Caprice Palace New Year Party

We were very fortunate this season. We’ve long had a very special relationship with the magnificent Arkhangelskoye estate. One of our very first projects, in fact, was the Baroque promenade concert at the mentioned estate. Since then, we have grown deeply attached to this impressive space and are always happy to do projects with them. And here is the happy coincidence: at the very end of 2019, after many years of renovation the small Caprice palace, a landmark building of the large estate complex, finally opened its doors to visitors. Soon it will house the famous Yusupov chinaware collection. In the meantime, we took the opportunity to put together the great palace exravaganza, Caprice New Year party.
What prompted the idea of reviving traditions of home-held New Year parties with Russia’s aristocratic families was the palace itself. The images of old-time Christmas celebrations, described numerous times in Russian literature, instantly come to life in our collective memory: a mere hint is enough to see a lush fir tree dressed with gilded nuts and candles, hear the smell of pine needles, and plunge into the charming warmth of this winter holiday.
Our party started off with exuberant winter fun out in the fresh air. In the meantime, the grand Caprice palace was waiting for its little guests with lots on offer. The old-time games like cup and ball and hide and clap were a hit, just as the hairstyle workshop, the silhouette photoshoot, and the porcelain painting workshop. The guests were then invited to enjoy a puppet theater show based on The Town in the Snuffbox fairytale by Vladimir Odoyevsky. Their parents, in the meantime, were offered refreshments. The party finished late at winter dusk with each guest bearing gifts and happy memories.