Epiphany Ice Swimming in Moscow: Where, When and How It Works

Epiphany ice swimming in Moscow is a winter ritual held on the night of 18 to 19 January, when thousands of people dip three times into blessed water cut into the ice of ponds and rivers or into heated fonts. It marks the Orthodox Epiphany on 19 January, which commemorates the baptism of Jesus Christ in the River Jordan.

The city prepares dozens of official bathing sites with changing areas, rescuers and medical posts, and the bathing runs from the evening of 18 January to the evening of 19 January. Traditional ice bathing typically begins at midnight. It is a religious custom for many and a test of nerve for others, and it is also a sight for visitors who watch from the bank. Anyone who wants to take part should read the safety rules first.

Quick Facts

Russian name	Крещенские купания в Москве
Type	Holiday / observance
When	Every year on 18 and 19 January, with the Orthodox Epiphany on 19 January; the date is fixed and the bathing runs from the evening of the 18th.
Next occurrence	January 19 (same date every year)
Typical duration	About 24 hours, from the evening of 18 January to the evening of 19 January, with the traditional plunge at midnight.
Public holiday	No, an observance (regular working day)
Admission	Bathing at the official sites is free. Changing areas and medical points are provided at official sites, and any private or commercial event sets its own rules.
Best time to visit	The bathing runs from the evening of 18 January to the evening of 19 January, and the traditional time is around midnight, which is also the busiest. Quieter times are earlier in the evening on the 18th or during the daytime on the 19th. Weather affects the ice and the number of sites, and crowd patterns were not verified.
Last updated	October 7, 2026

Dates, programs and prices change from year to year. Always check the official website for the current edition.

Why Visit Epiphany Ice Swimming in Moscow?

The Epiphany plunge is one of the most distinctive winter scenes in Moscow: steam over the ice, queues of people in robes at wooden or heated fonts, a priest blessing the water and rescuers watching from the bank. It takes place in parks and by ponds across the city, so a visit can be a short walk in a familiar park at an unusual hour.

It is also a reminder that old customs have returned in recent decades, since the tradition faded in the Soviet period. Many visitors only watch, which is an option at the official sites, and those who decide to swim should consider their health, follow the instructions of the staff and remember that rules and locations change each year.

How Epiphany Ice Swimming in Moscow Is Celebrated

According to tradition, people immerse themselves completely three times to symbolize the Holy Trinity, usually after making the sign of the cross, and the water is believed to be holy and pure after a priest has blessed it on Epiphany. Traditional ice bathing typically begins at midnight on the night of 18 to 19 January, though the city keeps the sites open from the evening of the 18th.

At each official site a font or an ice hole is prepared, with a wooden frame, a handrail or steps, and a priest blesses the water. Men’s and women’s changing and waiting areas, warm tents and medical points are set up, and rescuers and police are on duty. Some people come to a church service first and then to the water, and others are experienced ice swimmers, known as walruses, who also swim throughout the winter. Many families come to watch, and the atmosphere is calm and cheerful.

Highlights of Epiphany Ice Swimming in Moscow

The official bathing sites

The city prepares dozens of official sites in different districts every year, from more than forty in a mild winter to far more in other years, with fonts, ice holes, changing areas for men and women and medical care. The sites are accepted by the consumer protection authority Rospotrebnadzor, and divers and lifeguards inspect them in advance. The full list is published on the city's official portal each year.

Tip: Choose an official site; unauthorized places are not prepared and rescuers watch them.

The blessing of the water

A priest consecrates the ice font at official sites, and water blessed on Epiphany is considered holy and pure in Orthodox tradition. The ritual is short and simple, with a prayer and a cross cut in the ice or marked on the font. Visitors who only watch can stand at the edge and keep quiet during the blessing.

Tip: Stay back from the font during the blessing and do not photograph the faces of bathers.

