VDNH has come up with a special programme for 8 July, Day of Family, Love and Faithfulness, in Russia. Visitors will enjoy free guided tours of the Exhibition, the Cosmonautics and Aviation Centre and the Slovo Centre for Slavic Writing. The Moskvarium will launch its first celebratory event for newlyweds. The VDNH Fairy Tale Theatre will feature a children's interactive show, while Technograd will offer young visitors thematic workshops.
The idea of celebrating the Day of Love, Family, and Faithfulness in Russia was proposed by residents of Murom (the Vladimir Region), home to the relics of the Peter and Fevronia, the patron saints of Christian marriage.
Free excursions
On 8 July at 1:00 p.m., 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m., the VDNH Cosmonautics and Aviation Centre will have a new guided tour entitled Love in the Universe. Advance registration is required. Age restrictions: 12+, the number of participants in each tour may not exceed 20.
On 8 July at 6:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., the Slovo Centre for Slavic Writing will feature free thematic guided tours—And They Lived Happily Ever After—dedicated to the subject of love and family throughout history. Advance registration is required, and the number of participants in each tour may not exceed 20.
On 8 July at 7:00 p.m., there will be a free sightseeing tour on the grounds of Russia's main exhibition entitled Love, Dream, VDNH!. Booking your tour—advance registration is required and the number of participants cannot exceed 25. The tour group will meet at the Main Entrance Arch at 7:00 p.m.
On 10 and 11 July at 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m., to celebrate the Day of Family, Love and Faithfulness, the VDNH Museum of Dolls will offer free thematic excursions entitled Rulers: People and Destinies. Visitors will see more than 50 handcrafted porcelain figures of monarchs in historical dress. Admission is by ticket only, and the number of participants in each excursion cannot exceed 20. For bookings, please call +7 (985) 420-81-55 or go to the museum's Instagram page.
Celebrations, shows and workshops
To celebrate the holiday, any visitors named Peter or Fevronia will receive free admission to the VDNH Museum on 8 July provided they show a passport or other piece of identity.
On 8 July at 7:00 p.m., the Worker and Kolkhoz Woman Pavilion, as part of the project Knowledge. VDNH, will host a production of The Tale of Peter and Fevronia. The performance is for those 6+, and the number of spectators is limited to no more than 150. Advance registrations is required via the website.
On 8 July at 11:00 a.m., the environmental educational centre at the Floriculture and Landscaping Pavilion, No. 29, will offer an online workshop called Our Little Garden. Lecturers will share their methods for creating a miniature landscape composition. You can watch the workshop via the centre's social media pages on Instagram and Facebook.
On 8 July at 1:00 p.m., the environmental and educational centre at the Beekeeping Pavilion, No. 28, will host an online class called Such Different Couples which will examine the family life of animals, birds and insects. Also, on 8 July at 2:00 p.m., in an online note, you will discover why exactly Peter and Fevronia of Murom became the patron saints of families. You can stream broadcasts on the centres' official social media pages on Vkontakte and Instagram.
The Moskvarium at VDNH will for the first time hold a celebratory event for newlyweds on 8 July. Couples who got married in 2021 in Moscow may visit the Aquarium exposition free of charge. For more details, visit the website. Additionally, on 8 July at 12:00 p.m., a new video about Fenya and Benya, the Asian otter couple, will premiere on the aquarium's YouTube channel in addition to its official social network pages on Instagram, Facebook and Vkontakte.
On 8 July at 12:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m., the Fairy Tale Theatre will host a children's interactive show: Tale Number One. The Return. This show is for children ages 3 to 12, but will also be interesting to adults. To register via the following links—for the first showing, for the second showing, the number of spectators at each show may not exceed 34.
On 8 July, VDNH will hold thematic workshops for children: at 10:00 a.m. on 3D-pens (age restriction: 9+), at 12:00 p.m. Russian Log Hut Made from Cardboard (7+), at 2:00 p.m. Basic Tests and Experiments (9+) and at 4:00 p.m. A Paper Doll on Hinges (7+). The number of participants in a single workshop cannot exceed six people.
On 8 July at 7:00 p.m., Nina Sputnitskaya and Maxim Kazyutchits, curators of the VDNH Cinema Museum, will give a free online Zoom lecture about the story of Peter and Fevronia. Advanced registration is required. Plus, photographers from the VDNH Robostation will take family pictures for those interested.
Participants in the Friends of VDNH loyalty programme will receive discounts on tickets to the Cosmonautics and Aviation Centre, the Slovo Centre for Slavic Writing, the Robostation and other exhibition venues. A complete and updated list of partner venues is available on the programme page on the VDNH website.
All VDNH events comply with anti-coronavirus regulations. Visitors to the museums and exhibitions must observe social distancing rules and wear masks and gloves. You can learn more about virus prevention measures at VDNH here.