Tatarstan entered the top 3 in ticket sales on the "Pushkin map"

The Republic of Tatarstan took 3rd place among the regions of RUSSIA in terms of ticket sales using the Pushkin Card and the number of cards issued, Tatarstan Minister of Culture Irada Ayupova said.

“The Republic of Tatarstan is the third after Moscow and St. Petersburg in Russia in terms of the number of tickets sold. More than 350 million rubles our cultural institutions - not only state, but also non-state - received under this program, and these are specific visits to specific people, ”she said.

According to Ayupova, more than 220,000 schoolchildren and young people aged 14 to 22 used the Pushkin Card - they purchased tickets worth 350 million rubles in a year.

The Minister of Culture of the Republic of Tatarstan noted that the Pushkin Card is becoming more popular thanks to cultural events, for example, children under 18 can visit state museums for free, and on the first Tuesday of each month, state museums become free for adults as well.

“If we are talking about, for example, visits to museums by children, then in our republic visits to all state museums are free. This year, from November to December, we have implemented a campaign where one parent and their children go for free to motivate family visits to museums. We had situations when we were told: “Listen, what are you doing with people, you have queues of 500 meters to museums!” We have free days - this is the first Tuesday of every month - free admission for everyone," Ayupova said.

The all-Russian program "Pushkin Card" started on September 1, 2021. Young people from 14 to 22 years old can pay by card for tickets to theaters and museums, to concerts. On February 1, 2022, cinemas joined the program. From January 1, 2022, the face value of the card is 5 thousand rubles per year. 

Aleksey Stepantsov, HEAD of the Kazan Youth Theater on Bulak, told RBC Tatarstan that the Pushkin Card program helped the theater a lot last fall, when restrictions were in place due to covid-19 .

“For us, this program was a saving grace last year, in the fall, when new restrictions on visiting were introduced, when QR codes were issued. We went to schools, colleges, universities and were able to organize events both at their sites and at our own thanks to the Pushkin Card. Despite all the financial difficulties at that time, we overcame the crisis largely thanks to this program,” Stepantsov shared.

The head of the theater said that 8 out of 10 spectators who come to performances become regular visitors, and the share of tickets paid for by the Pushkin Card is very large, because the theater works not only on its site, but also in schools and universities.

“We have held and are holding events both in schools and colleges, and on our site, so it happens that a whole class or a whole course goes through the Pushkin Card. And it happens that after the first visit to our theater, the audience again purchase tickets to our theater on the "Pushkin card". Our statistics here are very positive, the dynamics are excellent. If this program continues, we will only be glad and happy, so we hope that it will not be closed next year,” Stepantsov concluded.

The press service of the Kazan Circus told RBC Tatarstan that in October 2022, the site sent a request to the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Tatarstan with a request to include the circus in the Pushkin Map program, but did not receive a decision on this issue.

“We at the Kazan Circus receive requests and questions every week whether it is possible to use the Pushkin Card to visit the circus - the audience has a need for such a service. We, for our part, are confident that the Kazan Circus can rightfully be a participant in the project, because it is not only an entertainment institution. The Kazan circus plays a significant role in the education and upbringing of young people,” the press service of the circus said.

In September last year, the press service of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic reported that the issue of including the Kazan Circus in the federal program "Pushkin Map" was postponed.

“The main repertoire of the circus does not apply to the events that are included in the Pushkin Map project. The possibility of including circuses in the future in the program will be decided by the federal expert council, ”the ministry said at the time.

In April 2022, the trainer, People's Artist of Russia and DIRECTOR of the Great Moscow State Circus on Edgar Zapashny proposed the head of the State Duma Committee on Culture, Elena Yampolskaya, to include circuses in the Pushkin Map program. This was reported by RIA Novosti. 

In October, TASS, citing Russian Minister of Culture Olga Lyubimova, reported that the government was considering this possibility. 

“Of course, the main question that the circuses raised was related to the fact that the Pushkin Map was originally planned as an educational project. And the circus performance is perceived as a more entertaining art form. But we are also working and hope for a positive decision,” Lyubimova said.

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