Summer in the heart of Tatarstan: Kazan Kremlin opens the season
Today, the Kazan Kremlin is one of the most visited museums in the country and the most popular tourist and cultural attraction in Tatarstan. Last year, it was visited by 4.5 million guests. Over the summer season, more than 200 events were held on the territory of the Kremlin. The summer of 2025 is expected to be even more eventful: the museum-reserve has prepared an extensive program for city residents and guests of the capital. Living Legends and Tales theatre festival will be one of the key events of the summer season. Read more about it in the report of Realnoe Vremya.
Summer 2025 programme
The summer season programme was presented in the Kazan Kremlin on 24 April. Last year, more than 200 events were held during the four warm months. And in total, 4.5 million guests visited the museum-reserve over the year.
“These are guests, not people who come here to work. Yes, the figure is significant. The average daily attendance is 20,000 people, this is a real figure, we are not bragging. But on the territory of the Kremlin we can receive many more guests. Therefore, we are trying to maintain the pace, and somewhere to increase, we hope that 2025 will be even better,” noted Director of the Kazan Kremlin Museum-Reserve Ilnur Rakhimov.
The summer event program starts on 1 May and will last until September.
During the May holidays, the Kazan Kremlin will host performances by the folk group ZAKARIA, the street theatre Plasticine Rain and the State Song and Dance Ensemble of the Republic of Tatarstan.
On Victory Day, the territory of the museum-reserve will turn into a large festive area. The play Please Writeand the film Little Soldier will be shown here, and patriotic concerts will be held. Visitors will be able to take part in master classes in aircraft modelling and dances of the 1930s and 1940s, as well as in the Letters of Victory event. The day will end with mapping on the Spasskaya Tower.
Summer evenings will be decorated with live concerts and the jazz atmosphere of the All-Russian festival of improvised music Jazz in the Kremlin with Olga Skepner. The festival organizers have planned eight concerts.
In the summer, open-air film screenings, which have already become traditional, will be held on Fridays and Saturdays. You can watch films with your whole family in the courtyard of the Government Offices.
Clown Ku will delight you with his Extraordinary Performance with a good mood, bright costumes and funny stories. The Kremlin will also host Tatar dance master classes from the Saidash Dance Theatre, creative evenings with the Kazan magazine, handicraft classes for children from the Abyi & Sabyi workshop, lectures, and much more.
Theatre festival
Living Legends and Tales theatre festival will be one of the key events of the summer season. It will be held from 11 to 13 July. Spectators will see performances by theatre groups, each of which will present its own unique interpretation of fairy tales, legends, and myths. The festival will be held in Kazan for the first time. It is organized with the support of SIBUR as part of the tenth grant competition of the Formula of Good Deeds programme.
“When distributing grants, we evaluate the project based on its demand among residents and the city as a whole. The direction of street theatres in Tatarstan is relevant. Moreover, the festival is held during children's holidays, and the whole family can attend these performances,” said Stanislav Martynenko, head of SIBUR's Government Affairs Service in the Republic of Tatarstan.
The festival will open with a ceremonial procession of all the theatres along the territory of the Kazan Kremlin. After which the museum-reserve will turn into a site filled with traditions and art for three days, with ancient fairy tales, legends and myths coming to life in theatrical productions. Spectators will be able to enjoy thematic performances prepared by theatre groups that have come from the cities where SIBUR is present. A total of nine groups are expected to perform.
“Some of the best street theatres in Russia are coming,” emphasized the ideological inspirer of the project, actor and director Ruslan Rimanas.
According to him, the theme of the festival was chosen very well.
“Fairy tales, legends — it is always interesting and relevant. Especially when you can see the culture of different nations. And the festival will feature different cultures: Tatar, Russian, and foreign. I am sure the Kazan audience will like it. Such events were popular in the 90s. Then this activity began to fade. And now it is being revived. I hope the festival will become annual, and every year, changing the main themes, street theatres from all over the country will gather in the Kremlin,” the actor shared.
Festival viewers will also be able to see Rimanas's own performance called Granny’s Tales.
The performances will be held in the courtyard of the Government Offices and in the Cannon Yard. An audio performance called A Simple Story is also planned, which can be listened to while walking along Kremlyovskaya Street. Master classes in various areas of theatrical art will also be held for everyone. Pre-registration is required to participate.
Particular attention at the theatre festival will be paid to the accessibility of events for every viewer. Four performances will be adapted for people with disabilities. Three productions will be translated into Russian sign language, and another will be held with audio descriptions.
A detailed schedule of events for the summer season will traditionally be on the official website of the Kazan Kremlin and on social media.