The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson has welcomed the return of a special Maslenitsa spectacular in Trafalgar Square which will take place this Sunday.
Maslenitsa Festival is a traditional Russian festival to celebrate the end of the winter and the start of Lent. The London adaptation is the largest celebration of Russian culture, art, music and food anywhere outside Russia.
Events have been taking place across London this week, including a photo exhibition at City Hall, a fashion show at the V&A and a culinary evening at SamarQand Restaurant. The climax to the festivities is the festival on Sunday - the day of Maslenitsa itself - when Trafalgar Square will be transformed into a bustling bazaar offering traditional Russian foods, handicrafts and souvenirs and original art from contemporary Russian artists. Performances from some of Russia’s most acclaimed dance, theatre, folk, pop and jazz artists will entertain the audience from the Festival’s main stage.
In 2011 Maslenitsa Festival was held for the first time in Trafalgar Square and welcomed capacity crowds throughout the day. London boasts one of the largest Russian populations anywhere in the world outside of Russia and the city is the second most popular destination for flights from Moscow after St Petersburg.
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson said: "With over 160,000 Russians living here in London, I want to pay tribute to the vast contribution that the Russian community makes in creating jobs and growth and helping to lead our great city out of recession. Following on from last year's hugely successful festival, this year’s Maslenitsa will be a great forerunner to a summer like no other in London as we welcome the world to the Olympic and Paralympic Games, including our Sochi 2014 partners. This wonderful event is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the culture, commitment and capital that Russians bring to London - and make sure to taste those delicious blini pancakes!"
Entrance is free and events will run from 1.30pm – 6.30pm. The Deputy Mayor of London, Richard Barnes, will attend the festival and speak to the crowds from the main stage.
Maslenitsa in London is organised by Ensemble Productions with the support of the Mayor of London. More details of the event, along with a list of performances to take place on the main stage are available on the Maslenitsa Festival website: http://maslenitsa.co.uk/