The annual Russian spring festival, Maslenitsa, is taking place in London this week.

The main event in Trafalgar Square has some familiar names for the Eurovision Song Contest, as the Buranovo Grannies will perform to the estimated 100.000 revellers.

The Buranovo Grannies famously charmed Europe in Baku last year, taking a second place at the Eurovision Song Contest.

Also the 2010 Russian entrant Petr Nalitch will be performing.

Big name Russian pop star Polina Gagarina took part in the Russian national final last year and will also be taking to the Trafalgar Square stage.

The event, supported by the Mayor of London, is free of charge and welcomes everybody. Maslenitsa is the Russian celebration of spring for the whole family, and is also known as the butter festival or pancake week.

It is celebrated before Lent according to Russian Orthodox Calendar, where Easter is later than in the western Christian world.

The Trafalgar Square event on Saturday 16 March, 13.30 – 18.30 local time. Free entry.

Several other Russian cultural events around London all week, see website below for details.

The London Maslenitsa website