On the eve of the New Year holidays, the capital of our Motherland is transformed beyond recognition. In all areas of the city, unique light compositions are created, New Year's trees begin to glow in all colors, and pre-holiday fairs unfold everywhere. But, perhaps, the main attraction is the ice sculptures in Moscow, which shimmer with all the colors of the rainbow and remain in the memory of Muscovites and guests of the capital for a long time.
But few people know that the tradition of creating ice figures in Russia began back in the seventeenth century. The origins of such events were the Empress herself, who personally signed a decree on the creation of an Ice House in St. Petersburg. It was he who became the first ice structure in what was then Russia. Recently, the Moscow authorities remembered the once forgotten tradition and decided to build an icy splendor in the current capital.
There is no doubt that the ice sculptures in Moscow 2018 will amaze us with even greater splendor and scope. In the meantime, let’s remember how it was in 2017.
Ice extravaganza on Poklonnaya Hill
Last year's ice sculpture exhibition was somewhat different from previous years. Thanks to “Ice Moscow,” which was the name of the exposition, it was possible to visit Crimea, Volgograd, Kizhi, Vladivostok, St. Petersburg and other interesting places in Russia. “Swallow’s Nest”, the “Motherland” monument, the Moscow Kremlin, ancient temples were so large and charming that everyone wanted to take a photo next to them.
Ice figures of a samovar, a steam locomotive, a Russian stove, and a throne were no less popular among children. You could even climb on them and play inside. The most popular were, of course, slides straight from the ice walls of the Kremlin. The little ones also liked the figures of animals: a tiger, a dolphin, etc. In general, in Victory Park, the capital authorities tried and did everything for an interesting New Year's holiday for the whole family. Organizationally, everything was also great:
- food stations worked;
- the animators entertained the children as best they could;
- there was a first aid post in case of injuries;
- public toilets, etc.
- magnificent illumination of all figures was organized;
- large screens worked;
- music played;
- There was a huge Christmas tree, which created an already festive mood.
The price of children's tickets is 250 rubles, and for adults – 350 rubles. Tickets could be bought completely freely at special ticket offices. The exhibition was available for a whole month from 12/29/16 to 01/29/17.
Exhibition of ice sculptures at VDNKh
In this area of Moscow, a skating rink is traditionally filled in winter, which is considered the largest in the world. Everyone can ride right around the famous “Stone Flower” and “Friendship of Peoples” fountains. In addition, the exhibition annually hosts an exhibition of ice sculptures on various topics. In 2017, an ice bridge of extraordinary beauty “Northern Lights” was erected right in the middle of the lake. All this splendor begins to live a special life when special colored lighting turns on in the evening.
The most amazing thing is that there is so much light that it seems like you are on another planet. Everything glows, even the ice on the skating rink, where different patterns are drawn to the music.
The program of the Vyugovey festival is so rich that everyone will find something to their liking. At the disposal of vacationers:
- sled;
- snowboards;
- skis;
- skates.
Various New Year's activities are organized around the Christmas tree, fairs and folk festivals are organized, and folk groups perform. Here you can taste various culinary treats and drink hot tea.
Tickets for the festival depend on the length of stay. The price ranges from 300-600 rubles. – adults and about 250 rubles. - children's.
"Polar Star" in Sokolniki
This is the name of the ice sculpture museum in the famous park. In it, Muscovites and guests of Moscow could get acquainted with the traditional dwellings of the peoples of the North, dog sleds and other attributes of the life of the northerners. Here you can also see the figures:
- penguins;
- Tyulenev;
- whales;
- polar bear;
- walruses;
- killer whales
The landscape of the North Pole and much more made me look at many things in a new way. The cost of tickets to the exhibition was 250 rubles.
Russian ice sculptures at Krasnaya Presnya
The gallery occupies an area of 450 m2 and operates throughout the year by maintaining sub-zero temperatures. The room is equipped with professional lighting and music. The best sculptors of Russia, who more than once became winners of various domestic and international competitions, worked on the exhibition. The project is unique and there is nothing like it in the whole world. Ninety tons of ice made from spring water were used to create the exhibition. The collection of figures is dedicated to the characters of the best works of Russian literature, such as Krylov's fables and fairy tales by Ershov and Pushkin. The exhibition may be of interest to both children and adults. The ticket price is 350 rubles. Video recording can be done for free.
