Russian Festival Maslenitsa in London

On the 26 February the sun came out for Maslenitsa in London, organised by Ensemble Productions, which saw Russian locals and other Londoners celebrating the coming of spring in Trafalgar Square. The main stage boasted a cornucopia of top Russian musical stars including the legendary rock band Chaif, treasured Russian artist Valery Syutkin, award winning vocal group A’Cappella ExpreSSS, the colourful and eclectic Balagan Limited, chart topping pop band In Yan, and the highly decorated State Pyatnitzky Choir. Proceedings were presented by Viacheslav Manucharov, Julia Arshavina and Julian Gallant and this year the event supported Natalia Vodianova’s charity the Naked Heart Foundation.