Belarus Tour Guide: Ideas for Your Trip!

Christmas and New Year 2020 in Belarus

New Year and Christmas are an amazing time no matter where you celebrate them, be it on a warm sea shore sipping a cool cocktail or in a snowy city of million twinkling lights and aroma of spicy drinks.

In Belarus, the weather can be unpredictable during these winter holidays: temperatures can be either Nordic cold or surprisingly mild. In any case, good mood and entertainment are guaranteed. The first days of December signal the time of Christmas fairs and sales, colorful street processions of fairy-tale characters and theatrical performances, unique rites, balls in ancient estates, castles and palaces and, of course, holiday tours and excursions around the country…

The celebration will culminate on New Year's night 2020. On 31 December the festivities will unfold in all districts of Minsk (24 venues) and will last until 3.00-4.00 in the morning. The main venue is Oktyabrskaya Square hosting the country’s highest Christmas tree. The action here will start here at 23.30 and last until 4.00. Minsk residents and guests will be entertained by Belarusian artists, musical groups and DJs.

Winter holidays in Belarus: where to go, what to see and where to celebrate the New Year 2020 in our festive selection of events at belarus.by.

New Year's processions and street performances

Fathers Frost Parade in Mogilev 

Residents of Mogilev are looking forward to the “invasion” of Fathers Frost in the run-up to the winter holidays: about a hundred New Year's “sorcerers” will flood the city's streets. The festive program will start on 15 December in Lenin Square: here they will welcome the chief Father Frost, who will arrive by helicopter, and light the lights of the central Christmas tree. a theatrical procession of New Year's magicians will be held five evenings from Christmas Eve. It is expected that they will parade to orchestra music, and invite guests to an unusual flash mob counting down the time until the New Year on the square near the Atrium shopping mall.

When: 25-30 December, from 17.000 till 18h00
Where: Mogilev central streets

Parade of Fathers Frost and Snow Maidens in Minsk

At least a thousand of New Year's characters will go down Minsk’s main thoroughfare from Independence Square to Oktyabrskaya Square on 28 December. The parade will feature Fathers Frost and Snow Maidens from many well-known brands of Minsk. For example, the Kommunarka confectionery factory and the Minsk Tractor Plant announced some unusual programs. The traditional procession will wrap up with the premiere of the musical fairytale New Year Star Shower. It will then have a run on the stage in Oktyabrskaya Square from December 29 to January 5 (at 19.00 and 21.00).
When: 28 December 17.00
Where: Independence Square – Oktyabrskaya Square
More

Father Frost’s Magic Box performance

An interactive open-air performance Father Frost’s Magic Box will be running in the Upper Town historical quarter in Minsk for several nights during the New Year holidays. The audience will be invited to join professional actors during the show that will be packed with technological wonders. The performance will immerse the audience into the world of magic.

When: 28 December at 20:00; 29 December - 5 January at 17:00 and 20:00.
Where: Svobody Square, Upper Town, Minsk 

Journey to the Belarusian Father Frost

Residence of the Father Frost in the Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park

This year the Belarusian Father Frost has again topped the ranking of the most popular Fathers Frost in the CIS and Georgia. The residence of the Belarusian Father Frost in Belovezhskaya Pushcha has been one of the most visited places in the country for a long time. Every year it welcomes about 150,000 visitors. The residence is 15 hectares big. Here you can also see the Snow Maiden Tower, the Magic Mill, make a wish on the Meadow of Twelve Months and walk along the Alley of Chinese Astrological Signs.

When: The residence is open every day; the New Year program officially kicked off on 7 December.
Where: Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park, Brest Oblast

New Year Train Journey from Minsk to Father Frost’s Residence

The train will arrive in Brest. After that, tourists will take a bus from the railway station to Belovezhskaya Pushcha where they will be offered an exciting excursion program and a New Year gift from the Father Frost. The program of the tour also features the Nature Museum, open-air cages with wild animals and a treat consisting of pancakes and a cup of tea made from local herbs.

Itinerary: Minsk-Brest-Minsk
When: 13, 20, 24 and 27 December, 2, 4, 6 and 11 January. Travel time: 21:57 – 07:50 (Minsk-Brest train); 17:28 – 22:18 (Brest-Minsk train).

