Irkutsk is preparing to celebrate Maslenitsa widely and loudly. Residents will enjoy traditional games, contests, workshops, and performances by creative groups. Central festivities will be on February 22 in the square, and at the Taltsy museum guests will enjoy clownish amusements, sledding, taking the snow fortress, and Maslenitsa treats. Festive events will also take place in all city districts, and libraries will host lectures, games, and exhibitions all week.

According to Lidiya Everstova, head of the House of Crafts of the city of Irkutsk, who is serving as the festival director, this year Irkutsk residents can look forward to a packed entertainment program with traditional Maslenitsa amusements: the “pancake eater” contest, stilts, tug-of-war, cockfights, “winter fishing,” and climbing a pole for prizes. For everyone who comes to the main celebration, master classes will be held on making Maslenitsa symbols: a straw doll, bast shoes, and the sun. The festive program will include performances by Irkutsk creative groups – “Krasnaya Gorka,” “Uzorochye,” the “Military-Historical Club,” the regional college of culture, and many others. During Maslenitsa week, lecture-and-game programs, celebrations, and exhibitions will take place in the city’s libraries.
“This is one of the noisiest and most spirited Slavic holidays, with long-standing traditions, a special atmosphere of folk celebration, and it arouses great interest among city residents. On February 22 at 12:00, market stalls and amusement attractions will begin operating in the square. At 13:00, the entertainment program will start on the main stage, and at 16:00 the farewell ceremony for Maslenitsa will begin.” – Olga Aksamentova noted.
Wide Maslenitsa will also be held at the Taltsy Architectural and Ethnographic Museum. Guests will be greeted by buffoonish entertainments, sledding down icy hills with kissing according to an old Russian custom, the taking of a snow fortress, horse riding, performances by folklore groups, and all kinds of attractions and contests. The celebration will not do without traditional Maslenitsa treats either. In addition, during the Maslenitsa festivities there will be ice billiards and an interactive fortune-teller’s hut. The main event is scheduled from 13:00 to 15:00. The exhibitions will open at 10:00 and run until 18:00; the interactive venues will begin work at 11:00 and close at 16:00.
Folk festivities will take place in each of the districts of the city of Irkutsk.
1) Pravoberezhny District. In addition to the central city Maslenitsa, the following folk festivities will take place: on February 20 at 16:00 the celebration will begin near the Voshod Children’s Creativity Center (53 Yamskaya St.), on February 21 at 13:00 – near School No. 73 (132 Radishcheva St.) and at 15:00 - in the Lesnoy microdistrict (2 Dobraya St.), on February 22 at 13:00 – in the Zeleny microdistrict, 42 and at 15:00 - at 19-23 Polenova St.
2) Oktyabrsky District. The main celebration will begin on February 22 at 14:00 in the square on Postyshev Boulevard; also on this day a mass folk celebration will take place in the Solnechny microdistrict near the Angara icebreaker at 16:00.
3) Sverdlovsky District. Folk festivities will take place in Paris Commune Park on February 22 at 12:00. On the same day at 13:00 mass celebrations will take place at Yakobi Bay (“Cossack Maslenitsa”) and in the Sinyushina Gora microdistrict (the square near the former Orion cinema, 2b Ryabikov Blvd.), at 14:00 - in the Universitetsky microdistrict, 41.
4) Leninsky District. Festive celebrations will take place on February 21 (Saturday) at 12:00 in the square near the Europark shopping center (215v R. Luxemburg St.), on February 22 at 12:30 in Komsomolsky Park (47 Aviastroiteley St.) and at 12:00 – in the courtyard of Children’s Creativity House No. 5 (12 Vorovskogo St.).
Based on materials from the press service of the Irkutsk city administration.