The Santa Train's a Bust for 3,000 Rubles - A Letdown in Novokuznetsk

I just got back from the train event in our city, and I'm still buzzing from the experience. As I write this, the train is still in town, but our visit is already over. I'm writing this review hot off the press, so to speak.

Santa's TrainWe managed to miss the 10:00 arrival because it was freezing outside, and the transport schedule is a bit unpredictable. We spent 20 minutes freezing on the platform, but we made it to the event start around 10:10. The train stops at the first track, near the big platform. They set up a scene with some makeshift decorations, a fence, and a meeting area. That's where the festivities took place. There was some brief speech from a local official, which was a bit of a snooze fest for the adults, but the kids seemed to enjoy it. I mean, it's a private event organized by Russian Railways, so they must have coordinated with the local authorities, but they still managed to make it a kids-only affair. The parents were freezing, and I barely even noticed the official giving the speech. In fact, his absence from the stage would have actually improved the event.Frozen SnowflakesWhat really warmed my heart was watching the train staff member crawling along the platform to fix the train's wheels. He had to get to a specific spot, but he couldn't walk along the platform, so he crawled along the edge instead. Meanwhile, the Santa and Snow Maiden were dancing on stage, just a few feet away from him.

Santa's Train in NovokuznetskI didn't really pay attention to what was happening on stage, to be honest. I just pushed the kid towards the fence and kept an eye on her bright pink head, which would occasionally pop out from behind the adults. It was the usual 'we're glad you're here' speech, with some generic praise for our city.

Santa's Train 2024 We ended the night by making a wish, and each kid got to 'fill out' their own magic envelope. Santa and the Snow Maiden sang a rendition of that annoying 'White Birch' song, the snowflakes danced, and Santa and the Snow Maiden walked along the fence, waving to the kids, collecting letters from those who wanted to give them. I didn't even think about the letter, since we'd already sent one this year. I asked my daughter how she liked it, and she was totally stoked. She didn't even mention being cold, because she didn't want to leave.) That's what Santa looks like in the train And that's when we bailed at the train station, because it was FREEZING, and my daughter was frozen. We had tickets to a puppet show at 12, so we had about an hour and a half to kill. We walked across the square to Vilkula for some breakfast. Neither of us can eat right after waking up, and I thought we'd be heading back home after an hour. We wouldn't have lasted long on the cold, hungry and all. If anyone's reading this next year, Vilkula is on the second floor of the Express Mall, and it's about a 3-minute walk from the train station. They serve decent food and it's not too pricey - I paid 604 rubles for the two of us (mashed potatoes with a meatball, and some kind of veggie meatballs with a hot berry drink for both of us).

We got back to the train at 11:30, and my daughter participated in some kind of gathering off to the side. Everywhere the animators were working, the crowd was pretty much like in the photo. They were talking to a big round tablecloth with a snake on it, but I didn't really get what was going on, since we showed up at the end of the animation. We did manage to take a photo with the animators, though. MAKE SURE to take a current photo of the kid just as they are when you arrive at the event, repeat the kid's name, and the person they came with, and show them who to approach if they get lost: the animators, the police officers. If the kid can't talk well, write down their name and some phone numbers in your pocket to contact in case of an emergency. With an older kid, you can agree to meet up at a recognizable landmark, like the big Christmas tree on the platform. I think nobody got lost, but it's always better to be safe than sorry.

The staff are amazing. Everyone we interacted with, whether it was a smile or a helpful hand, was top-notch. They're all smiling, even though we're not sure if we're paying or not. They're great with kids, because the platform area is a pretty rough spot - crowded, cold, and slippery. I didn't see any chaos on my watch, and the train staff were super helpful. In the carriage before and after the show, they helped the kids get dressed and undressed. I was really impressed with the support staff - there were only a few of them, but they were all over the place, helping everyone out. One of them even helped me zip up my coat while I was putting on my hat, because it's freezing outside at -17 degrees Celsius.

I'd give the support staff a 5-star rating too.

Security seems to be handled by RZD, if I'm not mistaken. There are tons of police officers around, both in regular and railway uniforms - they're all friendly and helpful, pointing people in the right direction. At the entrance to the station, there are security checks, but they're quick and efficient. They just ask you to open your bags for a quick scan. It makes sense, given the crowds and the number of kids around.

The entrance to the station from the platform area is open, so you can wander back and forth as you please. Lots of people were using it to warm up and get some fresh air. Inside the station, there's a small café where you can grab a cup of coffee or tea and some snacks. We stumbled upon it by accident, because I'd been to the station a few times before and got turned around in the crowds. But it was a nice surprise.

In some cities, including ours, where trains often get stuck for hours, you can check out activities on board. There are two types:

Quest "Residence of Grandfather Frost", where kids go from carriage to carriage - we couldn't get tickets for that one.The puppet theatre on board. We managed to catch that one. I think I missed the sales window, because I overslept on the day tickets went on sale - it was a Sunday, and I forgot to buy tickets until the day before the train arrived.