Ice Age in Luzhniki
Every year, with the onset of frost and until spring, a snow and ice festival takes place here. The territory is divided into two halves. One contains children's attractions in the form of: various caves, an ice aquarium, a labyrinth, traps and slides. In another part there are compositions dedicated to the cartoon “Ice Age”, as well as the “Camelot” gallery, which contains knights, castles, phoenixes, dragons, etc. In total, more than 70 figures made of ice and snow were presented at the festival in 2017.
In general, in winter this is a real mecca for children, although, as observations show, even quite adult boys and girls are not averse to sitting on a dinosaur or sliding down a slide. Lovers often take photos here. The ticket price for the festival is: 200 rubles. for children and 300 rub. for adults.
Ice attraction operating hours
Moscow often hosts various events where you can see ice sculptures. Whatever they are called: and ice sculpture exhibitions, and ice sculpture festivals, ice sculpture competitions, in different ways. Such exhibitions and competitions always attract many visitors. Both adults and, most likely, children are interested in seeing, examining, looking at various scenes embodied in ice. The flights of fancy of the creators of ice sculptures are wide, and their artistic abilities are at a high level, so sometimes real masterpieces are carved out of ice, which they then regret to part with in the spring. At least put it in the refrigerator!)
Ice sculpture festivals are held annually in many Moscow parks. On some of them you can not only see ice sculptures, but also see how they are created, and perhaps even learn how to make them. Master classes are held for those interested.
But there are places where you can see ice sculptures not only in winter, but all year round. In the park on Krasnaya Presnya there is ice sculpture exhibition, which is open to visitors both in the cold and warm seasons. A constant temperature of -10°C is maintained here, thanks to which the ice does not melt and all sculptures are preserved in the form in which they were created.
The ice sculpture gallery is located at the Vystavochnaya metro station. Address- st. Mantulinskaya, 5. I have never been to Vystavochnaya before, and I must say, it is quite an interesting station. Coming out of the metro, we find ourselves on the embankment of the Moscow River with a view of one of Stalin's skyscrapers and the building of the Government of the Russian Federation. The weather was cloudy, the photo also turned out sad. On the right is a bridge across the river, not an ordinary one, but some kind of shopping bridge. The skyscrapers of Moscow City are right there. I didn’t take a photo because... It started to rain, so I didn’t take out my DSLR. But I want to come here in the summer and take a walk along the embankment. It’s a pity that they don’t depart from here, although there seems to be a pier. Maybe someone local, write in the comments, do water buses go from here?
From the metro to the ice sculpture exhibition, walk a maximum of 10 minutes, along the embankment, past the Expo Center and the tennis court (see map above). We go into the park, there are signs where to go, but... in the park we see only one building, suitable in size, it is already clear where the gallery is located.
On Krasnaya Presnya, the ice sculpture museum is open daily from 11:00 to 20:00. Ticket price for adults – 350 rubles, for schoolchildren, students, pensioners – 250 rubles, for children – 50 rubles, for disabled people and WWII participants, admission is free, photography is also free, which is good, because This is not as common as we would like. But on the other hand, there is a suspicion that its cost is simply included in the ticket price)).
On Saturdays at 12:00, the gallery also hosts a free master class on carving ice sculptures. I managed to film it; the sound, although not very good, was still filmed with a camera and not a video camera. And the video weighs 2 gigs, so if anyone has a slow Internet, sorry, it will take a long time to load.
A few photos from the master class.
How to do that, you say?
Haa, now I’ll make you a flower!
Finally, we go into the room itself with ice sculptures.
The ice sculptures in the gallery are based on Russian fairy tales. To my shame, I realized that I did not recognize some of the plots and did not remember the names of the fairy tales. It’s good that a family with children came with us, and the grandmother told her grandchildren, and for one, me, who was who and where.
A squirrel gnawing on precious nuts and servants guarding it from the fairy tale about Tsar Saltan. The pink color in the photo is a special highlight. Since all the ice sculptures in the Gallery are transparent, backlighting adds glamor.
The Little Humpbacked Horse, the Firebird and Ivan Tsarevich.
The crow and the fox from Krylov's fable. A fox, in my opinion, is more like a marten. Only in the photo did I notice that it was broken in two places and glued together.
