Photo credit: Anna Shiller
Afisha Picnic is an open-air summer festival held in Moscow. Its gates open annually at Kolomenskoye, an idyllic park in southern Moscow. Since 2004 Picnic has grown from a friendly gathering started by Afisha magazine into a huge one-day event attracting 50,000 visitors — a one-stop place to check out the very best young Moscow has to offer. The live-music bill features bands with international cult followings, such as Madness and Editors, alongside new names like Music Go Music and Metronomy. Afisha Picnic also offers a great chance to explore the burgeoning Russian scene — from hipster bands like Tesla Boy, who have made a name for themselves hungrily adopting standards set by labels like Kitsune and DFA, to some of the country’s best kept secrets, such as jazz-rock gurus Auktsion.
Music is the core of the festival, but in fact there is much more to it. It’s the only day of the year you can witness fashionable Muscovites turning an ear to the sounds of Roots Manuva and a moment later spending freely at stalls set up by stores selling everything from vintage jewelry and rare fanzines to collectible Nike sneakers and custom-made designer items. Some of the city's favourite eateries set up stands at the food court.
Afisha Picnic is probably the only music festival in the world where there are no alcoholic beverages sold. So it’s not a regular outdoor festival scene with lawns covered in plastic beer cups. It’s an event that’s about virgin green grass and fresh air, acoustic psychedelia and mad Moscow disco, designer shops and parkour — which can all come together at the same time only in Moscow.
Book festival tickets now for only 700 roubles (roughly 18 euros) at concert.ru
For up-to-date travel information, we recommend visiting the comprehensive, independent guide waytorussia.net