White nights in St. Petersburg when they start in 2017
Many travelers who are planning to visit St. Petersburg want to combine this trip with the time of the “white nights” in the city. What are white nights and when do they happen in St. Petersburg?
The concept of white nights refers to a natural phenomenon when natural light at night is not too low. Instead of pitch darkness, the city experiences constant twilight at night. This happens due to the fact that the sun goes below the horizon by no more than 7 degrees. In cities located at the sixtieth geographical parallel, one can observe such a natural phenomenon.
White nights in St. Petersburg begin on May 26 and last until July 16. But officially, this is even written about in all Russian media, this is the period from June 11 to July 2. The brightest white nights are observed on June 21-22. During the official white nights in the city, street night lighting is not turned on, it is so bright in it. At other times, a little earlier or later, there is also increased natural light on the streets, but not to the same extent as during the peak of white nights.
When will the white nights in St. Petersburg begin and end in 2017? Perhaps the most common question from tourists who are going to St. Petersburg is when the northern capital becomes the “city of white nights.”
Many sources say that white nights begin in St. Petersburg in 2017 strictly on June 11 and end on July 2. In fact, everything is completely different.
We will analyze the topic from a scientific and practical point of view in order to put a final point on this issue. Let's start with the definition of the term "white nights".
It's surprising that many people confuse them with the polar day. During a polar day, the sun does not set beyond the horizon at all, but essentially moves along the horizon. If you are interested in this particular phenomenon, then you should head closer to the pole, for example, to Vorkuta, Naryan-Mar, Norilsk, Salekhard or Usinsk. On a white night, the sun goes below the horizon, but not far, falling below the horizon at a slight angle. What is happening on the street is not day, but twilight, and the closer the sun is to the horizon, the brighter it is.
There is even a division of twilight into the so-called “civil” (lighter), when the stars are not visible, and “marine” (“navigational”) - when the main stars are already noticeable and you can navigate by them. In the first case, the sun plunges below the horizon at an angle of up to 6 degrees, in the second case - up to 12°. To understand: in Moscow, evening “civil” twilight lasts no more than an hour.
White Nights
It is believed that classic “white nights” are when “civil” evening twilight does not turn into “sea” twilight, but immediately becomes morning. All objects are visible around the clock; no additional lighting is needed on the streets. There’s just one caveat: such twilight “from dusk to dawn” is possible only in latitudes above 60°60′00″, and St. Petersburg is located at 59°57′00″. That is, in the “city of white nights,” if we approach it formally, there are no such nights: even at the brightest midnight of June 20-21, there is a period when the sun drops below the horizon by 7 degrees.
White nights in St. Petersburg when they begin in 2017
White nights are nights during which natural light remains sufficiently high, that is, the entire night consists only of twilight. The phenomenon is observed in temperate and high latitudes before and after the summer solstice. There is no exact astronomical definition of the concept of “white nights”. For example, this may mean the phenomenon where the entire night is an interval of continuous civil twilight from sunset to sunrise. During the interval of civil twilight, the maximum angle of location of the center of the solar disk below the horizon is 6°. Under such conditions, white nights can only be observed at latitudes above 60.6° (this is 6° below the latitude of the Arctic Circle). However, St. Petersburg, which has the symbolic name “City of White Nights,” is located at a latitude of 59.9°. There, civil twilight turns into navigational twilight for some time. The lightest night falls on June 20-21, its duration is 5 hours 12 minutes.
Of course, people who want to visit the city this year and have never encountered such a phenomenon are interested in the question: when are the white nights in St. Petersburg in 2018?
When the city is "awake"
By the end of May, the night in our northern city becomes very short, and St. Petersburg enters a period of “insomnia.” It's bright outside, day and night, you can't sleep. Citizens draw thick curtains on their windows, and tourists have the opportunity to extend their acquaintance with the city and stretch out the pleasure for as long as 24 hours.
Exact dates of the White Nights in St. Petersburg different sources indicate differently, changing them from year to year. Based on the geographical location of the city, white nights in St. Petersburg “start” on May 26, reaching their peak on the day of solar opposition – June 22. They end on July 17th.
Festive events in St. Petersburg
During the White Nights, the city traditionally hosts many interesting events. You can visit both city holidays and international competitions and festivals. The colorful extravaganza opens with the City Festival. The international music festival “Stars of the White Nights” lasts until the return of the usual “dark nights”.
