White Nights Festival 2010

Locals wait through long winter months in anticipation of 'White Nights'. The season is short - beginning in May and ending in June - but is worth the wait. The sun does not set until after 10pm and if you are a light sleeper, blackout curtains are a must as it remains twilight all night.

This is the perfect time of year to take a midnight boat tour of the St Petersburg Waterways and stay up to watch the spectacle of the cities bridges being raised to allow larger ships to pass. It's an incredibly energizing time to visit and see the city in a carefree and romantic time.

This period of extended daylight also coincides with the White Nights Festival. The festival was first held in 1993 under the artistic directorship of Valery Gergiev, Maestro of the Mariinsky Theatre & Ballet, and since then the combination of world-class performances and the beauty of St Petersburg itself, has made the White Nights Festival an important event in the cultural calendar.

The 2010 White Nights Festival starts on Friday 21 May and runs to 21 July. The programme offers both Russian and Western music: operas, ballets, choral and symphonic concerts. See the full programme.

In Imperial times, money was almost no object and the city drew the finest singers, dancers and composers - Chaliapin, Pavlova, Tchaikovsky. It is not an exaggeration to say that visiting now at this time of year you will experience something of that same magic. Find more information on St Petersburg City breaks.

If you would like to experience the White Nights Festival in 2010, please contact us for a quote today.