Spring and Labour Day in Moscow: History, Customs and Practical Tips

Spring and Labour Day in Moscow is celebrated on 1 May and is a public, non-working holiday in Russia. It was known in Soviet times as the Day of the International and later as International Workers’ Solidarity Day, and since 1992 it has been officially called the Day of Spring and Labour. The big Soviet parades and demonstrations are gone, and the day is now mainly the start of the spring season.

For most Muscovites it is a day for the outdoors: parks, picnics, grilled meat known as shashlik, small gifts of flowers, and sometimes a trade union rally. It is often followed by the May holidays, which include 9 May, so the city can be busy and the center quiet at different times. The details change each year, so check the official sources.

Quick Facts

Russian name	Праздник Весны и Труда в Москве
Type	Holiday / observance
When	Every year on 1 May, a fixed date; if it falls on a weekend the day off is usually moved, and it often forms part of the May holidays together with 9 May.
Next occurrence	May 1 (same date every year)
Typical duration	One day, often part of a longer run of days off in early May.
Public holiday	Yes, a non-working day in Russia
Admission	There is no ticket for the holiday. Parks and public spaces are free to enter, and concerts, rides and other events set their own prices.
Best time to visit	The morning is best for parks and flower stalls, and the afternoon is busy with outings. The weather in early May ranges from cold to warm. Days around the May holidays can be crowded at transport hubs. 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 Spring and Labour Day in Moscow?

1 May shows how a political holiday became a seasonal one. Moscow’s parks, such as the ones described in the Zaryadye Park guide on this site, fill with people enjoying the first warm days, and the Red Square area still carries the memory of the Soviet parades that were held there for decades.

It is also a practical day to know about: many offices, banks and schools are closed, transport and shops follow holiday patterns, and the city can feel unusually relaxed. Visitors who like local customs can watch families on outings and, in some years, trade union marches in the center, though the program differs each year.

How Spring and Labour Day in Moscow Is Celebrated

Today the day is mostly a day of leisure. Many Russians use the holiday to go outdoors, to parks or out of town, to grill shashlik on a mangal, a long narrow barbecue, and to relax with friends and family. Men may give women spring flowers, especially tulips and lilacs, and parents buy balloons and ice cream for children, according to a holiday calendar.

Trade unions and some political groups still organize rallies and marches on 1 May, and in 2014 a procession organized by trade unions took place on Red Square for the first time since the dissolution of the USSR, with more than 100,000 participants, according to TASS. Such events are not held on the Soviet scale and vary by year. The first ten days of May are often called the May holidays, and 1 May and 9 May are linked in many people’s plans.

Highlights of Spring and Labour Day in Moscow

Parks and spring outings

The most common way to spend the day is outdoors, in parks and green areas of the city or out of town, with picnics and barbecue. Which parks run events is not fixed and changes each year. See the Zaryadye Park, Sokolniki, Izmailovo and Kolomenskoye guides on this site for green areas to choose from.

Tip: Go to a park in the morning, before the afternoon crowds arrive.

Shashlik and the May tradition

Cooking shashlik, skewered meat grilled on a mangal, on 1 May became a tradition in the Soviet period, when students and groups organized trips with meetings and sports and then relaxed with a barbecue. In Moscow grilling is allowed only in designated places, and the rules were not verified here. Restaurants offer shashlik on the day.

Tip: If you want shashlik, book a restaurant, since open-air grilling in the city is restricted.

Union rallies and marches

Trade unions and some political groups hold rallies on 1 May, and in 2014 a union-organized procession on Red Square gathered over 100,000 people, the first such procession there since the end of the USSR, according to TASS. These events vary by year and are not a fixed program. They can close streets in the center.

Tip: Check the day's street closures if you plan to be in the center.

Red Square and the memory of the parades

From 1919 to 1968 May Day parades were held annually on Red Square, and the first parade of the Red Army took place in 1918 at Khodynka Field, according to TASS. Parades of workers and athletes followed, and the last official May Day demonstration in the Soviet Union took place in 1990. Red Square has its own access rules on holidays. See the Red Square guide on this site.

Tip: Check the access to Red Square for the day before you plan a visit.

Spring flowers and small gifts

Tulips and lilacs are the typical spring flowers given on the day, and balloons and ice cream for children are part of the mood, according to a holiday calendar. Flower stalls sell tulips in the center. The custom is lighter than on 8 March, which has its own guide on this site.

Tip: Buy tulips in the morning for the best choice.

The May holidays

In Russia the first ten days of May are known as the May holidays, with 1 May and 9 May as public holidays, and many people take extra days off between them. This affects the city's rhythm: the center is quieter on some days and parks and transport hubs busier on others. The exact days off differ each year.

Tip: Check the official labor calendar for the current year's days off.

What It Means for Your Visit

1 May is a public holiday and non-working day, so government offices, banks, schools and universities are closed. Shops, restaurants, museums and parks are mostly open, sometimes with holiday hours, and many are busy. If the date falls on a weekend, the day off is moved, which can create a long weekend or a bridge to 9 May, so check the labor calendar.

Streets in the center, including around Red Square, may be restricted if a rally or event takes place, and a travel guide reports that Red Square and central streets are closed to traffic on some holidays. Public transport runs with holiday schedules and can be crowded on the way to parks. Check the official city portal for events and closures, since details change each year.

Atmosphere

On 1 May Moscow feels relaxed and a little scattered: families walking in parks under new leaves, smoke from barbecues in the places where grills are allowed, children with balloons and ice cream, and the center emptier than on a normal weekday. The air can be warm or still cold, and the weather is unpredictable.

