Where to go in St. Petersburg in May 2026: weather, festivals, excursions

Fountain Opening Festival in Peterhof

The main event of spring, which officially opens the summer season, is the Fountain Opening Festival in Peterhof, which in 2026 will take place on May 16.

What awaits guests? A grand theatrical show at the Grand Cascade, which will begin at 13:00. Hundreds of jets of water will soar into the sky to classical music, and the culmination will be the launch of the legendary "Samson" accompanied by a ceremonial cannon salute. And by the way, the museum-reserve announced that the theme of the 2026 festival is "Peterhof. In Honor of the Peoples of Russia." It is dedicated to the idea of the unity of the peoples of Russia and how Peterhof was created.

How to get there: The fastest and most beautiful route is on the high-speed "Meteor" directly from the city center (35 minutes en route). You can also get there by bus from the Avtovo metro station or by commuter train from the Baltiysky railway station.

Tour for the Fountain Opening Festival

However, the most ideal option is a tour from Leningrad Tour. You won't have to stand in huge queues or plan the route yourself — we have already taken care of everything for you! Thanks to the tour, you will get to Peterhof itself in a centralized and comfortable way, and the guide will tell you all the secrets of the imperial residence along the way. Tickets are already included in the tour price.

Fountain Opening Festival

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DreamFest Festival in Yusupov Garden

If you are looking for romance, then on May 1-3 you should head to Yusupov Garden for the DreamFest festival.

DreamFest Festival Program

From 19:30 to 22:00 the garden will turn into a fairy-tale space. The program includes live performances of rock hits by a symphony orchestra, a fire show, and flyboarders performing above the water. The main part is the launch of wish lanterns, when guests release them onto the water at the same time, creating a beautiful and very romantic spectacle.

Ticket prices start at 1500 rubles and reach 5000 rubles; the price includes entry to the festival grounds and access to the entire main program. Additional zones and activities may be paid for separately.

Boat ride along the Neva and drawbridge opening

What could be more romantic than a walk through evening St. Petersburg? Perhaps only a boat ride to watch the drawbridges open. From the water, you will see the grand panoramas of the Hermitage, the Peter and Paul Fortress, and the Spit of Vasilyevsky Island, and the culmination of such a ride will be the raising of the spans of the Palace, Trinity, and Liteyny bridges.

Which boat ride should you choose?

For connoisseurs of atmospheric walks, the perfect choice is a boat tour, where the bridges will open to classical music; for thrill-seekers — a night disco on a boat "Duck-a-Dance" with club sets right in the middle of the Neva. Watching the illuminated palaces and St. Isaac's Cathedral reflected in the dark water, you will fall in love with the city all over again, enjoying the moment from the open or enclosed deck of the vessel.

What to choose? It's up to you — Leningrad Tour will support any choice you make and make watching the drawbridges unforgettable!

"TransportFest": a vehicle parade and a celebration for the whole family

From May 21 to 23, the international festival "TransportFest" will unfold in the city center. Admission to the festival is completely free.

Innovative transport will be displayed on Manezhnaya Square and Klenovaya Street; on May 23, the legendary retro vehicle parade will take place: more than 300 vintage buses and cars will drive along Nevsky Prospect. Concert program: Igor Kornelyuk, Vasily Gerello, and the ensemble "Belarusian Legends" will perform on the big stage.

Fireworks on May 9

Victory Day is one of the most important and touching holidays in Russia, and celebrating May 9 in Saint Petersburg is especially symbolic. In honor of the holiday, Leningrad Tour has prepared a special excursion that includes a bus sightseeing portion through memorials and places of military glory and watching the festive fireworks from a boat.

The most heartfelt moment will be the interactive "At the Halt": to the live sounds of the accordion, together with artists in soldier uniforms, we will sing "Katyusha", "Smuglyanka" and other songs that have become part of every family's history.

The cost of the excursion for an adult will be 6,500 rubles; discounts apply for children (preschoolers – 4,500 rubles, schoolchildren – 6,000 rubles).

May 9: Watch the fireworks from a boat

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Contemporary art exhibitions at Erarta

For those who enjoy intellectual leisure, the Erarta Museum is hosting a large-scale exhibition "Spring at Erarta".

Here, across 5 floors, a permanent exhibition of 3,000 works and more than ten temporary exhibitions are presented, including the intellectual fashion of Yanis Chamalidis and the paintings of Vera Mylnikova. Be sure to visit the interactive U-Space installations, which let you become part of the art, and the exhibition "Erarta Prize – 2026", where you can personally vote for your favorite work by a contemporary artist.

An entrance ticket is 1,500 rubles; this price includes access to more than 10 exhibitions at once. The museum is open daily except Tuesday until 23:00.