St Petersburg's White Nights

21.07.2023 - 08:13 / roughguides.com

In early summer, the city of St Petersburg experiences the White Nights, glowing midsummer days around the summer solstice when the sun never sets and the nights are awash with a white glow. The phenomenon, which characterises locations of high latitudes, sees St Petersburg pulsating with energy, with cafes, restaurants and museums open around the clock, and open-air festivals and lively music concerts keeping revellers up all night.

St Petersburg is abuzz with locals and visitors from the end of May – when the snow has finally melted and the sun has begun to warm the city’s canals, bathing them in golden hues – although it’s during the months of June and July that visitors descend on the city to experience this most thrilling phenomenon. Typically lasting for just a few weeks from roughly mid-June to mid-July, the White Nights are the best time to experience St Petersburg, with scores of events taking place throughout the day and night.

The Bronze Horseman at night on Senate Square, St Petersburg © Anton Kudelin/Shutterstock

An unmissable St Petersburg experience during the White Nights is watching one of the Neva River drawbridges open, a magnificent spectacle that is best witnessed up close from one of the pleasure cruisers that ply the waters. The city bridges open at night to allow large vessels to sail between the Volga River and the Gulf of Finland and the Baltic Sea, with ships sailing only between April and November as the Neva River is frozen during the rest of the year. During the day, the bridges remain closed, allowing for motor vehicles and pedestrians to go about their daily business.

The raised Palace bridge at White Nights in the city of St Petersburg © Aleksei Andreev/Shutterstock

A major highlight of the White Nights season is the Scarlet Sails event, which takes its name from the eponymous romantic novel by Russian author Alexander Grin. Celebrations took place earlier this year on 23rd June, seeing over 1.5 million attendees flood the city (and over 10 million people watch it live on TV). Held on the Sunday closest to the summer solstice, the event celebrates the graduation of high school students, including graduates of the city’s military and cadet schools, and school-leavers from all over Russia and beyond, from Moldova to Armenia. This year’s theatrical show saw performers donning traditional costumes from the time of Peter the Great, with scenes depicting different periods of Russia’s history. The event culminated in a spectacular light and pyrotechnical show, with fireworks illuminating the night sky as an impressive brigantine with 18 scarlet sails plied the Neva River.

The Scarlet Sails event, St. Petersburg © Yulia Terekhina/Shutterstock

With classical music so embedded in