Moscow celebrates City Day

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Moscow celebrates City Day

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Russian capital celebrates the annual City Day with colourful marches and performances.

03 September,2012 04:24 am

Moscow marked the traditional annual City Day on Saturday (September 1) with military orchestras marching through city streets and Latin American carnival in the Sakharov Avenue, a focal point of mass anti-Kremlin rallies earlier this year.Performers dressed in Brazilian, Mexican and other Latin American carnival costumes marched and danced in the street, with hundreds of pedestrians, many of them with their children, joining he dance and enjoying the show.Many spectators welcomed the Latin America Carnival and said they were highly impressed by the non-traditional City Day event.I think its a fantastic celebration, I wish the Muscovites all the best, its a great city, I like everything here, spectator Galina from a provincial town told Reuters.Another carnival viewer said she wished there were happier people in the streets on the carnival day.I would like to see more relaxed people, who wouldnt hide their emotions, because what is happening here is very impressive, Nastya from Moscow said.In the late evening the Spasskaya Bashnya (The Saviours Tower), kicked off in the Red Square. The annual military bands festival, a combination of military, classical, folk and popular music as well as military band parades and dance shows, hosts hundreds of participants from various countries.The Kremlins Presidential Orchestra, the best bagpipe musicians from the European Union, the Musical Corps of the German Bundeswehr, Italian Carabinieri, French hussars, Chinese dancers and the orchestra of the Guards of Honour of Kazakhstan performed in front of the Kremlin walls and St.Basil cathedral.The orchestras played classical, military, folk and national music accompanied by dances, displays of arms and folklore performances.Fireworks and laser shows crowned the military music program late on Saturday.Organisers estimate the festival audience in the Red Square only to exceed 7,000 people, with more than 56,000 people in the entire festival.The Spasskaya Bashnya military bands festival, which is named after the main Kremlin tower, has become a popular event in Moscow. This years Spasskaya Tower commemorates the 200th anniversary of the war against Napoleonic France in 1812.Over the years the number of participating military orchestras from around has grown, attracting international media attention and bringing together thousands of spectators each day during the festival.The Spasskaya Bashnya 2012 military music festival will run until September 8.