New coronavirus restrictions
As Moscow experiences another surge in cases, the city has implemented a series of restrictions. Outdoor theaters, playgrounds, food courts, children’s playrooms in malls, and zoos will remain closed through June 29. Restaurants and bars must close from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. Theaters, movie theaters, museums and other cultural venues will be open but limited to 1,000 people at a time. Fan zones, dance floors and other venues for mass events will be closed. In general, right now it’s better to purchase tickets for any event online ahead of time to make sure it’s open and that you and your family can attend.
Not painting
If you love the decorative arts and European artists who worked in the late 19th and early 20th century, be sure to see the show “Not Painting. Decorative and Applied Arts from the Pushkin Museum Collection” before it closes on June 20. Ceramics, porcelain, textiles and other splendid objets d’art created by Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Raul Duffy, Fernand Léger and many other artists are on display. The exhibition consists of more than 70 works of art — just enough beauty to take your breath away but not overwhelm you. It is being held in the Gallery of 19th and 20th Century European and American Art. Tickets for time periods should be purchased ahead of time online here.
Red Square Book Festival
Every year in June Red Square and GUM are taken over by more than 100,000 books of every shape and color, on every subject imaginable, fiction and non-fiction, and for every age and interest. The Book Festival this year runs from June 17-20, and is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. There will be more than 300 publishing houses from all over Russia selling books of fiction and non-fiction, graphic novels and comics, kiddie lit and museum albums — all in 22 pavilions. In addition to browsing and buying, the festival offers more than 500 events, from meetings with authors such as Guzel Yakina (Saturday at 3 p.m.) or with singer-poets such as Diana Arbenina of the group Nochniye Snaipery (Sunday 4 p.m.). If you get book-weary, there will be concerts of love songs, folk songs and other music. Kids will have dozens of activities to keep them entertained and happy while their parents scoop up summer reading or buy albums for holiday presents from Museum Row. Entrance is free but each hour only a certain number of people will be admitted, so it’s better to get your ticket ahead of time here, where you can also see the schedule and get a sense of which pavilions you want to be sure to visit.
Art market
If your tastes run to the visual, June 18-20 Winzavod is holding a market where artists, galleries and art studios will present paintings, graphic art, sculpture, and works in other formats for sale. Dozens of up-and-coming and well-known artists will be showing their works. If you get a bit overwhelmed or can’t decide which painting you want for the big wall in your bedroom, take a break at a talk, artistic performance, musical production or master class. The idea is the bridge the gap between those who create art and those who love it. The market will run on Friday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., on Saturday and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. Admission is free. For more information see the event’s Facebook page.
Movies for the whole family
Options for entertainment are limited, but at least you can go to the movies!
For kids, try the animated movie “Luca” about a young sea monster who comes ashore, transformed into a little boy, in a small Italian seaside town. “Soul” is a charming Disney animated film about a jazz musician whose soul wants to stay a bit longer on earth before heading into the light. Or if you want to see live human beings on the screen, there is “Cruella,” the back story about how that Dalmatian-killer got so cruel.
At Pioner adults can see the comedy “The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard” with an all-star cast of Ryan Reynolds, Salma Hayek, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, and Samuel L. Jackson — if only to figure out what the title means. In the “oldie but goodie” category, you can sit back and enjoy “The Dark Knight,” “Amelie” in French with Russian subtitles, or “Taxi Driver.” French speakers might want to see “Mandibules,” a comedy about a giant fly and a couple of losers with a get-rich-quick plan. And if you and your kids speak Russian or love beautifully filmed documentaries about Lake Baikal and their special seals (called nerpa), you will really enjoy the hour-long film “Baikal. The Extraordinary Adventures of the Nerpa Yuma.”
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