Father Frost’s Estate in the Pripyatsky National Park

The main New Year character of Gomel Oblast and the keeper of ‘the Belarusian Amazonia’ invites you to take a fascinating journey to Polesye, a place where time has stopped. Visitors will be able to see inhabitants of this wildlife sanctuary, make a wish following an ancient Slavonic ritual, visit the estate of the local Father Frost, open his magic box and see the abode of his granddaughter Snow Maiden.

When: from 30 November
Where: Pripyatsky National Park, Gomel Oblast

Ice residence of Grandfather Frost in Podnikolye Park

The ice residence of Grandfather Frost will once again reopen for visitors of Podnikolye Park in Mogilev. Craftsmen from a Minsk ice art studio worked hard to create the residence. As much as ten tonnes of natural (not artificial!) ice was brought from the Ural Mountains for the project. The ice was carved to shape and assembled into a single whole. The idea to create a home for the Mogilev ice wizard was prompted by neighbors: the Russian Grandfather Frost has a similar home in the town of Veliky Ustyug.

When: starting from December
Where: Podnikolye Park, Mogilev

New Year concerts and shows

Christmas night with Yevgenia Letun’s jazz trio

Christmas compositions in jazz improvisation will be presented to the public by the project BlackWhiteJazz and Yevgenia Letun’s jazz trio. The music band’s founder is one of the country’s best singers in this musical genre. She previously held a scholarship of the Belarus president’s special fund for support of the talented youth. On the stage of Minsk’s Upper City she will perform together with the talented musicians Lyudmila Krukovskaya (bass guitar and double bass) and Maksim Loskutov (trombone).

When: 21:00, 26 December
Where: Uppwr Town concert hall, Minsk

Vienna New Year together with the Minsk Classic Orchestra

Two days before the New Year the Minsk Classic Orchestra conducted by Maksim Rassokhа will invite Minsk residents and guests to go on a musical trip to Vienna. Arranging New Year concerts in the Golden Hall of the Vienna Musical Society has been a tradition in the Austrian capital since 1939. The show in Minsk will feature merry polkas and theater jokes, lyrical waltzes and inspiring marches.

When: 29 December (18:00 and 21:00)
Where: Upper Town concert hall, Minsk

New Year circus shows and ice shows

“Once upon a time…” in the Belarusian State Circus

The “Once upon a time” show is a production prepared by artists of the Belarusian State Circus ahead of winter school vacations. Spectators will be able to experience New Year wonders and favorite characters. The new show will feature flying acrobats, merry clowns, trained dogs, proud camels, amusing monkeys, and tropical parrots…

When: 14 December 2019 – 18 January 2020
Where: Belarusian State Circus, Minsk

The Saint-Petersburg State Ballet on Ice

Gems of the world culture – the ballets Swan Lake, Nutcracker, and Sleeping Beauty – will be presented by the Saint-Petersburg State Ballet on Ice. Founded in 1967 by the outstanding choreographer Konstantin Boyarsky, the ballet continues traditions of the Russian school. For the last 15 years already classic art on ice accompanied by music by Piotr Tchaikovsky has been winning hearts of millions of connoisseurs of art all over the world…

Where, When:

Swan Lake
25 January – the Brest Ice Palace, Brest
26 January – Grodno Regional Philharmonic, Grodno
27 January – Lida Ice Palace, Lida
29 January – Palace of Culture of Railway Employees, Gomel
1 February – Ice Palace, Novopolotsk
2 February – Vitebsk Concert Hall, Vitebsk

The Nutcracker
26 January – Grodno Regional Philharmonic, Grodno
2 February – Vitebsk Concert Hall, Vitebsk

Sleeping Beauty
31 January – Palace of Sports, Minsk

Mysteries of Atlantis water circus show in Chizhovka Arena

Chizhovka Arena will host a circus show that will uncover the mysteries of the mythical island of Atlantis. The breathtaking performance will feature gymnasts, tightrope artists, trained bears and tigers, and many others. The circus show will be accompanied by giant light and music fountains (120 tonnes of water), the highest of which will be 24 meter high.

When: 29 December (16:00, 19:00), 30 December (13:00, 16:00, 19:00)
Where: Chizhovka Arena, Minsk

New Year Exhibitions

Exhibition of Christmas decorations “20.20. Happy New Year!”

