Moscow celebrates its 856th anniversary

This weekend Moscow celebrates its 856th anniversary. Officially the Moscow Day will start on Saturday, September 6, when flowers will be ceremonially laid to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the Alexander Garden by the Kremlin wall.

Muscovites and guests of the capital will see a theatre performance "Moscow is the City of the Future", programmes "The Parade of Festivals" and "Songs of Our City", a sports and theatre programme "Moscow Invites the Olympics-2012", a festive concert "Golden Jazz Tunes", a concert "Moscow Is My Home" and many other things.

The Saturday celebrations will end with Gert Hof's pyrotechnic mega-show in Red Square involving pop groups and singers.

A religious procession dedicated to the 700th anniversary of Holy Prince Daniil of Moscow, the founding father of the Moscow Principality, will be held in Moscow. Celebrations of the 200th birth anniversary of the famous poet Fyodor Tyutchev and 150th birth anniversary of writer and journalist Vladimir Gilyarovsky, a connoisseur of Moscow, will be held as well.

The organizers of the holiday assigned priority to security issues. About 10,000 policemen will protect Muscovites and guests of the capital. More than 300 cynologists and 300 mounted policemen will provide security and control the recreation sites, especially in parks.

All in all, 54 official and 3,500 municipal events will take place as part of the Moscow Day.