It was at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg that the ballet The Sleeping Beauty, with a score by Tchaikovsky and choreography by Marius Petipa, premiered in 1890. This New Year's Eve programme revolves around Act III, in which Princess Aurora is brought out of her long sleep by the prince of her dreams and marries him. A true explosion of grace and virtuosity from the Mariinsky company. In addition, prima ballerina Uliana Lopatkina dances the famous Death of the Swan by Camille Saint-Saëns, first performed by Anna Pavlova.

To conclude, soloists from the Mariinsky Theatre's Academy of Young Singers perform the finale of Rossini's Il viaggio a Reims in a joyous celebration of the arrival of the New Year.