"The Mayor of London has already confirmed his participation in the opening ceremony. To our festival, this happening will be a symbolic one," Mr. Kolushev said.
During a visit to Moscow this past September, Mr. Livingston said London authorities were planning a wide-scale promotional campaign and that they expected a large number of guests to arrive for the Russian Winter festival.
I will be disappointed if fewer than 50,000 guests show up, he said, adding that over a hundred thousand may arrive.
The forthcoming festival will help the British public learn more about Russia and its arts, Mr. Livingston pointed out. According to him, a lot of people in the West are interested in Russian culture and lifestyles, so it is only natural that Moscow should be visited by as many foreign tourists as, say, London or Paris.
The Russian Winter festival is to be held in the British capital on January 14 and 15. The Russian-British Cultural Association and the RIA Novosti news agency have organized the event in partnership with Moscow City Hall, London City Hall, and the Culture Ministry of the Russian Federation.
An outdoor ice rink to be built on Trafalgar Square for circus and theatrical performances will be open for public use between the shows. And there will be a playground here, to be outfitted with merry-go-rounds and other amusement park attractions, Russian style.
Other outdoor events to be held as part of the festival will include an exhibition of Russian ice sculptures, a light show of Russian wintertime landscapes, a Russian cuisine fair, and a video link with Moscow's Red Square.
British audiences will be able to see and hear live some of Russia's top-rate performing artists and groups. One of them, the Alexandrov dance and song ensemble, will perform Russian war songs ahead of the 60th anniversary of the Allies' victory in WWII, to be celebrated in May 2005.
"To us, it's a great honor to welcome the Russian corporate majors Gazprom and Aeroflot Airlines as the festival's sponsors," Mr. Kolushev said.
