Press releases

20 Dec 2016

Christmas and New Year in Belarus

New Year lights near Minsk Arena

Christmas and New Year are a wonderful opportunity to travel around Belarus and get immersed in the magic of winter holidays at hospitable ecotourism centers and farmsteads, health centers, ski resorts, and the estate of the Belarusian Father Frost. The holidays are also a perfect time to visit the most popular tourist attractions, take part in folk rituals, and, of course, taste dishes of the national cuisine.

The 2017 New Year holidays in Belarus will offer an eventful program with festive street processions of fairy-tale characters, open-air theatrical performances and 3D shows, Christmas fairs and sales, presentations of old customs and rituals at ethnographic museums, concerts of classical music and balls at magnificent palaces and castles, and also exciting New Year excursions and guided tours.

The most spectacular events will start right before the main holiday of the year. Thousands of people around Belarus will gather to enjoy concerts and fireworks. Minsk will celebrate the first night of the New Year with the concert Happy New Year, Minsk! The show will run from 11 p.m. on 31 December to 4 a.m. on 1 January. The fireworks will light up the sky over the Palace of Sports in the Belarusian capital on 1.30 a.m. on 1 January.

Read advice on how to plan the holidays in Belarus, what places to visit, what to see and, most importantly, where to celebrate New Year's Eve in our preview of Christmas and New Year celebrations.

