Summer in Moscow is all about Music Festivals!

i had no idea how music-obsessed muscovites are.  almost more than nyc.  almost.  :)  nearly every weekend since the beginning of june there is some kind of music festival happening around the city.  i have been to more outdoor music festivals this summer already than i have in the past 5 years.  i mean, i've seen a lot of music outside in the past several years, but day-long multi-band festivals?  for me, no.  but here, apparently, i say yes.  and they have all been wonderful.  good food, fun fans, jovial atmosphere.  and russians, as my friend henry says "love a good clap."  they absolutely LOVE to clap along with the music.  it's quite reassuring to see so much joy in these people, when there seems to me so much hardship and frustration here during the week at work, or in general in this country what with all the political challenges and lack of personal freedoms.  but put them in front of Blur, or the famous russian pop group "Spleen" and they go nuts with joy.  it's pretty awesome.

here are a few pics from fests i've attended so far:

this is the ahmad tea festival, sponsored by ahmad tea.  hot chip headlined, a pretty fun dance band.  alt-j also performed, who i was more excited by, but i missed him, having had to work all day this day.  

this is cherise and brittany enjoying the show.

and this is beckie re-discovering the joy of bubbles.  bubbles are VERY popular here, amongst old and young alike.  bubble guns, bubble machines, and the old-fashioned bubble wands appear at every festival i've been to.

now we are at the Picnic Festival, sponsored by Beeline, a local phone network here.  This is the student tent...and clearly they are marketing to english-speaking students, or at least they think english/american/canadian universities are pretty cool, and a signpost with their names will draw us in.  it worked on me.  :)

the crowd with the historic Ascension church in the background, built to commemorate the birth of Ivan the Terrible.  it was built in 1532.  and here we are, 500 years later, enjoying it's protection and ever-watchful eye.

best fest food ever.  fresh, tender chicken shaslik, garden-picked basil and onions, and hot-from-the-oven bread.  russian festivals get food right.

and a great seating plan...turkish rugs thrown over hay bales.  genius.

see?  everyone likes it.

series of a woman dancing to the russian pop band.  living out her younger years perhaps...

my friend jason chilling on Beeline's porch swings they set up for patrons.  great place to view the bands!

Blur, rocking the night away.  balloons being released at the top of their set (that hurt a little...not so enviro mother russia!).  oh, and the screens on either side ran adverts after every song...that kinda hurt, too.  you were ALWAYS aware who sponsored this event.  

ascension church watching over us.

gorgeous sunset.  at 10:30pm.  :)

posing with a giant heart-shaped bunch of helium balloons.  there was SO much to do at this festival besides listen to music.  all of it sponsored by someone of course, but there were food stalls, a marketplace where you could buy everything from passport covers (i did!) to hand-crafted jewelry, to dresses, to leather goods, a nintendo tent where you could compete in the latest verison of Just Dance.  (i thought about it...i'm actually pretty good at that game, interestingly enough...ask my park city ladies).  a nike tent with digital photo booth, and so much more.  frisbees and badminton were handed out to anyone who wanted them, so it was like a GIANT picnic.  pretty fun.

Beeline streamers look best at dusk.

today i attended a funky marching band festival.  tho, most of the bands didn't march at all...they played onstage.  but they were incredible.  mostly swing-type music, or zydeco jazz.  very fun.

one group played amongst the crowd, which you can see reflected in the horn.  and this little girl sitting on her dad's shoulders loved it!

one group did march...but they were kind of an ambusher band as i understand it...not actually on the bill...but they drew the crowd!

and this is a very strange performance-art group.  they were doing what looked like dance moves, but in very slow motion.  very strange.  but good on them for getting out and doing it.  freedom of expression, in any form, is appreciated.  :)

so, yeah, fun times here in mother russia.  i have been very impressed with the organization and attendance at all the festivals.  and like i said, always joyful, which is such a lovely thing to see and feel here.  it feels almost like i'm living my normal life.  almost.