City Holiday
The birthday of St. Petersburg is celebrated on May 27. In 2018, this significant date falls on Saturday. The celebration will take place at numerous venues in the city. In the evening, at 9 o’clock, the magnificent annual show “Classics on Palace Square” will begin. World-class opera soloists will perform on the square in an open-air format.
International Festival “Stars of the White Nights”
Held annually under the direction of Valery Gergiev, the classical music festival in 2018 will take place from May 26 to July 23. The best ballet and opera performances will be presented on the Mariinsky stage. Viewers will be introduced to the premiere shows. Symphony and chamber orchestras will perform.
Scarlet Sails
For several generations of St. Petersburg graduates, they have been admiring the unforgettable sight of a schooner with scarlet sails slowly gliding along the Neva. They usually try to coincide with the time of the holiday to coincide with the solstice (the day off closest to June 22), but changes are possible. The city administration usually announces the exact date of Scarlet Sails in the last days of May or in early June.
International Marathon “White Nights”
In 2018, the marathon traditionally held in St. Petersburg will be held on July 22. The start will be at 9 a.m. on Palace Square. The athletes will finish there. Professional athletes will run the usual 42 km 193 meters. Fans are offered a shortened route – 10 kilometers. The race route is laid along the central streets of the city. Registration of marathon participants began in January.
International festival “White Night Swing”
The St. Petersburg Jazz Festival usually takes place in the last days of June. The Jazz Philharmonic features the best jazz groups from all over the world. The last day of the festival takes place in open-air mode. Jazz lovers can enjoy the skill of the performers performing at the site near the Russian Museum for free. In 2018, the holiday is planned to be held on June 30.
How does transport work?
On white nights, guests of St. Petersburg can admire a spectacle characteristic of our city - raised bridges. The spectacle is beautiful, but it is better to enjoy it without leaving the island on which your hotel is located. St. Petersburg is built on islands; a raised bridge can cut you off from your habitat. The night metro train, which allows you to cross the Neva on the section between the Sportivnaya and Admiralteyskaya stations, carries passengers in a limited mode (Friday, Saturday, Sunday and holidays). Night buses duplicate the metro lines closed at night from 0 to 6 o'clock within the islands.
How to get to St. Petersburg
You can get to St. Petersburg by any means of transport - train, plane, bus. You need to take care of purchasing air or train tickets in advance, because there are usually many people who want to visit the city, immersed in the mystery of the white nights.
Where to stay in St. Petersburg
Mysterious white nights in St. Petersburg, attracting crowds of tourists, affect the level of cost of hotel rooms. You can stay cheap in numerous hostels and mini-hotels. Comfortable rooms with the necessary minimum amenities will fully satisfy the needs of those tourists who come to enjoy walks around our city. In order not to run around the city in search of accommodation, it is advisable to book hotel rooms in advance
- Summer in the northern city of St. Petersburg is fraught with surprises. When going for a night walk, take an umbrella and something “warming” with you.
- Wear comfortable shoes. The city is big, you want to see everything, you have to walk a lot.
- When planning your trip, take time to visit the palace complexes in the suburbs of St. Petersburg.
- The city has shops and cafes open at night. If you get hungry, there is somewhere and something to eat.
Our city loves guests. Come any time, you will always be welcome.
One of the amazing natural phenomena is the phenomenon of “white nights”, when night never comes and consists of twilight. . This phenomenon is observed in areas of high latitudes of the Earth: in Alaska, in Greenland, and also in one of the most beautiful cities in the world - St. Petersburg. Despite the fact that a scientific explanation has long been found for white nights, it still attracts people with its unusualness. The white nights season in St. Petersburg begins at the end of May and lasts until mid-July.
Events from 2016, but many of them are repeated annually!
During this period, white nights turn into one of the main “attractions” of the city, giving it a special charm. At this time, the streets are full of people walking, and probably only the residents of St. Petersburg are sleeping. Another particularly attractive attraction for tourists during the white nights are drawbridges. Although this spectacle is beautiful, sometimes it is associated with problems - you need to wait for bridges to close in order to get to the opposite bank of the river, and the traffic of ships on the Neva can even cause traffic jams. White nights in St. Petersburg are a favorite time for many, especially if you choose to ride along the Neva. . Many people want to admire the city from the water, and this is justified - the city takes on a special look and gives you new impressions. It is during the White Nights season that numerous festivals, open-air concerts and other events are organized, which I will now introduce you to!
