Bureau of Culture · Saint Petersburg
What's on in Saint Petersburg — the serious short list
Editorial picks by working editors — theatre, ballet, concerts, museums, day trips to the imperial palaces. If you'd rather ask a person what tonight is worth, our English-speaking chat is open.
What's on — editorial picks
5 January 2024 · Театр «Буфф» имени И. Р. Штокбанта
Ostrovsky. Love (a Late Love musical)
For visitors who read Russian drama in translation and want to see the Ostrovsky canon in the intimate scale it was written for — not the big state theatres. A short evening, well within a first-visit budget of focus and language.
20 June 2026 · Театр МиК
Third Wheel
A small-cast contemporary comedy from a young company. Not tourist-central and not tourist-obvious — MiK is worth it for visitors who want to see how modern Petersburg audiences actually spend a Friday evening.
27 April 2026 · Театр «Буфф» имени И. Р. Штокбанта
Our People (Ostrovsky's We'll Settle Among Ourselves)
Ostrovsky's most morally direct comedy, done as an intimate musical rather than a state-theatre epic. Best for visitors who already know some Russian drama and want to see how a working Petersburg company reads it.
13 December 2024 · Театр «Буфф» имени И. Р. Штокбанта
The Mystery of the Third Planet
One of the few Petersburg family musicals that visiting parents can safely bring an unprepared child to. The music and costumes do the work if Russian dialogue is out of reach.
1 October 2023 · Театр «Буфф» имени И. Р. Штокбанта
Eliza (a Pygmalion musical)
If you already know Pygmalion or My Fair Lady, this is a low-risk way to see how a Petersburg comedy company handles a familiar English source. Not a translation of the Broadway musical.
19 June 2026 · Крыша Roof place
Return the 2000s — Rooftop Party with Virus
A summer-evening rooftop pop night with Gulf-of-Finland views. Bring layers — even summer nights in Petersburg cool off after 22:00.
1 May 2026 · Театр «Буфф» имени И. Р. Штокбанта
Colombe, or Paper Roses
A rare chance to see an Anouilh play in a Russian musical adaptation with a Dunayevsky score. For visitors interested in how contemporary Russian composers handle mid-20th-century French drama.
7 September 2025 · Театр «Буфф» имени И. Р. Штокбанта
Salute, Compere!
The most house-specific piece Buff programmes: the founding company's own artistic origin story told through wartime Soviet variety. For visitors curious about how a Petersburg theatre understands its own tradition.
4 October 2024 · Театр «Буфф» имени И. Р. Штокбанта
The Same Old Forest
The best-designed production in the Kabare Buff repertoire. If you have the Russian for Ostrovsky, come for this one first.
1 May 2024 · Театр «Буфф» имени И. Р. Штокбанта
The Libertine
Sharp, quick French comedy in a Petersburg cabaret staging. For visitors who prefer their theatre closer to Feydeau than to Ostrovsky.
1 January 2024 · Театр «Буфф» имени И. Р. Штокбанта
Paris for Two
A short cabaret evening of French chanson in a small room — the sort of programme that suits visitors who prefer intimate over grand. Good pick for a Petersburg date night.
17 July 2026 · Театр «Буфф» имени И. Р. Штокбанта
People Meet
A short evening with Kabare Buff's young company — light on plot, warm on delivery. A gentle first Buff visit if the main repertoire feels too language-heavy.
Practical notes for visitors
Cards and payments
Visa and Mastercard from non-Russian banks don't work with Russian acquirers since 2022. Cash on arrival, Chinese UnionPay, or booking through a Russian friend all work. Full details.
Getting around
Saint Petersburg's metro reaches every venue on this page. Trains run 05:45–00:15. Central-Nevsky venues are also walkable from each other; the palace day trips need suburban rail or coach.
Language at venues
Ballet, opera and concert programmes need no Russian. Drama-heavy evenings do. If in doubt, ask the concierge which shows fit visitors without Russian; we'll say honestly.
Booking help
Some Russian ticket sites reject foreign cards even when you can read the checkout. We can book for you and hand over the reservation for you to pay at the box office. Concierge details.