What's on in Chita, Russia through the year

Peak crowds — Sagaalgan, the White Month, New Year holidays

• Holiday

  Sagaalgan, the White Month

  25 Jan – 5 Mar · usuallyLunar New YearClosures

  The Buryat and Mongol lunar new year is a regional public holiday in Zabaykalsky Krai, with concerts, yokhor circle dances and datsan services in Chita and Aginskoye. Regional offices close; federal ones do not. Source ↗

Still on: Extreme cold season (1 Nov – 15 Mar (usually)), New Year holidays (31 Dec – 8 Jan (usually))

Peak crowds — Sagaalgan, the White Month, Maslenitsa

• Festival

  Maslenitsa

  16–22 FebCarnivalCrowded

  Pancake week before Orthodox Lent: blini at cafes and street stalls, and open-air fairs with folk music and games in the main square and city parks. It peaks on the Sunday, when a straw effigy of winter is usually burned. Source ↗

Still on: Sagaalgan, the White Month (25 Jan – 5 Mar (usually)), Extreme cold season (1 Nov – 15 Mar (usually))

Busy — Sagaalgan, the White Month, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in March.

Still on: Sagaalgan, the White Month (25 Jan – 5 Mar (usually)), Maslenitsa (16–22 Feb), Extreme cold season (1 Nov – 15 Mar (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

• Hazard

  Spring wildfire smoke

  1 Apr – 10 Jun · usuallySmoke season

  Dry, windy springs set off forest and grass fires across Zabaykalye almost every year; smoke can sit over the city and fire bans close forest areas. Source ↗

• Nature

  Bagulnik in bloom

  25 Apr – 31 May · usuallyWildflowers & blooms

  Dahurian rhododendron, the symbol of Zabaykalye, turns the hills on the edge of Chita pink, usually in early to mid May before the larches leaf out. Source ↗

Busy — Victory Day, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Holiday

  Victory Day

  9 MayNational holidayClosuresCrowded

  9 May is a public holiday marked in every city with a morning parade or wreath-laying in the centre, and usually fireworks after dark. Central streets close for hours and public transport is rerouted; security measures have scaled some events back in recent years. Source ↗

Still on: Spring wildfire smoke (1 Apr – 10 Jun (usually)), Bagulnik in bloom (25 Apr – 31 May (usually))

Busy — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, one of its best months for weather

• Festival

  Zabaykalsky International Film Festival

  1–15 Jun · usually

  Held in Chita each June: premieres, meetings with Russian actors on the rhododendron-coloured carpet, and screenings spread across the region. Source ↗

Still on: Spring wildfire smoke (1 Apr – 10 Jun (usually))

Busy — school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it, one of its best months for weather

• Hazard

  Summer heat swing

  1 Jul – 15 Aug · usuallyExtreme heat

  The same continental extremes that bring -49°C winters can push summer afternoons past 40°C, with a recorded high of 40.6°C in August. Few cities this size swing so far between their coldest and hottest weeks. Source ↗

Busy — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, one of its best months for weather

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Summer heat swing (1 Jul – 15 Aug (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in September.

Shoulder season — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in October.

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

• Hazard

  Extreme cold season

  1 Nov – 15 Mar · usually

  Winters here are severely continental: January averages around -24.6°C and the mercury has fallen as low as -49.6°C. Even routine outdoor errands in mid-winter are done at speed, and cold snaps arrive with little warning. Source ↗

Busy — New Year holidays, school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it

• Holiday

  New Year holidays

  31 Dec – 8 Jan · usuallyNational holidayClosuresBook early

  The longest break of the Russian year: usually the first eight days of January or more are non-working. Offices, banks and many services close, while trains, flights and hotels fill with holidaying families at peak fares. Source ↗

Still on: Extreme cold season (1 Nov – 15 Mar (usually))