New Year trees in Moscow

This year the authorities in Moscow decided to put up the city's New Year and Christmas decorations early, on November 25, in order to summon up the festive spirit among the city's residents well ahead of time. Arrangements for this year's New Year decorations are different - for the first time young designers have been drafted in to help with the arrangement of the capital's decorations.
Photo: decorations on the Christmas tree in Manezh Square.

A highlight this year is the 96 new light decorations depicting Christmas symbols suspended above the roads. It is hoped the strings of lights along traffic routes together with the architectural illuminations will evoke a festive spirit among all Muscovites and visitors to the capital for the entire New Year holiday period.
Photo: the Christmas tree in Lubyanskaya Ploshchad.

Muscovites can enjoy the Christmas lights until January 20. A total of 72 Christmas trees have been put up in the city center.
Photo: Christmas tree in memory of Yuri Dolgorukiy in Tverskaya Ploshchad.

Christmas tree in Tverskaya Street.

Glass bus shelters on Moscow's streets have been decorated with New Year figures depicting characters from fairy tales. The whole family can get their picture taken with them.

Christmas tree with toys lights up Butyrskiy Val Street.

A Christmas tree on Teatralnaya Ploshchad with green fairy lights and pink toys.

A huge open-air ice rink, over 3,000 sq m in size, has opened in Red Square. This is already the sixth time that Muscovites and visitors to the capital have been able to enjoy this outdoor skating rink.

The largest ice rink in Europe, with an area of 15,000 sq m, has opened in Gorky Park.

The ice rink, which is decorated with festive lights and has an outdoor skating surface designed by an Austrian company, promises to be the best in Moscow. The skating rink will be open from December 1 to March 15, 2012.