Halloween draws the largest crowd in Russia during celebrations in Moscow and Yekaterinburg, a fact highlighted by the Mamba study and later reviewed by socialbites.ca. The study measures engagement on a 1 to 10 scale, where 1 means minimal observance and 10 marks a strong celebration.
In Moscow, the sentiment lands at 6.8 points, while Yekaterinburg scores 6.7. On Halloween night, residents of Moscow tend to attend costume parties most often (18%), followed by watching horror films (14%) and decorating homes (11%). In Yekaterinburg, people favor gatherings with friends (36%) and watching horror movies (18%).
For residents of Moscow and Yekaterinburg, Halloween is largely a playful holiday influenced by American films, with 14% and 18% respectively noting this connection. For about one third of Yekaterinburg residents and roughly one in six Muscovites, donning beautiful and interesting costumes is a key part of the celebration. A notable share, about 33% of Muscovites, believe that sexy costumes are the best way to spark romance on the holiday.
St. Petersburg ranks third in the scale with 6.2 points. For residents of St. Petersburg, Halloween is a holiday filled with eye catching outfits. A strong 37% celebrate with friends at themed parties, and a majority around 60% feel that baking desserts and decorating the home add a romantic touch to Halloween.
Samara and Voronezh tie for fourth and fifth places with 6.0 points each. In Samara, people enjoy themed dates (33%), while in Voronezh the focus leans toward horror movies (25%).
The survey notes that Moscow and St. Petersburg show a significantly higher level of Halloween activity, with celebrations in those regions outpacing others by about 17 percentage points. Hashtags tied to Halloween are most popular among younger audiences, particularly those aged 18 to 25, with a strong female participation, about 80 percent. Within this young demographic, roughly 13,000 women describe themselves as witches in their profile bios, a figure the study says is approximate but observed in social data. A week before Halloween, there is a modest uptick in registrations among the three-year horizon, roughly 6 percent, a trend seen mainly in Moscow and St. Petersburg and focused among enthusiasts who follow event pages and related content more actively, according to comments from Olga Morozova, the Marketing Director at Mamba.
Nizhny Novgorod sits at 3 points, with Saratov at 2 and Perm at 1, indicating limited Halloween observance in those regions. In these areas, residents show little association with the holiday and pay little attention to themed decorations in public spaces. The availability of Halloween themed dates in local venues is likewise sparse.
Earlier statements by Milonov had labeled Halloween as the holiday of perverts and degenerates, a viewpoint that reflects a controversial stance rather than a broad cultural consensus. The current findings underscore regional variation in Halloween participation across Russia, with cross regional contrasts shaped by local customs, social dynamics, and exposure to international media narratives. The data also point to a younger, more social media oriented audience that engages with Halloween through costumes, parties, and collaborative activities, while many older residents maintain a more cautious or less celebratory approach. (Mamba study, reviewed by socialbites.ca)