Nightingale the Robber.
Baba Yaga on the stupa. Her head is a little too big.
Emelya and pike.
Serpent Gorynych and... I don’t remember who fought him, but Gorynych had already knocked out his teeth, judging by the photograph.
A plot from the fairy tale "Ivan Tsarevich and the Gray Wolf."
A hut with snacks for a rainy day.
This is probably the swan princess.
A mosquito, truly a piece of jewelry.
About 10 minutes later, my friend couldn’t stand the cold, despite the fact that we were wearing autumn clothes, and ran away from the gallery. I looked at and photographed the sculptures alone. I accidentally found a grandmother with a broken trough. She was so small that hardly anyone paid attention to her. 
The Golden Cockerel. I didn’t see him right away either.
From May 2008 to October 2011, in Moscow, on the territory of the Krasnaya Presnya park, there lived an ice fairy tale - the Gallery of Russian Ice Sculpture. This project was carried out by the Apeiron company. In fact, it was a real ice palace with an area of 450 square meters. meters, created in the best examples of national Russian culture, where ice exhibits accompanied by light and music were presented all year round at sub-zero temperatures. To this day, there are no analogues of this project in our country and abroad.
Since 2009, the Gallery of Russian Ice Sculpture has been included in the state register of museums in Russia.
Twelve of the best sculptors of Russia - winners of international and national ice sculpture competitions - took part in the creation of the Ice Museum. More than 90 tons of crystal clear ice, specially grown from spring water, were used to create the ice museum. Famous theater decorators and designers of the capital took part in the design of the halls of the Ice Gallery.
When and where it will be possible to see ice sculptures in Moscow in 2019, as well as get acquainted with the news of the project and details of its organization, the information that the founders of this event shared with us will help you find out.
Mesmerizing harmony of ice and light
Perhaps the largest and most popular exhibition of ice sculptures in the Russian capital is the annual Ice Moscow festival, which traditionally opens its doors in late December. Throughout the entire New Year holidays, the park will delight its visitors with grandiosely beautiful figures and architectural structures. According to the organizers of the project, the height of some of the sculptures that will be presented at the 2019 exposition will reach 13 meters, which will be a record high in the entire history of this festival.
The theme of “Ice Moscow” deserves special attention. The last edition of the exhibition was dedicated to the World Cup, which took place in Russia in 2019. Ice masterpieces were presented by craftsmen from 11 cities of our country hosting matches of the World Cup, and the sculptures they created symbolized the countries participating in the championship. According to expert estimates, more than 2,000 tons of natural ice were required to organize the 2018 exposition.
The festival guests especially liked:
- ten-meter Egyptian pyramids;
- a copy of the Moscow Kremlin;
- Uruguayan monument “Fingers”;
- legendary Orthodox churches in Moscow;
- Saudi Arabian caravans;
- the symbol of Paris is the Eiffel Tower;
- Japanese samurai and White Heron Castle.
According to preliminary information, the operating hours of the future exhibition will be the same as in 2018. For everyone who wants to enjoy the creations of the best masters of ice art, the doors of the festival will be open daily from 10:00 to 22:00 (7 days a week). The price of invitations for adults will be 350 rubles, for children - 250 rubles. Children under 5 years old (accompanied by parents) will be able to take advantage of a special discount offer. Entry for this category of visitors will be provided absolutely free.
Ice masterpieces at VDNH and Sokolniki
Until 2012, one of the most visited winter exhibitions in Moscow was the ice sculpture museum in Sokolniki Park. Unlike previous years, this exhibition is currently open only in the winter season. During the days of its constant work, visitors had the opportunity to see the ice room, completely suitable for life. Thanks to heavy-duty freezers operating around the clock, this splendor could be admired at any time of the year.
A worthy alternative to the festival in Sokolniki is an exhibition of ice sculptures located at VDNKh. The interesting thing is that spectators come here even at the stage of preparation for its opening. And this is not at all surprising, because before their eyes appears the most incredible picture of the transformation of giant ice blocks into masterpieces of art. As part of the 2019 festival, residents and guests of the city will be presented with sparkling UFOs, characters from their favorite fairy tales, popular cartoon characters, as well as other fantastic objects that will stun the imagination of visitors.
