Saint Petersburg Marks October Revolution Centenary with Festival of Lights

Russia's "cultural capital," St. Petersburg marked the centenary of the October Revolution with a two-day festival of lights, starting Nov. 4. 

RELATED:
Communist Parties of Russia, China Publish new Book on Lenin to Mark Russian Revolution Centenary

The festival that took place on Dvortsovaya Ploshad (Palace Square), was organized by the Saint-Petersburg Committee for Tourism Development. It showcased awe-inspiring light music installations during the evenings. One of the venues, the General Staff building showcased an "epic panorama dedicated to the events of 1917," according to the local tourism website. 

One of the major highlights of the event that took place for the fourth time this year is the lighting up of the 116-year-old iconic Russian battleship, "Aurora," symbolic of the beginning of the Russian Revolution. The legendary Cruiser is now preserved as a museum ship on the Petrogradskaya Embankment in St. Petersburg.

Aurora was one of the Pallada-class cruisers and was first used during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905. The world-renowned cruiser is known to have opened fire on the Winter Palace, marking the onset of the October Revolution.