Calendar of events held in St. Petersburg in June
Landscape Art Festival
The festival of landscape art “Imperial Gardens of Russia” will be held on the territory of the Mikhailovsky Garden in St. Petersburg (next to the Russian Museum). The main theme of the 2016 festival is Childhood, creating a space for relaxation for adults and children. As part of the “Imperial Gardens of Russia” festival, an exhibition-competition “Flowers of Life” will be held. Participants in the competition will receive prizes for the best flower arrangement and the best garden sculpture. On the territory of the Mikhailovsky Garden, in the very center of St. Petersburg, landscape compositions will be placed in several categories, covering the history, present and future of gardens in Russia, England, Holland, Germany, France and other countries. Every year leading Russian and foreign landscape designers take part in the exhibition-competition. At this time, during the days of the festival, various events will be held in the Mikhailovsky Garden of the Russian Museum - concerts, performances by music and dance groups, lectures and master classes. 
International Street Theater Festival
International festival of street theaters "Elagin Park". Theater groups from different countries will take part in the festival.
Venue: St. Petersburg, Central Park of Culture and Leisure named after. S. M. Kirov.
During its existence, the festival has become the most anticipated event of spring, both for artists and visitors, because for three days Elagin Island turns into one large stage where everyone can become an actor and a spectator at the same time. Permanent participants of the festival are groups from France, Spain, Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Holland, Australia, Estonia, Belarus and Russia. You can see performances by both already well-known and completely new masters of street theater. The festival program meets the tastes of the most discerning theatergoer: during the day, everyone who comes will be delighted with spectacular and colorful performances, and evening performances will provide an opportunity to think about the eternal questions that theaters will raise in their productions. 
The knightly festival “Medieval Tale” will be held on the territory of the Annensky fortifications in Vyborg (not far from the Vyborg Castle). During the festival you will be able to see medieval clothing, archery competitions, a knightly tournament, and medieval dances. Several tournaments and exhibition performances will be organized every day (from 14 to 17 hours). There will be an evening music program at 20:00. Vyborg has such a strong aura of historicism and romanticism that it annually attracts hundreds of people who are interested in historical reconstruction, knightly and medieval culture, folk music, etc. to its numerous festivals. And every year there are more and more of these festivals. Festival organizers are engaged in the reconstruction of history. That is, by restoring different directions of life in the Middle Ages, based on reliable sources.
- paid entrance
- Book your hotel in advance.
The holiday of school graduates “Scarlet Sails” is held in St. Petersburg annually in June. In 2016, the Scarlet Sails holiday will be held on the night of June 25-26. More than 20 thousand school graduates and a large number of city residents and tourists will take part in the festive events on Palace Square. The main event - a theatrical program and a concert on the palace square will begin at 22.00 and can last until 5 a.m. Entrance to Palace Square is by invitation only. Light and pyrotechnic multimedia show at the Spit of Vasilyevsky Island.
A little about the history of the holiday: “Scarlet Sails” is a holiday for graduates of Leningrad schools, the appearance of which in the late 60s was inspired by the incredible popularity of the film of the same name based on the story by Alexander Green.
The first celebration took place on June 27, 1968. On this day, Leningrad schoolchildren saw for the first time on the Neva a ship with scarlet sails, which later became the emblem of the holiday. The tradition of the whole city celebrating the entry of yesterday's schoolchildren into adulthood was interrupted in 1979 and was revived only 25 years later on the initiative of the Administration of St. Petersburg and the Joint Stock Bank "RUSSIA".
The rebirth of the holiday took place on June 24, 2005. Since then, its geography has expanded significantly, the city event has acquired an international dimension, “Scarlet Sails” was included in the register of world event tourism and recommended for visiting in 20 countries of the European Union. Every year, the Scarlet Sails festival attracts hundreds of thousands of spectators in the center of St. Petersburg. 
The Stars of the White Nights music festival is one of the ten best festivals for lovers of opera, ballet and classical music in Russia. The festival program includes the best opera and ballet performances of the Mariinsky Theatre, masterpieces of chamber music and theater premieres.