Ice sculpture gallery at Krasnaya Presnya
In this recreation park, citizens and tourists will find many sites on which magnificent architectural compositions will be built from snow and ice, in which one can easily recognize the legendary monuments of Russian architecture, including the ice analogue of the House of Queen Anna Ioannovna. In addition to historical buildings, figures of colorful fairy-tale characters familiar to every resident of our country from childhood will be presented here. It is worth mentioning that 12 of the best sculptors in Russia, as well as a team consisting of world-famous designers and decorators, will take an active part in creating the exhibition. Original photos and video materials of the gallery at Krasnaya Presnya can be easily found on its official portal.
Snow and ice fairy tale at Luzhniki
The ice sculpture festival, which takes place annually in the Winter Fun Park at Luzhniki, is a wonderful opportunity to take a break from the “gray” workdays. Last year's exhibition themes were “Camelot” and “Ice Age”. The first part of the exhibition was entirely devoted to the fairy-tale characters of the fairy tale of the same name. In different places of the park, spectators could enjoy figures of knights and dragons of incredible beauty and size, as well as fantastic castles sparkling in the beams of laser spotlights. As for the second part of the exposition, it was represented by a grandiose complex of attractions, ice caves, game slides and labyrinths.
In 2019, the creators of the project promise to surprise Muscovites and city guests with equally beautiful ice compositions that will surely impress both adults and the youngest visitors to the exhibition.
Exhibition opening hours in Moscow:
Don't miss the opportunity to visit exhibitions with your family or friends. Stunning ice sculptures will definitely give your loved ones a festive mood and leave a lot of indelible impressions in their memory.
Ice sculptures in Moscow in 2018-2019 can be viewed at several venues at once, which is good news. We can only hope that the weather will not let us down like last year. And then all exhibitions will open on time.
In addition to the annual exhibition on Poklonnaya Hill “In the Family Circle”, several more ice towns will open this year - in Sokolniki, at VDNH, at Krasnaya Presnya and in Izmailovsky Park. Let's look at them in more detail.
This season, the “In the Family Circle” festival will be held from December 29 to January 13 and will delight visitors not only with beautiful ice sculptures in Moscow, but also with a cascade of ice slides and a show program for children and adults.
As before, the central exhibition will be the 50-meter Kremlin with many slides. And around it there will be ice sculptures that reveal the mysteries of the Great Civilizations. According to the organizers, cartoons about Great Civilizations will be shown on the main stage, and delicious mulled wine will be available for purchase in the tents. And ice cutting masters will conduct their master classes for everyone.
Cost of visit:
- adult ticket - 350 rubles
- child ticket (up to 14 years old) - 250 rubles
- under 5 years old entry is free
Ice Museum in Sokolniki
Also at the end of December, the Ice Museum in Sokolniki will open its doors. In this pavilion you can wander through the ice labyrinth, admire beautiful sculptures and visit the ice hotel.
The temperature here is always maintained at -10 degrees, so the exhibition will run until April 2019.
Working hours: daily from 10:00 to 21:30
Cost of visit:
- adult ticket - 250 rubles
Forest of Miracles in Izmailovsky Park
An exhibition of ice sculptures will also be held in Izmailovsky Park in Moscow. Glowing snowmen, fabulous trees, and most importantly, snow fortresses and an ice labyrinth with many sculptures await you. In the evenings, the lights turn on, creating a charming holiday atmosphere. The Ice Town has several slides for children of different ages.
Working hours: from 12:00 to 20:00 on weekdays, from 11:00 to 21:00 on weekends
Cost of visit: adult ticket - 150 rubles
Ice sculptures at VDNH
In winter, a huge skating rink is set up at VDNKh as part of the Vyugovey festival. But besides this, beautiful ice sculptures are also erected here, which anyone can admire. Having paid, of course, for the entrance ticket.
Last year, visitors to the exhibition could admire an ice UFO and various fairy tale and cartoon characters. What awaits us this year? Let's see.
Working hours: daily from 11:00 to 23:00
Cost of visit:
- adult ticket - 300 rubles
- child ticket (up to 14 years old) - 200 rubles
It is worth noting that all ice sculpture exhibitions in Moscow are paid. You can, of course, look at them furtively from the side, but this will not allow you to carefully examine all the exhibitions.
Snow sculptures are also expected to appear on the territory of Luzhniki, which you can view completely free of charge.