Fun Under the Midnight Sun

體驗午夜太陽的滋味The sun shines on the White Nights Festival In St. Petersburg, Russia, people are losing sleep to attend the White Nights Festival在俄羅斯聖彼得堡，人們不惜熬夜參加永晝節 by Chelsea Ewald

Tonight, most people around the world will turn in for the night after darkness settles. But for many in St. Petersburg, Russia, the late hours won’t keep people in – the late hours will draw people out. For the next three months, the White Nights Festival, an international arts celebration like no other, will welcome visitors from far and wide. Taking place during the season of the midnight sun, the famed festival has something for everyone – so long as they’re willing to stay out late.

Stars of the White Nights
The festival kicks off tonight with a performance of Stars of the White Nights. Composed of ballet, opera and symphony events, this portion of the festival features famous local and international performers. Maestro and festival artistic director Vallery Gergiev created Stars of the White Nights in 1993 as a "musical gift" to St. Petersburg. Initially a 10-day event, Stars of the White Nights now spans the entire three-month run of the festival. Audience members enjoy outstanding performances by renowned conductors, dancers and musicians in the historic Mariinsky Theatre and Mariinsky Concert Hall.

Carnivals of the White Nights
If ballet and opera aren't your cup of tea, perhaps carnivals are. Throughout the festival celebration, a series of entertaining carnivals takes place. The largest and most well-known is found in the Peterhof suburb of St. Petersburg. here, actors, and actresses in period costumes give performances recreating historical Russian events. People attending can even opt to take a carriage and actresses in period costumes give performances recreating historical Russian events. People attending can even opt to take a carriage ride around the beautiful Peterhof Park.

Scarlet Sails celebration
The culminating event of the White Nights Festival is the Scarlet Sails celebration, the largest public event anywhere in Russia. Nearly 1 million people attend each year in anticipation of spectacular fireworks, rowing and motorboat races, and staged pirate battles on the Neva River. To top it all off, a large ship sporting massive scarlet sails makes its way down the river as onlookers watch in awe. Inspired by the book Scarlet Sails by Alexander Grin, this tradition began after World War II as a celebration of the end of the school year. Heading home in the early hours of the morning, everyone agrees that participating in White Nights was worth losing a little sleep over.

More Information
Pop Music at the palace Square
Each summer during the White Nights Festival pop music artists from around the world perform at the palace Square. Although this space is most often used for military parades, large demonstrations and political events, during the festival the square transforms into a platform for screaming and adoring fans. Recent performers include Paul McCartney and the Rolling Stones.

Vocabulary
turn in-上床睡觉 go to bed sleep.
*Ellen usually turns in at 11 pm.
*The kids turned in after listening to their bedtime stories.
*Don't call Grandpa this late! He's probably already turned in for the night!
draw- 拉，吸， 吸引drew-是“拉”的过去式 drawn-是“拉”的过去分词。
draw someone out-吸引某人前往
*the sequel to the blockbuster drew many fans out.这部轰动影片的续集。。
*Wonderful weather drew people out to the parks.
kick off-开始，开启，展开
*The awards ceremony kicked off with an orchestra performance. 以管弦乐团的表演为这颁奖典礼展开序幕。
*The basketball game will kick off in 5 minutes.
Not be somebody's cup of tea/ not be someone's cup of tea -不是默认茶杯里的茶,指非某人所好.
*Mathematics isn't my cup of tea. I tried hard to study it, but still flunked the tests.
*Classical music really ins't Joseph's cup of tea. He prefers rock-and-roll. 古典乐
opt-pot for/ pot to -选择 choice
*George opted for a transfer to another state.
*Chloe opted to quit school and go to Hollywood to pursue her dreams.
culminate-达到最巅峰,高峰,最顶点
*After years of research, the scientists' discovery culminated in the cure of a rare genetic disease.
*His acting career culminated in his performance in the Oscar-wining movie.

Grammar
.... the White Nights Festival, an international arts celebration, like no other, will welcome visitors from far and wide.
like no other- short for "like no other celebration"
like no other- for mention something is very unique. 有别于其他的，与众不同的，无法比的
I have attended many concerts before, but this musician's performance was like on other.
That restaurant serves a spaghetti dish like no other.

Chat room
stay-留
stay out -在外面逗留. at somewhere out of the house
stay out late- 獃在外头不睡觉
stay in- stay at home or indoor.
I like to stay in relax but sometimes I like to stay out with friends.
stay up / stay up late- 熬夜
stay over-过夜 My cousin will stay over my house tonight.
stay down-运动, 姿势或身体保持低度,接近地面. nothing to do with sleep.
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urban (n)-都市,城市
suburban (adj)- 城市外围的郊区sub-次要的
suburb-城市外围的郊区
suburbs (n)-城市外围的郊区(很多不同的地区)
The suburbs= suburbia (n)-集合名词城市外围的郊区