Venue: Mariinsky Theatre.
The Stars of the White Nights music festival is now one of the ten best festivals in the world. The initiator of its creation in 1993 was the artistic director of the Mariinsky Theater Valery Gergiev. According to the maestro, he conceived the first festival as a “musical gift” to the city from the Mariinsky Theater staff, from the soloists who agreed to take part in it. Over the past 18 years, the scope of the Stars of the White Nights festival has expanded from 10 days to 3 months. Every year, the festival program includes the theatre's best opera and ballet performances, grandiose symphonic works, masterpieces of chamber music and new theater premieres. Over the past years, program cycles of works by classical composers have appeared on the festival’s poster: performances of Prokofiev’s symphonies, Beethoven’s symphonies and concertos, Tchaikovsky’s opera, ballet and symphonic music, as well as all of Shostakovich’s symphonies and all of Mahler’s symphonies. Every year the Mariinsky Theater expands the boundaries of the festival, performing in Moscow and cities of the North-Western region, as well as mastering the creation of performances in natural settings. 
The exhibition will feature more than 1,000 objects by creative people from 14 countries. The event is attended by representatives of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Portugal, Italy, France, Great Britain, Estonia, Lithuania, Germany, Slovakia, Latvia and the Czech Republic. The festival program includes: International Classical Painting Competition, International Abstract and Avant-Garde Art Competition, International Sculpture Competition, International Photography Competition.
Venue: Exhibition Center of the St. Petersburg Union of Artists.
Address: St. Petersburg, Bolshaya Morskaya street, 38.
St. Petersburg Art Week is a project whose main goal is to support St. Petersburg and Russian artists, graphic artists, painters, sculptors and craftsmen, graduates working in the field of providing artistic services to the population. St. Petersburg Art Week will be interesting not only for its exhibition program, but also for its educational block of master classes and lectures. Everyone will be able to receive qualified lessons in painting walls using decorative plaster, artistic leather processing, making colored glass products, wire knitting, learn about the features of photography in a reportage and much more. A big event at Art Week last year was the holding of the art event “The Most Numerous Plein Air in St. Petersburg”, in the Alexander Garden, opposite the Admiralty. Those walking in the Alexander Garden could join this event, and professional artists specially invited for this purpose gave valuable advice and guidance. I think this year there will be something no less useful and interesting! 
Arriving in St. Petersburg, you want to see as many interesting places as possible, but don’t know where to start? I suggested something. But if you want not only to see, but also to hear interesting information about St. Petersburg attractions, I recommend excursions around St. Petersburg. We recommend taking advantage of the offer of the Exava agency.
So, St. Petersburg has long been associated with white nights. When the white nights season begins in the city on the Neva, hotels are filled to capacity. But if you decide to see the white nights, then I advise you to worry in advance and book a hotel.
You can ride along the Neva. During the white nights season, such a walk will be very spectacular and will bring many vivid impressions. In addition, a walk along the Neva is incredibly romantic, and enjoying this journey with your loved one will be a real gift. In fact, white nights do not quite reflect their name. It's like a continuation of the evening. It is the twilight light that remains throughout this entire time. Visibility at this time is quite good. With such a twilight perception of the world, it seems that you find yourself in some kind of magical land, where everything is mysterious and very unusual.
Just for such sensations it is worth visiting this magnificent city during the season of white nights and all-consuming romance. Come, Peter is waiting for you!
If you want to get out of the city, I advise you to get to, admire the ancient capital of Rus' and, by the way, they also hold events there in the summer. Don't forget to admire Nevsky Prospekt.
At the end of June, in the polar latitudes you can observe white nights, during which natural illumination decreases only until twilight. At this time, the Sun's descent below the horizon, even at midnight, is small, and evening twilight turns into morning twilight without the onset of complete darkness. Such white nights are called “polar days”.
St. Petersburg, white night. Photo: www.russianlook.com
Why do white nights occur?
White nights are caused by a combination of our planet's tilt angle and its orbital position relative to the Sun. For this reason, in the northern and southern latitudes of our planet, the Sun may not set beyond the horizon at all for some time. During white nights, the Sun descends to the horizon, but no more than 6 degrees.
