Must-see entertainment in Eastern Europe

  • Musicians on stage at JFC jazz club.

    JFC Jazz Club

    St Petersburg

    Very small and very New York, this cool club is the best place in the city to hear modern, innovative jazz music, as well as blues, bluegrass and various…

  • BB King

    Moscow

    This old-style blues club hosts an open jam session on Wednesday night, acoustic blues on Sunday and live performances other nights. The restaurant is…

  • Yugoslav Drama Theatre

    Belgrade

    Founded in 1947, the highly regarded and much awarded JDP has three stages. The repertoire ranges from innovative interpretations of the classics of world…

  • Dakh Theatre

    Kyiv

    Simply the coolest thing that's happening on Ukrainian theatre stage. Look out for perfomances involving The Dakh Daughters – a 15-strong 'singing siren'…

  • National Palace of Culture

    Sofia

    The 'NDK' (as it’s usually called) has 15 halls and is the country’s largest cultural complex. It maintains a regular program of events throughout the…

  • National Theatre

    Belgrade

    This glorious 1869 building hosts operas, dramas and ballets during autumn, winter and spring.

  • Lenkom Theatre

    Moscow

    The Lenkom isn’t the most glamorous theatre, but it’s widely considered to have the strongest acting troupe in the country. The flashy productions and…

  • The entrance to Pomada gay club in Kyiv

    Pomada

    Kyiv

    You know Kyiv's come a long way when we can actually publish the names of gay clubs (they used to all be underground). This is a lively and centrally…

  • Bitef Art Cafe

    Belgrade

    There's something for everyone at this delightful hotchpotch of a cafe-club. Funk, soul and jazz get a good airing, as do rock, world and classical music…

  • National Opera House

    Sofia

    Opened in 1953, this monumental edifice is the venue for classical opera and ballet performances, as well as special concerts for children. Enter from ul…

  • Ivan Vazov National Theatre

    Sofia

    One of Sofia's most elegant buildings, the Viennese-style National Theatre opened in 1907 and is the city's main stage for Bulgarian drama.

  • Club Terminal 1

    Sofia

    Live music on two floors, with several adjoining bars, marks this as the centre's best-known and most popular alternative music venue.

  • Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory

    St Petersburg

    This illustrious music school was the first public music school in Russia. The Bolshoy Zal (Big Hall) on the 3rd floor is an excellent place to see…

  • Roof Cinema

    St Petersburg

    During the summer months attend atmospheric outdoor screenings on the city's rooftops via the Roof Cinema, which hosts shows at Mod Club and the New Stage…

  • Hermitage Theatre

    St Petersburg

    Designed by Giacomo Quarenghi, this intimate neoclassical auditorium was once the private theatre of the imperial family, and stands on the site of the…

  • Dom Kino

    St Petersburg

    One of the handful of cinemas in the city where you can see foreign films and some higher-brow Hollywood productions with subtitles, as well as arty…

  • Mariinsky Concert Hall

    St Petersburg

    Opened in 2007, this concert hall is a magnificent multifaceted creation. It manages to preserve the historic brick facade of the set and scenery…

  • Fish Fabrique

    St Petersburg

    There are St Petersburg institutions and then there’s Fish Fabrique, the museum of local boho life that has been going for over two decades. Here, in the…

  • Avrora

    St Petersburg

    Opening in 1913 as the Piccadilly Picture House, this was the city’s most fashionable cinema in the early years of Russian film, and it has retained its…

  • Hamam Jazz Bar

    Pristina

    Easily Pristina's most stylish nightspot, this place was also the city's first dedicated jazz bar. It's a fantastically atmospheric lounge, and its…

  • New Stage

    St Petersburg

    The New Stage at Alexandrinsky, which opened in 2013, is a strikingly modern building for the historic city center but one that keeps a low profile due to…

  • Yusupov Palace Theatre

    St Petersburg

    Housed inside the outrageously ornate Yusupov Palace, this elaborate yet intimate venue was the home entertainment centre for one of the city’s foremost…

  • Kremlin Ballet

    Moscow

    The Bolshoi Theatre doesn’t have a monopoly on ballet in Moscow. Leading dancers also appear with the Kremlin Ballet, which performs in the State Kremlin…

  • Hi-Hat

    St Petersburg

    On the rooftop of an art cluster near the Botanical Gardens, Hi-Hat hosts nights of live music, DJs and open-air film screenings. The creative line-up and…

  • Maly Drama Theatre

    St Petersburg

    Also called the Theatre of Europe, the Maly is St Petersburg’s most internationally celebrated theatre. Its director Lev Dodin is famed for his long…

  • Art Labyrinth

    Chişinău

    Difficult to categorise, this charmingly derelict multipurpose collective is of most interest as a performing-arts and concert venue, but also contains…

  • Jazz Philharmonic Hall

    St Petersburg

    Founded by legendary jazz violinist and composer David Goloshchokin, this venue represents the more traditional side of jazz. Two resident bands perform…

  • Shostakovich Philharmonia

    St Petersburg

    Under the artistic direction of world-famous conductor Yury Temirkanov, the Philharmonia represents the finest in orchestral music. The Bolshoy Zal is the…

  • Kamchatka

    St Petersburg

    A shrine to Viktor Tsoy, the late Soviet-era rocker who worked as caretaker of this former boilerhouse bunker with band mates from Kino. Music lovers…

  • Satirikon Theatre

    Moscow

    Boasting one of Moscow’s most talented theatre producers, Konstantin Raikin, as well as a host of big-name directors, the Satirikon earned a reputation in…

  • St Petersburg Opera

    St Petersburg

    Housed in the sumptuous (and dare we say, rather bizarre) former home of Baron von Derviz, the St Petersburg Opera performs regular operas in its intimate…

  • Lendok

    St Petersburg

    Occupying a grand former mansion, this cinema and working film studio specialises mainly in documentary films, including international ones, although they…

  • Red Fox Jazz Café

    St Petersburg

    The fun and friendly Red Fox Jazz Café is a subterranean space that showcases various jazz styles in the old-fashioned 1920s to '50s sense: big band,…

  • Cabaret

    St Petersburg

    This latest incarnation of a gay club that has been going in various forms for over a decade is a great place for a campy, old-school experience, complete…

  • Upsala Circus

    St Petersburg

    Set up in 2000, this circus teaches performing skills to children with disabilities or from environments where they are at social risk. Unlike other…

  • National Arena

    Bucharest

    The 56,000-seat national stadium was opened in 2011 and is home turf to the city's biggest football club, Steaua Bucureşti. The arena also hosts…

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