New Year’s Eve in Kyiv – As Quiet as Could Be

Saint Sophia's Cathedral in Kyiv on New Year's Eve

By Steve Richards

​Given that I’ve never before celebrated New Year’s in Kyiv I’m not sure what I should have expected. In the USA New Year’s Eve is generally thought of as the end of the Holiday Season which begins in late November with Thanksgiving then Christmas on December 25th, culminating with a big night of partying on New Year’s Eve. New Year’s Day is set aside for recovery. Resolutions are made, often not to drink so much for the next few weeks at least.

Ukraine’s holiday calendar is in flux due to the war. Used to be most of the country celebrated Christmas on January 7th according to the Orthodox church calendar. But patriotic fervor has caused the country to rethink that day because it is celebrated in Russia. December 25th has become the day for most here to coincide with European calendars. Additionally, for many the holidays really begin on St. Nicholas Day which is celebrated on December 19th and includes church services and gifts by the pillow for children.

New Year’s Eve here for most is a time with family and friends who celebrate the day together. Maybe a swim in a heated pool/spa, a nap, a feast with all kinds of traditional foods, gifts and a midnight celebration which appears to center around the kids. Or so I surmise. Again, this is my first time. Apparently though I still have another week to see what happens as I’m sure many will celebrate Christmas on the 7th.

My own quest for a New Year’s Eve experience I might recognize found me at a celebration at Kyiv’s Ukraine Hotel where I am staying. It promised a Gala Dinner and Festive Breakfast. With a $40 price tag how could I go wrong?

Well the dinner was amazing and provided eight plus courses – I believe dessert was the ninth, but I lost track. A $15 bottle of champagne was extra. But Kyiv is not celebrating anything too heartily at present. There was no band or dancing and a rather sparse crowd of 20 or so in the ballroom. The mirror ball was kept in the dark. The massive missile strike throughout Ukraine on Friday probably had something to do with the somber mood in Kyiv. Air-raid sirens and alerts have been frequent, and folks have been warned not to set off fireworks. 

Gala dinner at Ukraine Hotel

All in all though I felt like I must have found the biggest celebration in town. It felt festive in a subdued way in the largely empty ball room, especially when a party of 10 or so young ladies showed up dressed to kill. I used most of the time keeping track of the throttling my Dolphins were receiving at the hands of the Ravens on the ESPN app. The staff tried their best and made it all work.

After I finished my dinner I decided to take a walk down to Match Restaurant just to see if any additional celebrating could be discerned. The hotel is in the center of town overlooking Independence Square. If there was anything going on in Kyiv it would likely be around here.

​Nothing. Zilch. Nada. It was a ghost town out there aside from a few stragglers and a group of youngsters hooting a bit on their way home to beat the midnight curfew, a few well-armed police officers standing watch. The food and coffee stalls normally open were closed up. The streets were empty. Fireworks were nonexistent and Match was closed.

So back to the hotel for me just in time to catch midnight merry making by the “crowd” in the ballroom which included the singing of the national anthem and a small dog looking for some petting, which I happily provided.

I’m thinking the crowd kept it going for a while, but I decided I could avoid a hangover if I just went to bed.

​Getting old I guess.

​The scene at the Ukraine Hotel at midnight on New Year's Eve 2023-2024 in Kyiv.