A museum is not just permanent exhibitions and temporary shows. Today museums offer families a variety of events, including New Year's programs. In this note I have collected examples of such programs taking place in museums across Russia.
How to find New Year's programs in museums?
There are two ways:
1) Check round-ups on thematic resources. For example, on the 'Let's Go to the Museum' portal :)
2) Check the poster or events page on the website of the museum you're interested in.
Usually museum websites already have a banner on the homepage with the event title. If there are no banners, try looking for the 'Afisha' (poster) or 'Events' section.
You can also subscribe to notifications about posts in the museum's social media group. Some museum Christmas matinees are so popular that tickets sell out quickly.
Screenshot of the main page of the 'ATOM' museum at VDNKh. The first banner is dedicated to New Year's events.
How to prepare for a New Year's matinee at the museum?
If it's a child's first time going to a museum, it's worth explaining what a museum is and the rules of conduct. You can arrive a little early to get oriented, look around, and change clothes calmly.
Check with museum staff whether to wear dressier clothes or something suitable for active activities. Museums differ, and programs vary: some offer a concert and a tour, others a workshop or scientific experiments.
Also find out whether parental presence is allowed. In some places it's required, while in others parents can wait for the children either in the cloakroom or explore the museum on their own.
What New Year's programs are available in museums?
These are usually a combination of several formats: a tour, a master class, a theatrical performance, a show, a quest, or a concert. Most museum Christmas matinees are suitable for children aged about 5–6 and up, although there are sometimes programs for little ones.
Duration: 1–1.5 hours.
The program can take place in the exhibition halls or in dedicated spaces. Some museums have concert halls, classrooms for activities, and workshop rooms.
Now let's look at museum programs.
I asked colleagues to share brief descriptions and photographs. Please check all information about prices, dates, and times on the museums' official online resources and by the phone numbers listed on their websites. Beware of scammers!
The museum has prepared a family holiday program 'Journey into Christmas at the A. Rublev Museum'. It's suitable for children aged 6 and up.
The program includes:
1) an interactive tour where participants will learn how Christmas scenes were depicted by medieval Russian painters.
2) a puppet performance by the 'Tri Lika' (Three Masks) theater that will introduce guests to the traditions of nativity plays (vertep) in Russia.
3) a master class led by the museum's artist-designer during which children will paint a commemorative souvenir, the 'Christmas Angel'.
Schedule:
December 22 at 12:00 and 15:00
December 26 at 13:00 and 15:00
December 27 at 12:00 and 15:00
January 5, 2025 at 12:00 and 15:00
The New Year's interactive program 'Tree with a Star' (12+) takes place in the interiors of the Mayakovsky family's constructivist apartment, where you'll learn how the poet Vladimir Mayakovsky celebrated the New Year with his friends. Participants will also hear about the history of New Year celebrations in Soviet Russia and learn how important events of that era were reflected in decorations — in different years the tree featured figures of Red Army soldiers, polar explorers, or astronauts.
The New Year's ornament is not only a witness to bygone eras but also a keeper of family traditions. Handmade toys are unique; they can become true family heirlooms passed down through generations. Guests will create their own ornament from simple materials, as was customary at the time, and will also recall and share family traditions associated with the holiday.
Schedule:
December 14 at 15:00
December 19 at 19:00
December 21 at 15:00
December 26 at 19:00
December 28 at 15:00
I used a photograph from the museum as the cover image for this article.
The New Year's quest 'Rao's Riddle' from the Biological Museum in pavilion No. 31 'Geology' at VDNKh.
The quest is intended for children aged 8–13. The storyline centers on the young shaman Rao, who accidentally ends up in a modern museum. There he meets a museum researcher and a group of children who help him return home.
Crosswords, puzzles, microscopes, and games are just part of the adventure on the road to solving Rao's main riddle. Participants will face unusual tasks aimed at attention, concentration, logic, and general knowledge. At the end of the quest each participant will receive a gift from Rao.
Duration: 80–90 minutes.
All tasks are performed in continuous dialogue with the hosts and participants.
Check the current schedule for organized groups and individual participants on the website.
The museum has prepared a New Year's game-quest for children aged 7 and up, during which they will learn a brief history of the craft, complete the quest, and 'save' their presents from an evil bandit.
After receiving sweet gifts with souvenirs, you can take part in a workshop on painting a New Year's tray.
Duration:
1 hour — quest, activities around the tree, gift-giving
1.5 hours — quest, activities around the tree, gift-giving, workshop.
Check the current schedule for organized groups and individual participants by calling the museum.
The museum has prepared the program 'Empress's New Year Voyage' for children aged 6–10.
Young participants will take on the roles of brave midshipmen and set off with Catherine the Great on a journey to find the very best gift. Caught up in a whirl of events, the children will face challenges and surprises, make unexpected new friends, and save the holiday. The climax will be a meeting with Ded Moroz (Father Frost).
Schedule:
December 19, 20, 21, 22, 25, 26, 27 at 15:00.
The immersive performance (6+) 'Christmas Detective. The Mysterious Story of Shchepkin' will transport the audience to 19th-century Russia. Along with the serf boy Mikhail, who dreams of becoming an actor, the children will undergo trials and solve puzzles, earning special stamps in a real personalized 'Detective's Passport'. Together with the characters, the kids will create theatrical set pieces and prepare for their first performance on the theater stage.
The performance runs from December 7 to January 8.
The New Year's interactive children's program 'Nobody But Us! #ForFrost!' is intended for children aged 7–10. The program runs from December 17 to 27.
The plot revolves around the disappearance of tree decorations stolen from Ded Moroz by the Leshy. The kids, together with bogatyrs and the Snow Maiden, go through various trials and complete tasks, participate in contests, and at the end everyone decorates the tree together and receives a surprise from the museum.
The museum invites children from age 3 to a series of programs 'Folk Holiday'. The December–January theme is Svyatki (the Christmas-tide). The event takes place in the exhibition space about wooden toys 'A Toy Grew in the Forest'. In this edition children and parents will take part in singing kolyadki (traditional carols), ride on small toy sleds to the jingle of bells, and make a tree ornament to take home.
Check the current schedule on the museum's website.
The New Year's immersive musical 'The Tale of the Forgotten Princess' is aimed at children aged 3–10.
It's a truly fairy-tale journey. The main heroine is a Princess whom everyone has forgotten. She must go through many trials to find her way home and defeat the Evil Witch.
After the performance each young guest will receive commemorative gifts from the Museum and its partners.
The gift is included in the price of the children's ticket.
Schedule:
December 25, 26, 28, 29 and January 2, 3, 4 at 13:00 / Yesenin Center
The interactive themed tour 'New Year's Box' will be of interest to children over 9.
The program is dedicated to New Year celebrations in the Russian Empire in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. At its center is a painted wooden box full of mysterious items that reveal the secrets of festive traditions in the provincial town of Yamburg. Participants will not only learn how Yamburg residents prepared for the New Year in pre-revolutionary times, but also how they congratulated one another and what gifts they prepared for their relatives and friends. The children will create an open greeting letter and a retro photograph in the Yamburg photo studio of the early 20th century, and will also make a New Year's souvenir by hand.
Schedule:
December 27 and 28 at 12:00 and 15:00
January 3 and 4, 2025 at 12:00 and 15:00
