New Year is a miracle that children and adults are looking forward to. It is believed that this holiday is the most magical, and it is with its arrival that all the most secret desires and dreams should come true. In childhood, the night from December 31 to January 1 seems truly fabulous. All children like to prepare for the holiday, decorate the Christmas tree and wait for Santa Claus. So why not visit the Christmas tree museum in Sokolniki with your whole family on New Year's holidays and not be charged with a festive mood?
An excursion that children will enjoy!
Before you book an excursion or set aside a day for a trip, please note that this is a museum created specifically for young guests. The target audience of this entertainment and educational institution is children from 5-6 to 14-16 years old. This does not mean that you will not be allowed on an excursion with preschoolers, or that adults will not be interested. But viewing the exposition involves a fabulous journey with real New Year miracles. The Sokolniki Museum of Christmas Toys is a place where there are no boring lectures, and the theoretical part of the guide’s story is compressed to the required minimum. But to see with your own eyes how shiny balls and Christmas trees appear from almost nothing, every visitor can make a toy with his own hands and participate in a festive tea party.
New Year traditions from around the world
At the entrance to the museum, each guest is given a New Year cap, without which one cannot get into the world of New Year miracles. In the first room you can see the main New Year wizards from different countries. Here the guide will tell the story of Santa Claus, and you will also see "Santa Clauses" from different countries. High-quality full-length dolls are each located in their place with a brief description and indication of the country. This is Indian Lakshmi; Ayaz-Ata congratulating children in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan; Befana's Italian sorceress, Joulupucci - the Christmas goat and some others. Then visitors get into the Soviet apartment, where they are already waiting for quite familiar Santa Claus and the Snow Maiden. The miracles offered by the Factory of Christmas tree decorations museum in Sokolniki do not end there. The guide delicately knocks on the cupboard and asks permission to enter, after which he invites everyone present.
Production and collection of toys
You can find out how to make Christmas balls in the gnome's tent. Here visitors are invited to watch a short film. And after that you can see the production with your own eyes. Museum of Christmas tree decorations in Sokolniki reveals all the secrets of the art of glass-blowers and artists painting balls. After the production workshop you can see a collection of toys. In the windows you will see both old Soviet exhibits and more modern ones. It also presents completely non-standard toys, for example, in the form of a car or mobile phone. It is worth noting that the Museum of Christmas tree decorations in Sokolniki is really engaged in production, and all the workplaces of the masters that are demonstrated during the tour are real.
Additional services
After a fascinating tour, you can try to make a ball yourself. Visitors are offered master classes in painting, during which you can make unique beautiful toys yourself. Finished jewelry can be taken home and hung on your own Christmas tree. Guests are also offered a fabulous tea party from a huge samovar with delicious sweets. On this excursion program ends. Do not forget to visit the souvenir shop where you can buy handcrafted toys at a price of 200 rubles apiece.
How to get to the museum?
The Christmas tree factory is located at 1 Sokolniki Val , Building 1, Sokolniki Park, Pavilion 17. The nearest metro station is Sokolniki. By car, you can enter the park through the 3rd Radial clearing, entry is paid. The museum can be visited as part of a group or viewed independently. The exposition is open from 11:00 to 20:00. Guided tours for schools are organized, but only by appointment. How much does it cost to visit the Museum of Christmas tree decorations in Sokolniki? Since the exposition is seasonal, it is most profitable to come here before November 20: on weekdays, the entrance ticket costs 250 rubles, on holidays and weekends - 300 rubles. From November 21 to January 10, prices increase markedly: on weekdays - 400 rubles, weekends / holidays - 500 rubles. The master class is paid separately: 250 rubles for painting 1 toy. For participation in a tea party you need to pay 100 rubles.
Museum of Christmas tree decorations in Sokolniki: visitor reviews
None of the children in this fabulous place remains indifferent. The tour lasts only about 40 minutes, but thanks to the abundance of events and interesting stories of the guide, time flies by unnoticed. The most unusual surprises await the little guests of the factory: somewhere you have to guess riddles, somewhere you make a wish, and then get into a real “snowstorm”. Visitors also like workshops, for an affordable price everyone can feel like a real master and create a unique decoration for a home Christmas tree. The museum offers a good ratio of interactive and theoretical parts. During the tour you can learn a lot, but it will not be boring.
Museum "Factory of Christmas tree decorations" in Sokolniki has not only positive reviews. Some visitors complain that the cost of the tour is too high. According to others, it’s not worth going to Sokolniki just to visit this exposition. There are different opinions about going to the museum on weekends and holidays, when there is quite a lot of people here. Someone admires the professionalism of the staff and argues that even with a large number of guests you can fully enjoy the tour. But there are also dissatisfied visitors telling that their group did not receive enough attention due to the previous or next.
In any case, if there is an opportunity and free time, the museum of Christmas decorations is worth a visit to the whole family. And try not to be upset or spoil the festive mood, even if something goes wrong as you expected!