This festival is an extravaganza of the arts — music, opera, ballet, film and outdoor celebrations including the Scarlet Sails, a fleet of red­sailed, tall ships with a gunpowder-packed fireworks show, Russian style. Long walks along the River Neva reveal roving gypsy bands, jugglers, sword swallowers, fire eaters, even stoic Russian mimes who might surprise you with their humor. And come 2 a.m., even the drawbridges raise their arms in awe. The flurry of events creates a manic energy, the Russians packing everything into their short summer celebrations before winter returns, all too soon.

Scarlet Sales and Golden Fountains

White Nights isn’t really one festival but a collection of events around the longest days of the year, from mid-­May to mid-­July. The oldest and most popular event—the Scarlet Sails—began after World War II as a tribute to the popular 1922 Russian children’s tale “Scarlet Sails” by Alexander Grin. It started as an update of revolutionary propaganda of old Leningrad by sailing a crimson­sailed tall ship toward the czar’s Winter Palace on the banks of the Neva. Today, it’s a metaphor for the post-graduation freedom felt by high school students, easy to identify by their red scarfs and giddy smiles. It’s become a well ­loved party that draws more than 3.5 million people to catch the ships, fireworks and performances by local favorites like the St. Petersburg Orchestra on sound stages dotting the riverbank.

The party begins with an invitation­-only event in Place Square on Vassiliyevsky Island that has featured such international acts as Cirque de Soleil and Antonio Banderas. But the spectacle on the river is the real show, with the iconic image of White Nights a crimson­ sailed ship framed by waterfall explosions of red. It gets just dark enough after 11 p.m. to enjoy the fireworks show.

Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s short story “White Nights” was inspired by the very city of St. Petersburg. His main character is a perpetual dreamer who is in love with the night and long walks through town. The city comes alive at night and he even manifests relationships with the buildings, as they would talk to him. By doing so, he absorbs the very emotions of the people and the city. As you walk among glorious buildings in different states of decay, you can’t help but feel the emotion of this city—the bright and the dark — and you might even hear the buildings talking to you! It’s a happy time to be in St. Petersburg. If you’re there on July 3rd, don’t miss the Dostoyevsky festival, a daylong celebration of the “Life and Creativity of F.M. Dostoyevsky.”

One of the most important rituals of St. Petersburg is the 2 a.m. opening of the drawbridges on the River Neva. They open during the summer navigation season from April to November to allow larger ships to pass into the Baltic Sea. It’s a spontaneous party on the riverbanks. Try to find some Sovetskoye Shampanskoye (Советское Шампанское), or Soviet Champagne, a relic of the old Soviet Union, and pop a cork in celebration. You won’t be alone. Gypsies will be playing music, dance parties might break out and lovers will walk hand in hand, all to the baroque backdrop of the city’s magnificent monuments. From there you can head off to one of the late-night bars or clubs that pound out euro­pop and house beats until early, or sniff out an underground rave.

 Корабль с алыми парусами появился на празднике выпускников под залпы салюта.

Это было что-то невероятное! Я такого еще никогда и нигде не видел! Не без помощи Президента Петербург превзошел сам себя.

Море огня, света, лазеры.

На Дворцовой аншлаг, море выпускников и гостей города.

И как всегда, было немного грустно......