Toy Train Theater I paid for the 'Toy Train Theater' service with a kid's escort. We caught a musical show called 'The Magic Book.' It cost 2,950 rubles for a child under 5 and an accompanying adult. My daughter's 4.5, and you can't send her alone, only with someone over 6. A plain kid's ticket is 500 rubles cheaper. Our tickets were for 12:00, and according to the rules, we had to arrive at the wagon 20 minutes before the show started. We got there at 19:00 and froze for 15 minutes. Get there 10 minutes before the show starts, and you'll have time to spare. After buying the ticket, I got a colorful invitation on my email, with the child's full name, and the adult goes with the kid. They check the original birth certificate. It says the adult needs the original passport, but they just checked the birth certificate. The guy had a list of all the people who bought tickets by time, and he matched the documents with the list, and we got in. We enter the wagon, and there's a mini-changing room at the entrance, really cramped. We undressed and moved on to the wagon. It's beautifully decorated, but you probably won't be able to take a good photo inside because we had too many visitors and limited time. Toy Train Theater The wagon has an amphitheater-style seating arrangement, with couches at an angle. A girl staff member seats the kids by height. My daughter was seated in the second row with other toddlers. She was happy. There are pillows for little ones under their bums, and the staff member was handing them out. They seat five kids in a row, and adults enter in groups of three. We took the last two and a half rows. One dad couldn't fit, so they gave him a bean bag chair. The branches and toys are clean and intact, plenty of them, and it looks nice. The show lasts 50 minutes, and it's over. I mean, the show was terrible. It was so boring that I dozed off at the beginning. They turned off the lights, and I got cold and tired, and I fell asleep. Not that I was asleep, but it was so dull that I was in a daze for five minutes. I didn't miss anything during that time. Keep in mind that I'm sitting in the last row, the projection is dynamic, the puppets are moving, and it's dark, so it's hard to imagine what it was like. The show is a puppet show, and it seems like it was from last year because there was a tiger (the symbol for 2024) and no snake (the symbol for 2025). The stage is small, and the projector displays the image, with a small area where the puppets work. The puppets are in a train according to the story. The puppet selection is weird. There's no Santa Claus, but there's Karachun, I think (something similar but less magical), an owl, rabbits, a housekeeper, and a grandma with magic powder. The grandma spilled the powder, and there were many housekeepers, and they ran off, some into somethingI have to say, the storyline got pretty convoluted and confusing. They went from searching for this hero in fairy tales to having characters pop into the story. There were three different storylines: one about Baba Yaga and the bear, one about a scene in a village hut, and one about the Snow Queen (the only doll that really impressed me). By the third time they entered the fairy tale from the kids' area, someone in the audience let out a disappointed 'Op'ya ya ya?! Yeah, it was really dull. The plot was pretty disjointed and not funny at all. The work with the audience was minimal.

I have to give a shoutout to the 'video calls to Grandfather Frost and the Snow Maiden', but they messed up the audio channels. On the screen, Grandfather Frost was on the left, but the sound was coming from the right, and vice versa for the Snow Maiden. I mean, for 3,000 rubles and another costume, you'd think they could at least get the sound right. At the end, someone's dad was even asleep, the kids were chatting with each other, but my kid seemed to enjoy it. I'd say the age limit for this show is around five years old, max, especially if you're with an adult.

The puppeteers did a decent job, they sang well, although there were only a couple of songs. The script was a total fail. There was no real Christmas spirit, except for the fact that they had a decorated train car on the back of the stage.

The actors came out into the audience at the end of the showThis show was super dull and poorly thought out, and the lack of Grandfather Frost was a major letdown, especially considering the price we paid for the quest, which had multiple beautifully decorated train cars with tons of animators working. In contrast, this show had just one train car with a bunch of bored people. I'd give it one star. They came up with this nonsense last year and are still running it this year, despite the fact that it was clear from the first show that kids wouldn't be interested.

The gift they give you on the way out of the train car is actually pretty nice, it's included in the ticket price, and it's a 500g bag of candy, a small sticker sheet, and a really cute branded box. I tried 80% of the candies (in terms of familiarity) and they were all good. My kid ended up with a huge pile of candy, and getting to eat all that sweet stuff from the New Year's gift was a whole different kind of happiness.

We didn't go to the train car restaurant or the souvenir shop, although they were open, because I wasn't planning on spending any more money. I read that other people were saying they had some crazy overpricing going on there.

We didn't get to go into the engineer's cab (there were people who managed to get in last year), and the train stopped in a way that made it really hard to get there. It was clear that nothing was happening in there, and there were hardly any people inside. If it were a bit warmer, we might have gone to look at the snowflake display, but in the cold, I didn't feel like dragging my kid along the platform.

Mixed feelings after this experience. Instead of getting into the holiday spirit, I felt let down by the kids' show. I mean, I was expecting something special, considering I paid a pretty penny to make my kid happy. We have a great local puppet theater, and for 1000 roubles (that's me and my kid), we can go during regular hours, and for 1500 roubles during holidays. And when Santa comes to our kid's daycare for a morning event, it costs 200 roubles per person, which is 4000 roubles for a group of four. So, for 3000 roubles to take the kids to see Santa on the train, I was expecting a great show and Santa's presence, at least for a few minutes at the end to sing 'Jingle Bells' together and wave goodbye. But the kids were bored. Holiday shows are usually either amazing or at least relevant: Santa, the Snow Maiden, the symbol of the year. But this one was none of the above. The only good thing was the candy they gave us, but who's impressed by that these days? We have candy at home most of the time. I'm guessing the Santa's Residence might be fun, and we might go there next year if I don't miss the tickets again, but no way am I recommending the puppet theater, and you can skip the free program on the train too, it's not that different from the one on the city square, just more crowded and with more hazards, no Christmas tree, and no procession.

So, what's the verdict?

The staff and animators were great, huge thanks to them for creating a holiday experience for the kids on a cold day. But if you don't go to the train for the free program, you won't miss out on anything. The puppet theater on the train was a total letdown. I'm guessing the show is from last year. The candy was nice, though. But considering the 2500 roubles for a kid's ticket (6+) and 3000 roubles for a ticket with an adult (3-5 year old kid + adult), the candy can't make up for the bad experience. Going to the Santa's Residence costs the same, but I haven't been able to evaluate it for obvious reasons. From me, 3 stars and not recommended. I wasted my time, money, and felt like I got robbed of a good candy. What the kids felt when they realized it was a waste of money, I don't even want to think about.