In the center, flags and union banners may appear during a rally, but the mood is calm compared with the Soviet parades of the past. Evenings are busy in restaurants and parks. The crowd varies by year and no figures were verified.

History of Spring and Labour Day in Moscow

May Day began as an international workers’ day. In Russia International Workers’ Solidarity Day was first celebrated in 1890, according to the Presidential Library, and after the October Revolution of 1917 May 1 became a public holiday, with demonstrations of workers and military parades. The first parade of the Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army took place in 1918 at Khodynka Field in Moscow, and from 1919 to 1968 parades were held annually on Red Square.

In the Soviet period the holiday was known as the Day of the International and then as the International Day of Workers’ Solidarity, and from 1928 May 2 was added as a second day off. Its parades and processions were broadcast on radio, and from 1956 on television, and the last official May Day demonstration in the Soviet Union took place in Moscow on 1 May 1990.

In 1992 the holiday was renamed the Day of Spring and Labour. In December 2004 amendments to the Labor Code left only 1 May as a public holiday and non-working day from 2005, and 2 May was no longer a day off. Rallies are still held by trade unions and political groups, but the day became mainly a seasonal holiday.

The first ten days of May are now known as the May holidays, since 1 May and 9 May are linked in many people’s plans, and the tradition of shashlik on 1 May, which arose in the Soviet period, is part of the modern holiday. If 1 May falls on a weekend, the day off is usually moved to the following Monday, according to a holiday calendar.

Tickets and Booking for Spring and Labour Day in Moscow

There is no ticket for the holiday. Parks and public spaces are free to enter, and rallies and marches in the center are open to watch from the street, though areas may be closed. Concerts, rides, restaurants and museum events sell their own tickets, usually online or at the venue, and restaurants fill up around the holiday, so book ahead. Details change every year, so no program or prices are given here.

• Official information: the city’s official portal, mos.ru, lists public events and any closures for the holiday.
• 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 ticketed events, so check each organizer’s own page for the current edition.

How to Get to Spring and Labour Day in Moscow

The holiday has no single site. Parks and public spaces are across the city, so choose one near a metro station; see the Zaryadye Park guide and the neighborhood guides for Sokolniki, Izmailovo and Kolomenskoye on this site. For the center, check street closures before you travel. The exits and walking times depend on the venue and were not verified.

• Metro: holiday schedules may apply, with crowded trains toward parks; the metro guides on this site explain the lines and rush hours.
• Taxi: streets near events can be restricted; the taxi apps guide of this site explains the options.

Accessibility

No accessibility information was found for the holiday, which has no single venue. Access depends on the park, restaurant or venue you choose, and rallies and events in the center can close streets, so check with each venue before you go.

Food Nearby

Cafes and restaurants are throughout the city, and many offer shashlik and seasonal menus, but they fill up around the holiday. No individual venue was verified for this guide, so check opening hours and book ahead.

What to Bring

Layers for changeable early May weather, a waterproof jacket, comfortable shoes* for park walks, and rubles in cash for small purchases, since foreign cards are reported not to work.

Best Views and Photo Spots of Spring and Labour Day in Moscow

A park path in fresh spring green

Families walking on a path under trees with new leaves and tulip beds along the edge. It shows the holiday as the start of spring.

Best time: Morning light.

Tulip beds and flower stalls in the center

Rows of tulips and lilacs at a street stall or in a city bed, with passers-by choosing flowers. The colors suit the season.

Best time: Morning.

A rally in the center, from a distance

Banners and flags in a column on a central street, when a rally takes place. Photograph from a distance and not people's faces.

Best time: Midday, when events are held.

Photography Rules

No general photography rules for the holiday were found. Rallies, security areas near Red Square and the Kremlin may restrict photography and tripods*, so follow signs and officers' instructions and avoid photographing people without their agreement. Drone rules in Moscow are strict and were not checked.

Family Suitability

The day suits families well, with parks, playgrounds, balloons and ice cream, and many families spend it outdoors. Crowds on transport and weather are the main limits. Stroller access in parks is usually fine on paved paths.

Moscow Vibes Tips

• Check whether 1 May falls on a weekend, since the day off may be moved and this changes the crowds.
• Book restaurants early if you want shashlik or a table around the May holidays.
• Do not expect a Soviet-style parade; the day is mostly informal, and rallies vary by year.
• Check street closures in the center on the day, since rallies and events can restrict access.
• Combine the day with a park visit; the guides on this site describe Zaryadye, Sokolniki, Izmailovo and Kolomenskoye.
• Remember that 9 May, Victory Day, is a separate holiday with its own crowds and closures.

Explore Nearby Spring and Labour Day in Moscow

Sights near Spring and Labour Day in Moscow

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  Zaryadye Park Moscow · typical visit: 1–2 hours; 3 hours with the pavilions
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  Main image: AI-generated illustration. It may not show the place exactly as it looks.
  Red Square Moscow · typical visit: 1–2 hours for the square, 3–5 hours with St Basil's and one museum

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FAQ: Spring and Labour Day in Moscow

When is Spring and Labour Day?

Every year on 1 May.

Is it a day off?

Yes, it is a public, non-working holiday.

What was it called before?

The Day of the International and International Workers' Solidarity Day.

When was it renamed?

In 1992, to Spring and Labour Day.

Are there parades?

No official parade; unions and groups hold rallies in some years.

What do people do?

Go outdoors, grill shashlik and give spring flowers.

Are shops and museums open?

Mostly yes, sometimes with holiday hours.

What are the May holidays?

The early May days off around 1 May and 9 May.

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