What's on in Minsk, Belarus through the year

Quiet — school holidays in 7 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

• Rule

  Visa-free entry rules

  1 Jan – 31 Dec

  Belarus runs a visa-free scheme for many nationalities, but it is tied to arriving and leaving through Minsk National Airport — cross a land border and it does not apply. The terms change with little notice, so check them the week you fly. Source ↗

Still on: Ice season (10 Dec – 5 Mar (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Visa-free entry rules (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Ice season (10 Dec – 5 Mar (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in March.

Still on: Visa-free entry rules (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Ice season (10 Dec – 5 Mar (usually))

Busy — Radunitsa, school holidays in 6 of the markets that fill it

• Holiday

  Radunitsa

  15 Apr – 25 May · usuallyEaster & Holy WeekClosuresCrowded

  The Tuesday nine days after Orthodox Easter is a public holiday for visiting the dead: families eat at the graves and the roads out of the city to the village cemeteries are solid all day. Offices and most shops close. Source ↗

Still on: Visa-free entry rules (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Busy — Radunitsa, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in May.

Still on: Visa-free entry rules (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Radunitsa (15 Apr – 25 May (usually))

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

Nothing new starts in June.

Still on: Visa-free entry rules (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Busy — Independence Day parade, school holidays in 7 of the markets that fill it

• Holiday

  Independence Day parade

  2–4 JulNational holidayClosuresCrowded

  Belarus marks 3 July, the day Minsk was retaken in 1944, with a full military parade down Independence Avenue and fireworks after dark. The central avenue closes for rehearsals for days beforehand. Source ↗

• Festival

  Kupalle

  5–8 JulMajor festival

  Midsummer night in the Belarusian calendar: bonfires, wreaths on the water and the fern-flower story, held at the open-air museums and villages outside the city rather than in it. The shortest nights of the year here. Source ↗

Still on: Visa-free entry rules (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Busy — school holidays in 7 of the markets that fill it, one of its best months for weather

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Visa-free entry rules (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

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

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Visa-free entry rules (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Shoulder season — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in October.

Still on: Visa-free entry rules (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Shoulder season — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in November.

Still on: Visa-free entry rules (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Quiet — school holidays in 7 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

• Season

  Ice season

  10 Dec – 5 Mar · usually

  Outdoor rinks go up in the parks and on Victory Square, and the Minsk Sea reservoir north of the city gets its ice fishing huts. Daylight is short enough that most of the skating happens under floodlights.

Still on: Visa-free entry rules (1 Jan – 31 Dec)