The three immersions at midnight

Traditional ice bathing typically begins at midnight, and people dive fully three times to symbolize the Holy Trinity. The plunge itself lasts a few seconds, and helpers and rescuers stand beside the steps. People leave the water to a warm tent or a towel, and many drink a hot tea afterward.

Tip: If you swim, do not stay in the water longer than the three dips.

Park sites in the city

Official sites in recent years have included ponds and parks such as Tsaritsyno Park, the pond in Ostankino, the Strogino district and the Moskva River at Khoroshevo-Mnevniki, according to news photographs and reports. Their locations change from year to year and are not repeated here. See the Tsaritsyno and VDNH and Ostankino guides on this site for the parks.

Tip: Check the current map of sites and choose one near a metro station.

The Izmailovo Kremlin site

In some years bathing has taken place at the Izmailovo Kremlin, where the setting of wooden towers makes a photogenic backdrop for the plunge. See the Izmailovo guide on this site for the district. Its availability in a given year was not verified.

Tip: Confirm that the Izmailovo site is listed for the current year before you go.

The walrus clubs

Experienced ice swimmers, called morzh or walruses, swim all winter for health reasons, and one of the largest clubs in the country meets at the lakes of Serebryany Bor in Moscow, according to a guide. Their sites are not official Epiphany sites, and visitors should not join without a local invitation.

Tip: Watch from the bank and ask permission before photographing club members.

What It Means for Your Visit

Epiphany on 19 January is not a public holiday, so offices, shops, museums and transport work as usual. The effects are local: parks and ponds with official sites are crowded at night, with police and rescue vehicles, and access roads may be restricted near large sites. Public transport runs as usual, but late-night capacity is limited.

Expect queues at popular sites around midnight, cold weather and slippery* ground. Official sites have changing areas, but they are busy, and some roads and parking lots near them close. Check the city’s official portal for the list of sites and the hours of the current year, and follow the instructions of the staff at the site.

Atmosphere

At an official site at night, floodlights fall on a steaming font or a rectangle of black water in the ice, a queue of people in robes and wet-weather shoes waits at the steps, and the air smells of cold, tea and wet towels. The sounds are splashes, the shouts of bathers and the quiet voices of a priest.

People of all ages come, many in groups and families, and onlookers stand behind barriers with phones and thermoses. The temperature is usually below freezing, and the crowd is largest around midnight and at weekends. The mood is calm, a little nervous and often cheerful.

History of Epiphany Ice Swimming in Moscow

The Orthodox Epiphany commemorates the baptism of Jesus Christ in the River Jordan and is observed by the Russian Orthodox Church on 19 January, which is 6 January in the Julian calendar. According to tradition, when Jesus was baptized he sanctified the whole nature of water, which is why water blessed on Epiphany is considered holy.

Ice swimming has been practiced in Russia for centuries, and some historians suggest that it was a popular pagan tradition as well. In the 16th century Epiphany was a lavish ceremony for the tsars, comparable to coronations. During the communist period the tradition nearly disappeared with the rest of public religious practice, and in recent years the Epiphany plunge has become popular again.

In Moscow the city organizes official sites each year, in numbers that vary with the weather, from more than 200 fonts in one year to 42 in a warm winter when ice was thin. In recent years the participation of hundreds of thousands of people in Moscow has been reported, with higher estimates across the country, though the figures differ and were not verified.

The city’s officials say that Epiphany ice swimming attracts many users from abroad, and that it is a way for foreigners to learn about Russian traditions. The safety arrangements include rescuers, police and medical services, and sites are accepted by Rospotrebnadzor. The bathing runs from the evening of 18 January to the evening of 19 January, though the hours are set each year.

Tickets and Booking for Epiphany Ice Swimming in Moscow

Bathing at the official Epiphany sites is free, and no ticket or booking is needed. The city publishes the list and map of official sites, with hours, shortly before 18 January each year, and the lists change by year with the weather, so no site list or dates of a specific year are given here. Check the city’s official portal, mos.ru, for the current list.

