Victory Day celebration in St. Petersburg and Moscow - 9th of May 2018

On May 9, 2018 Russia will celebrate the 73rd anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War. In St. Petersburg, an extensive programme dedicated to this great date will start at the beginning of May. Residents and guests of the city will be able to see a massive parade on May 9 in the Palace Square. 3,500 military personnel and 71 military equipment units will take part in it.

The Immortal Regiment will go through the streets of the city, as is tradition, from Suvorovsky Avenue to the Palace Square.An exhibition of historical equipment will be held in the Peter and Paul Fortress. In the Kazan Cathedral everyone will be able to participate in a patriotic performance called "People's Choir of Victory" and sing war-time songs with thousands of other participants.In addition, there will befireworks, a 1945 fashion show, a gala concert, and much more.

The most important event of the holiday starts in Moscow in the morning — the traditional victory parade will be held on the Red Square at 10 AM. The 2018 parade is expected to be the biggest of all time — the event will be attended by more than 14,000 military personnel, nearly 200 units of military equipment, and 150 helicopters and aircrafts.

After the parade, another mass event will start. It became tradition only recently, but already gathers hundreds of thousands of Muscovites. This is, of course, the "Immortal Regiment" — this year the columns of the regiment will go through Tverskaya Street and other central streets of the capital.By the middle of the day, special events will have started all over Moscow.

Most of the Moscow parks have their own programme of celebrations, with open air exhibitions, live music, concerts and fireworks as well as meetings with veterans.In the evening, gala concerts will be held all over Moscow. The most important of them all will take place on the Poklonnaya Hill. It will include famous Russian singers, symphonic orchestras and public officials.

As always, the gala day will end with tremendous fireworks. The high-altitude fireworks will be launched from 15 different spots throughout Moscow, so it should be visible from all areas of the city. However, Sparrow Hills, Poklonnaya Hill and Babushkinsky Park are considered to be the best places to watch the fireworks.