Bulgakov Fest 2026 kicks off in Moscow this week

This week, the fourth Bulgakov Fest — one of the most atmospheric literary events of the year — begins in Moscow. The festival will run from May 14 to 17 and is dedicated to two anniversaries at once: the 135th anniversary of the birth of Mikhail Afanasyevich Bulgakov and the 60th anniversary of the first publication of the novel The Master and Margarita in the magazine Moskva.

Organizer — the Mikhail Bulgakov Museum with the support of the Moscow Department of Culture. The main venues: the legendary “Bad Apartment” at 10 Bolshaya Sadovaya Street, the Central House of Writers, the State Historical Museum, and the Oktyabr Cinema and Concert Hall.

The program looks vibrant and engaging. The festival will open on May 14 with a chamber music concert at the museum’s research and education center. On May 15, the exhibition “Manuscripts Don’t Burn” will open at the “Bad Apartment,” featuring rare documents and a typewritten copy of the novel. Lectures, stage adaptations of A Young Doctor’s Notebook, and discussions will take place at the Central House of Writers. At the Oktyabr, Vladimir Bortko’s Heart of a Dog will be screened. On May 16, the State Historical Museum will host a discussion about the housing question in the writer’s life and work. The festival will conclude on May 17 with a special program at the State Historical Museum.

Plus city routes: an author-led tour of Bulgakov-related addresses and a gastronomic collaboration with references to Professor Preobrazhensky’s famous menu.

The festival traditionally feels intimate and free of unnecessary officialdom. No one tries to “reinterpret” Bulgakov here — instead, visitors are simply given another chance to immerse themselves in his world, walk the same streets, listen to the music of his era, and remember why the phrase “manuscripts don’t burn” still works like a spell.

Sources

Official website of the Mikhail Bulgakov Museum and the mos.ru portal (May 2026).

KP.ru, Moscow 24, Rambler (publications dated May 6–12, 2026). Full project title: “Bulgakov Fest — 2026.” May 14–17, 2026, Moscow.