• Safety rules: swim only at official sites, where rescuers and medical posts are present, follow the staff’s instructions and do not swim after drinking alcohol; doctors warn that people with certain conditions, such as diabetes or a past stroke, should not swim in an ice hole, and visitors should seek medical advice for their own situation.
• Payment: foreign Visa and Mastercard cards are reported not to work in Russia, and the sanctions rules of your own country may restrict some Russian payment services, so check this yourself.

Rates for Russian citizens and concessions differ at paid events, so check each organizer’s own page for the current edition.

How to Get to Epiphany Ice Swimming in Moscow

The sites are spread across the city, and the list changes every year, so choose one near a metro station. In recent years sites have been reported in parks such as Tsaritsyno and Ostankino, in Strogino and at Izmailovo; see the Tsaritsyno, VDNH and Ostankino and Izmailovo guides on this site. The exits and walking times depend on the site and were not verified.

• Metro: normal service runs on 18 and 19 January, with the usual night closing; the metro guides on this site explain the lines.
• Taxi: streets near large sites can be restricted at night; the taxi apps guide of this site explains the options.

Accessibility

No accessibility information was found for the sites. Steps to the fonts, snow, ice and crowds make movement difficult, so check conditions at the chosen site before you go and bring a companion.

Food Nearby

Hot tea and snacks are often served at or near the sites, and cafes in the nearby parks and streets may be open, but the arrangements vary by site. No individual venue was verified for this guide, so check opening hours on site.

What to Bring

If you plan to swim: a robe or large towel, a hat, non-slip waterproof shoes, a change of warm dry clothes and a hot drink in a thermos*. If you plan to watch, very warm clothes and shoes with grip are enough.

Best Views and Photo Spots of Epiphany Ice Swimming in Moscow

An official font in a park at night

A steaming font under floodlights, with a queue of bathers in robes and snow around. The light and the steam make the frame.

Best time: Around midnight.

The bank of a frozen pond at dawn

The ice, the dark water of the cut hole and the wooden frame in soft early light. Fewer people are present, and the scene is calmer.

Best time: Early morning on 19 January.

The Izmailovo Kremlin as a backdrop

The wooden towers behind the bathing area, when the site is operating. The architecture sets the scene in a way few other sites do.

Best time: Evening, with the lights on.

Photography Rules

No general photography rules for the sites were found. Do not photograph people in swimsuits or changing areas, and do not photograph the faces of bathers without their agreement, and ask before filming the priest and the blessing. Drone rules in Moscow are strict and were not checked.

Family Suitability

Families can watch from the bank, and the atmosphere is calm and friendly, but the cold, the late hours and the crowds are hard for young children. Children who take part should be supervised by an adult throughout, according to official guidance for such events. Stroller access on snowy paths is difficult.

Moscow Vibes Tips

• Pick an official site near a metro station and go before 22:00 if you want smaller queues.
• Do not drink alcohol before swimming; doctors say it disrupts thermoregulation.
• Wear footwear you can leave and put on quickly, and bring dry socks and a robe.
• Ask a doctor first if you have a heart condition, diabetes or other conditions; the cold can be dangerous.
• Do not step on the ice of ponds away from official sites, particularly in warm winters when the ice is thin.
• Come as a spectator if you are unsure; the experience is also good from the bank.

Explore Nearby Epiphany Ice Swimming in Moscow

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  Strogino Metro Station

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FAQ: Epiphany Ice Swimming in Moscow

When is Epiphany ice swimming in Moscow?

On 18 and 19 January every year, with the Epiphany on 19 January.

Do I need a ticket?

No, official bathing sites are free.

Where can I swim?

At the official sites listed by the city each year.

How many times do you dip?

Three times, for the Holy Trinity.

Is it a public holiday?

No, it is an observance and a working day.

Is it safe?

Official sites have rescuers and medics, but cold water carries health risks.

Can children swim?

Children should be supervised by an adult throughout.

Can I just watch?

Yes, at the edge of the official sites.

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