Father Frost and Snow Maiden, plush inhabitants of the fairytale winter forest and traditional decorations for a Christmas tree are on display at the exhibition “20.20. Happy New Year!”. It showcases dozens of Christmas decorations of the 1960s-1980s from the private collection of Oleg Karpitsky and Yelena Karpitskaya from Vitebsk. Organizers of the event invite adults and children to admire decorations from the Soviet times.

When: 5 December 2019 – 13 January 2020
Where: Museum of History of Private Collections, Vitebsk

Exhibition of Christmas decorations and New Year cards in Gomel

Christmas decorations and New Year cards from the Soviet times are on view at the exhibition in the Vashchenko Art Gallery in Gomel. A lot of exhibits are hand-made: toppers, glass bulbs, miniature houses, cones, icicles, lanterns, beads, Matryoshka dolls, cotton Fathers Frost and Snow Maidens. The exhibition showcases items from the private collection of Galina Zhuk from Bobruisk, who has compiled it for about ten years.

When: 5 December 2019 – 31 January 2020
Where: Vashchenko Art Gallery, Gomel

Museum of Christmas Decorations in Minsk

The Museum of Christmas Decorations invites to a unique exhibition of Christmas decorations from all over the world that demonstrates the history of their production from the mid 19th century and winter holiday traditions that exist in various countries, including South Korea, Iran, Congo, Peru, Rwanda, Antigua and Barbuda, and New Zealand. Every visitor can also make their own decoration with the help of an artisan.

When: 6 December 2019 – 20 January 2020
Where: National History Museum of Belarus, Minsk
More

Christmas Markets

More than 900 markets and 16,500 other events will be held in Belarus during winter holidays. These Christmas markets have stalls with unique Christmas decorations and handmade souvenirs, offer mulled wine and traditional Belarusian dishes and sweets as well as fried snails, Hungarian spit cakes, burgers, hot dogs, barbecue, meat in a tandoor and many more dishes.

Modern market of designer gifts Sarafan

When: 1-31 December (10:00 – 22:00)
Where: Galileo shopping mall, Minsk

Christmas market by Palace of Sports

When: 14 December 2019 – 7 January 2020 (12:00 – 23:00), 8-15 January (till 20:00)
Where: near Palace of Sports, Minsk

Christmas market in Oktyabrskaya Square

When: 14 December 2019 – 7 January 2020 (12:00 – 23:00), 8-15 January (till 20:00)
Where: Oktyabrskaya Square, Minsk

Metelitsa Christmas market

When: from 22 December (12:00 – 22:00, on New Year's Eve till 6:00)
Where: near Komarovsky Market, Minsk

New Year’s Eve Balls

Children's Fairy Ball in Mir Castle

During winter holidays, Mir Castle, the UNESCO World Heritage Site, invites young ladies and gentlemen aged 6 to 12 to become part of the world-famous fairy tale The Nutcracker. The participants will have to do a lot to unspell the Prince, defeat the Mouse King, and get a gift from the brave Nutcracker. The program will also include lessons of court etiquette, dances, games and, of course, wish making.

When: 3,4 and 5 January 2020
Where: Mir Castle, Korelichi District, Grodno Oblast

Christmas Masquerade Ball in Mir Castle

Mir Castle also invites to the Christmas masquerade ball this year. Elegant gentlemen in tail coats and formal suits, elegant ladies dressed in the fashion of the 18th century, mysterious masks and exquisite silhouettes that glide smoothly on the parquet look like a real Christmas miracle. The organizers of the event promise a romantic atmosphere of the aristocratic ball in the residence of the famous dynasties.

When: at 19.00, 11 January 2020
Where: Mir Castle, Korelichi District, Grodno Oblast

Big New Year’s Eve Ball in Bolshoi Theater

The Big New Year’s Eve Ball in the country’s main theater will mark its 10th anniversary in 2020. Over the time the event has become a trademark of the Bolshoi theater. The ball traditionally takes place on the Old New Year’s Eve (based on the Julian calendar). This year’s edition will feature a variety of dance programs, chamber concerts, entertainment quizzes and fortune-telling.

When: at 20.30, 13 January 2020
Where: Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theater of Belarus, Minsk