The first day honoured the local hockey team – SKA St Petersburg - who won the Gagarin Hockey cup in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).

Then overnight, the stage was transformed to host St. Petersburg City Day on the Sunday, celebrating the iconic city’s 312th anniversary with a classical concert.

These two events were the culmination of a whole week of celebrations.

The fixtures were hung in a series of trusses in the large roof / stage structure and included Robe MMX WashBeams, LEDWash 600s plus ColorSpot and ColorWash 2500E ATs.

Robe fixtures were chosen for their power and brightness, as well as their wide range of features which gave the full flexibility needed to light the two very different event set ups, and also because of their durability in outdoor conditions – always a consideration when dealing with erratic weather conditions!

Lighting designer / operator for the SKA St Petersburg event was Nickolay Dimitryev. The hi-energy show included performances by a rock-tastic line-up of bands including Splin, Tantsi Minus, Zvery and Basta, which gave Nickolav a chance to maximise all the Robe fixtures and ensure that all of them had a great looking show.

SKA St Petersburg team also made a personal appearance onstage to the delight of their fans – around 150,000 people rocked up to enjoy the music and show their appreciation for the team’s achievement!

On Sunday the pace slowed a bit with the classical concert which was hosted by the Mikhailovsky Theatre symphony orchestra and special guests with a number of opera performers and other classical music stars. This was also attended by large crowds.