Depending on the position of the Sun relative to the horizon, civil, navigational and astronomical twilight are distinguished. Civil twilight lasts from the moment of visible sunset until the time when the angle between the horizon line and the center of the solar disk is 6°, from 6° to 12° - navigational twilight, from 12° to 18° - astronomical twilight.
In latitudes above the Arctic Circle, white nights are also observed for two to four weeks before the polar day and after it ends. In latitudes below the Arctic Circle, where there is no polar day, white nights are observed during the solstice, as well as before and after it, for a greater number of nights, the higher the latitude of the area.
The southern border of the white nights zone lies at latitude 49 degrees (geographic coordinates of Moscow: 55.45 degrees north latitude, St. Petersburg - 59.9 degrees north latitude). There are no white nights from the equator, which has a latitude of 0 degrees, to the parallel of 49 degrees.
Where in Russia can you see white nights?
Residents of Moscow can see white nights, but in the capital they are not as bright as in other cities. For almost three months from May 12 to August 1, the Sun does not completely set in Yakutia.
In the Volgograd and Rostov regions (they are located at a latitude of 49 degrees) one white night occurs (June 22). And higher to the north the white nights become lighter and longer. The polar day can be observed in Murmansk, Norilsk, Vorkuta, Cherepovets, Vologda, Berezniki, Magadan, Megion, Khanty-Mansiysk, Kotlas, Nizhnevartovsk, Nefteyugansk, Surgut, Syktyvkar, Petrozavodsk, Yakutsk, Ukhta, Noyabrsk, Nadym, Arkhangelsk, Severodvinsk.
An amazing natural phenomenon can be observed in St. Petersburg. The period of white nights lasts from June 11 to July 2. At this time, various folk celebrations, concerts, holidays and festivals take place in the city.
White Nights 2018 in St. Petersburg - or rather, their start and end dates - are of interest to many tourists. There are many who want to admire the sights of the Northern capital on white nights - the historical center of the city in the new light seems completely different - mysterious, mystical.
What also makes white nights popular is the fact that they fall during the warmest season of the city on the Neva. This pleasant coincidence allows tourists to admire the city at night.
In this material you will find information about when the White Nights in St. Petersburg begin in 2018, when they end, and whether you can have time to enjoy the White Nights this year.
Why are there White Nights in St. Petersburg, what are they?
The peculiarities of the Earth's rotation around the Sun are such that in the summer in the northern regions of the planet the daylight hours are very long, and in the winter they are extremely short.
As an extreme example, we can take the polar day and polar night. This is how they conventionally call entire half-years in the Far North. Local residents hardly see the sun there during the winter, but it does not set at all in the summer. In the evening and at night, the sun crosses the horizon in the north and rises again in the east.
St. Petersburg occupies an intermediate geographic position between regions with “normal” days and nights, and extreme conditions in the far north.
St. Petersburg's white nights are truly nights in the sense that the sun disappears behind the horizon. But it does not set deeply, and virtually throughout the night in the summer, twilight reigns here.
As a consequence of the summer white nights, in winter St. Petersburg is plunged into darkness - evening and twilight can begin as early as three or four o'clock in the afternoon.
When do white nights begin in St. Petersburg in 2018
It is clear that there is no dependence on a specific year in the start and end dates of the white nights. The calendar we use is built almost perfectly. A year is almost the exact period of the Earth's rotation around the Sun. A small inaccuracy is corrected due to leap years.
The peak of white nights occurs on June 22. This is the so-called summer solstice - the longest day of the year in the entire northern hemisphere.
Wherever you live, even in the southern latitudes of the country, where night falls early enough, June 22 will be the brightest day of the year.
The shortest day of the year is December 22. Starting from December 22 and up to June 22, daylight hours increase, and from June 22 to December 22 it becomes shorter.
Thus, the start and end dates of the white nights season in St. Petersburg are quite arbitrary. It is generally accepted that the white nights season in St. Petersburg lasts from May 27 to July 15.
However, you need to understand that from May 27 to June 22 the nights become increasingly whiter, and by July 15 they become relatively darker. However, this does not mean that over the next one and a half to two weeks you will not be able to enjoy the white nights in St. Petersburg. They are still very spectacular and mysterious.
When choosing night entertainment in St. Petersburg during the White Nights in 2018, do not forget about one of the main ones - the spectacle of the raising of St. Petersburg bridges.
