Midsummer Madness -
Festival of Ballet & Classical Music
When: May - July 2012 Where: St Petersburg, Russia
When white nights light up night skies, when cold winter blues scatter before warm midsummer hues, its time for St Petersburg to end its hibernation. As the sun that never sets ('cept for an hour or two) bathes the city in its luminous brilliance and winter eases its grip, Russia's cultural capital celebrates Beliye Nochi, the Festival of White Nights.
The White Nights Festival is a month long cultural orgy revolving around the theme 'All the Russias'. It features a smorgasbord of delights that highlight classics of ballet and opera - La Bayaderie, Prince Igor, Sleeping Beauty, Giselle, Boris Gudunov, Carmen, Romeo & Juliet, The Nutcracker, Swan Lake etc.
Midnight Sun: A magical sight is the raising of drawbridges as the midnight sun rides low in the sky. Crowds start to collect well before midnight along the banks of the River Neva, near the Hermitage to watch the four bridges open up to let in cargo ships, tankers and freighters.
