New Year 2026 has arrived across Russia; the last people to greet it at 01:00 Moscow time were residents of the Kaliningrad region, where it was midnight. The main platform for the New Year's festival of the people of Kaliningrad is the fair on Kant Island.
“This year, the traditional fair on Kant Island is held in a cinematic setting. Participants are invited to teleport to locations based on their favorite movies, from “The Chronicles of Narnia” and “Alice in Wonderland” to “Harry Potter” and “My Neighbor Totoro.” Each fairgoer recreates scenes from the painting. They also prepare their favorite dishes, including Baltic herring meat and grandmother's sour cream recipe, Mexican cookies, Fried potato cakes with red caviar and other specialties will take place until January 11,” Cathedral press secretary Yana Lutchenko told .
Visitors to the fair can visit about 20 food courts and 15 souvenir shops. Master classes of Kaliningrad artisans are also held. Their topics are diverse – from painting gingerbread cookies, preparing medieval cakes and coffee according to ancient recipes to printing patterns on fabric. At each master class you can create New Year's gifts for family and friends.
Traditionally, tourist attractions in the region are also the Immanuel Kant and the World Ocean museum, the zoo, the Baltic Festival Winter Holidays in Kaliningrad, concerts and performances at the Yantar Hall in Svetlogorsk, the Park of Light in Guryevsk, various Christmas and New Year fairs taking place in most municipalities of the region. At the same time, on New Year's Eve in Kaliningrad, like many years ago, there will be no fireworks displays.
Kaliningrad Region is expected to welcome at least 75 thousand tourists during the New Year holidays, about 7-8% more than last year, Minister of Regional Culture and Tourism Andrei Ermak told. During the 2024-2025 season, the Kaliningrad region welcomed 69 thousand tourists, exceeding the figure for the same period in 2024 by 9.5%. The 2026 New Year holiday will last 12 days – from December 31, 2025 to January 11, 2026.
