A dedicated section of the lecture will cover the post-war reconstruction and the opening of the renovated exhibition on August 1, 1954.
In the pavilion “Moscow Model” you can visit a photo exhibition, a guided tour, a themed quiz, and a lecture about the history of VDNH. On September 5 and 6, guests will learn about the founding of the city and the main stages of its history, and will also be able to examine the main districts and landmarks of the capital. After the tour, everyone will be invited to a themed quiz about Moscow.
Still on VDNH you can visit the fishing sport festival at Ostankino Pond, the Moscow Go Cup in the “Cosmonautics and Aviation” pavilion, and the scientific festival “FestTech-2026” at the “Atom” museum with Professor Nicolas’s show and scientists’ lectures.
Parks, theaters, and museums
Special events in honor of City Day will also take place in capital city theaters. Guests are awaited by performances, concerts, creative meetings, and backstage tours.
These weekends will be eventful for the project participants “Moscow Longevity”. Lectures from leading museums (about Mikhail Bulgakov’s Moscow, the capital through the eyes of Sergey Korolev, secrets of metro architecture) will be held in more than 140 longevity centers throughout the city, as well as creative master classes on painting, bead weaving, and preparing traditional dishes. The edible symbol of the holiday will be 879 buns.
On September 5 and 6 at the venues “Moscow Seasons”, in parks, museums, libraries, and cultural centers You can attend concerts, plein airs, and master classes. In Gorky Park — karaoke with a grand piano and plein air painting sessions with live music; in Sokolniki — a circus tent show called “Lights of the Big Circus” (70 performers, 15 acts); in Vorontsovsky Park — quizzes and lectures by art historian Veronika Teletskaya; and in Fili Park — a rock concert “Burlaki in Fili.” On September 5, a concert “Moscow. Declaration of Love” will take place in Zaryadye with Yuri Bashmet, opera and ballet stars, as well as theater and film actors.
With a detailed schedule of all events September 5 and 6 can be found on the project’s website “Summer in Moscow”, and to register for events and purchase tickets — in the service “Mosbilet”. Many events take place right next to the house — you don’t need to travel far to enjoy the special atmosphere of City Day.
“Summer in Moscow” — the main event of the season, which has already become a good tradition and an integral part of the capital’s life. The main theme of this year is “Time to Be Together.” The project unites people of different generations around common values, allowing them to become closer not only to their relatives but also to the entire city during walks, cultural and sports events, charitable activities, as well as right near home in all districts of the capital.
Get the latest main news quickly on Moscow city’s official channels in messengers “Max” and “Telegram”.
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