This summer, Moscow will once again become a centre for historical re-enactment. August 10 to 22, the international festival Times and Epochs will take place as part of the Moscow Seasons cycle of urban street events. The festival will open 30 venues where 3,000 re-enactment enthusiasts from 22 countries will recreate over 20 historical periods, from Stone Age to 1980s.
The majority of venues will form a 10-kilometer historical route along the Garden Ring. For instance, the Russian Army and the Napoleonic Army of the War of 1812 will camp down on Tverskoy Boulevard. The armies will deploy guard duty and field training for recruits, and will perform war songs. Guests will have an opportunity to try new skills in fencing and cavalry schools. Strastnoy Boulevard will recreate the atmosphere of early 20th century described by great Russian writer Anton Chekhov, presenting a cycle of plays based on his stories and novels.
Rozhdestvensky Boulevard will host the first ever re-enactment of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78. This venue will feature scenes from the army life and lectures on armament of the Russian and Turkish armies. At the same time, one will get to discover Moscow’s secular life of the 1870s by visiting a tavern or a fashion atelier, or playing croquet and hoop rolling. Visitors of Petrovsky Boulevard will find themselves in the real ancient times. They will explore tools and rock art of the Stone Age; they will learn five different ways to start a fire without lighters or matches; they will meet chiefs of tribes, shamans, and hunters, and will hear fascinating lectures about them. Three amazing venues will open on Chistoprudny Boulevard. One of them will display an art piece featuring a 14-15-century Viking ship; the other, will show a spectacular street play about Ancient Rus; and the third, will present a 10-century Russian farm with all constructions, items and tools replicating that era.
Pokrovsky Boulevard will be dedicated to the Antiquity featuring a large model of the famous Ancient Greek temple of Athena Nike, and a four-meter copy of an ancient hoisting crane, and a Scythian wagon – a mobile home of ancient nomads. Yauzsky Boulevard will demonstrate an American town of the Civil War era. Guests will learn how to write with a dip pen at the post office; they will hear about the US financial system of those times at the bank; and they will get to visit a real saloon! Among the most spectacular highlights of the event are the Knights tournaments and fencing competitions on Pushkinskaya Square, as well as ancient battle re-enactments. Roman legionary, Greek warriors and Barbarians will cross their swords in the conclusion of the festival on August 18-19.
This year’s festival will also introduce a unique river venue. A full-scale, operational 20-meter patrol boat model from the World War II era with a Soviet seamen museum inside will dock at the Vorobyevskaya Embankment. Guests will be welcome to come aboard, explore the boat inside and out, and enjoy the exposition of documentary photos, ammo models, and personal items of seamen. Like all other Moscow Seasons festivals, Times and Epochs will provide an opportunity for grabbing a snack or even enjoying a wholesome lunch or dinner. Moscow’s restaurants will also support the historic theme offering pancakes made according to old Russian recipes, or cakes and pastries that had been popular in Soviet restaurants in the 1960s. Guests will also be ale to buy unique retro souvenirs, from vintage kitchen utensils to vinyl records of popular 20th century tunes.