New Year 2017: 10 options that are possible in Belarus only

Street processions and performances Street shows and theatrical processions will gather hundreds of Snow Maidens and Fathers Frost, fairy-tale and cartoon characters in the main streets of Belarusian cities and towns. Residents and visitors of Minsk will be invited to sing together with the Father Frost at the Minsk Town Hall.
	Procession and competition of New Year cars in Polotsk 23 December Palace of Culture, Polotsk
Festive procession of Fathers Frost and Snow Maidens in Minsk 24 December Independence Avenue (Prospect Nezavisimosti), Svobody Square, Minsk
	New Year show The Magical Country Where Wishes Come True 24 December – 5 January Upper Town, Minsk
Visiting Father Frost 24 December – 5 January Liberty Square, Minsk
Christmas exhibitions, performances and children's shows On the New Year's Eve 2017 you can travel through space and time, celebrate winter in line with the Belarusian traditions, attend the 19th century balls, see exclusive Christmas decorations that are dozens or even hundreds of years old.
	Exhibition “Time of Miracles. Winter Holidays and Fun” 11 November 2016 – 28 February 2017 Belarus National History Museum, Minsk More
Museum of Christmas Tree Decorations in Minsk December 10 – January 31, 2017 Belarus National History Museum, Minsk More
	Mystery of Magic Box in Belarusian circus 17 December 2016 – 15 January 2017 Belarusian State Circus, Minsk More
Christmas children’s parties in the Palace of the Republic 20 December 2016 – 6 January 2017 Palace of the Republic, Minsk More
Concerts and Shows The Christmas program 2017 features the best opera arias from the stars of the Bolshoi Theater of Belarus, an incendiary jazz show by the legendary saxophonist Detroit Gary Wiggins, masterpieces of world classics performed by the Minsk Klassik Chamber Ensemble and the State Academic Symphony Orchestra of the Republic of Belarus, and also the soundtracks to Hollywood films of the 20th century.
	Big Christmas concert in Minsk 24 December, 20.00 Upper Town concert hall, Minsk
New Year's Eve at the Bolshoi Theater of Belarus 29, 30 and 31 January, 19.00 Bolshoi Theater of Belarus, Minsk
	Hollywood-styled New Year in musical theater 31 December, 18.00 Belarusian Academic Musical Theater, Minsk
New Year at Belarusian Philharmonic 31 December, 18.00 Belarusian State Philharmonic Society, Minsk
	Jazz New Year at Palace of Republic 31 December, 23.00 Evgeny Vladimirov Jazz Club, Minsk
Christmas and New Year Balls At the very beginning of 2017 Belarus’ main architectural landmarks invite to enjoy the atmosphere of aristocratic balls of the 19th century. The program will include master classes, traditional ball games and, of course, popular dances of the Romantic period: polonaise, waltz, quadrille and mazurka…
	Potemkin New Year Trees in Krichev Palace December 2016 Potemkin Palace, Krichev, Mogilev Oblast
Children’s Christmas Balls in Mir Castle 2 – 7 January Mir Castle, Grodno Oblast
	Mir Ball 7 January Portrait Hall, Mir Castle, Grodno Oblast
New Year Celebrations at the Radziwills’ 2–8 January, 3 January – Nesvizh Castle Secrets quest Nesvizh Castle, Minsk Oblast
	New Year’s Ball in Bolshoi Theater at 21.00, 13 January Bolshoi Theater of Belarus, Minsk
Visiting Father Frost Everyone wrote letters to Father Frost when a child. The Belarusian Father Frost gets more than 10,000 letters a year. This year his residence in Belovezhskaya Pushcha was visited by 77,000 guests from different countries. During the New Year and Christmas celebrations in Belarus, one can also meet other fairytale characters, such as Grandfather Zimnik, Lady Zavirukha, Bolotnik…
	Trip to Father Frost’s Residence 10 December 2016 – January 2017 Father Frost’s Residence, Belovezhskaya Pushcha The New Year’s train from Minsk to Father Frost’s Residence in Belovezhskaya Pushcha was launched on 16 December 2016.
Estate of Grandfather Zimnik and Lady Blizzard in Naliboki Pushcha from 10 December village of Zaleiki, Grodno Oblast
	Excursion program Christmas Adventures in the Village of Sula 14 December – 10 January Park and museum of interactive history Sula, the village of Sula, Stolbtsy District, Minsk Oblast
New Year tour Christmas at Zyuzya Estate from 16 December agrotourism complex Korobchitsy, Grodno Oblast
	Estate of Grandfather Frost of Berestye 18 December – 8 January Brest park of culture and recreation (3 Lenina Street), Brest
New Year bus tours in Minsk 23 December – 3 January Minsk railway station More
	Estate of Grandfather Frost at Stalin Line 24 December 2016 – 14 January 2017 History and culture complex Stalin Line, Minsk District
New Year quest at Grandfather Frost’s estate in Polotsk 26 December– 8 January Grandfather Frost’s estate, 1A Vologina Street, Polotsk, Vitebsk Oblast
Christmas fairs in Minsk Christmas fairs are the best option for those who like unique handmade souvenirs with original design.
	Christmas Fair in Minsk 15 December – 15 January October Square and territory near the Sports Palace, Minsk
Kolyady Star fair in Sport Palace 24 December Sport Palace, Minsk
	Fair in Minsk’s downtown as part of the New Year performance Magical Country Where Wishes Come True 24 December – 5 January Minsk’s downtown
Kava Kakava fair 24 – 25 December President Hotel, Minsk
	Large fashion market in Minsk 29 – 30 December The shopping center Metropol, Minsk
Belarusian winter rites Belarusian traditions and customs, which are closely connected with the folk calendar, are now treated as part of historical and cultural legacy. They are closely studied and restored in various parts of the country, including in ethnographic museums. We invite fans of the old Belarus to see for themselves the most interesting and important winter rites…
	Folk rite Kolyady 24 December Belarusian State Folk Architecture and Rural Lifestyle Museum, the village of Ozertso, Minsk Oblast
Folk game Tereshka’s Wedding 25 December – 7 January The village of Anoshki, Lepel District, Vitebsk Oblast
	Folk rite Kolyady (Christmas) Tsars in the village of Semezhevo, a unique event on UNESCO’s World Heritage List 13 – 14 January The village of Semezhevo, Kopyl District, Minsk Oblast More
Folk ritual Pull the Kolyada Up the Oak 21 January The village of Noviny, Berezino District, Minsk Oblast