Moscow:Kremlin critics may complain about the limited freedom to protest in Russia, but one march organised by foreigners continues to thrive, the annual St Patrick's Day parade - the only festivity of its kind in the Russian capital.
Now in its 15th year, it receives the benign support of Moscow City Hall, the same place that bans gay rights demonstrations and frowns upon anti-Putin protests because of the traffic congestion.
Even President Putin will have to take a detour should his motorcade head for his office tomorrow, when Novy Arbat will close down to traffic. It's normally on the route from his residence outside Moscow straight to the Kremlin and frequently shudders to a halt when his convoy passes through with blue lights flickering, but not this weekend.
Weather permitting, about 20,000 Muscovites will turn out to see a classic St Patrick's Day parade, with marching bands, Irish dancers, floats and even the proud owners of Irish wolfhounds.
At the final meeting to organise this weekend's events in Moscow, which also include a trad-folk marathon, featuring bands like The Racoons from Nizhny Novgorod, an Emerald Ball and the Embassy reception, the biggest worry remains the weather.
"So what's the five-day forecast?" asks one of the organisers, Irish-American Shawn McCormick.
"It's looking like 7 degrees!" replies Avril Conroy, delighted with the warm weather, practically tropical for Moscow at this time of year.
Two years ago, the parade turnout dropped significantly to just a few thousand spectators, with the fair weather fans put off by temperatures of minus 25, apparently a little tough even for hardened Russians.
One of the city's main thoroughfares and a perfect example of brutalist Soviet architecture, Novy Arbat now features shopping centres with familiar brands like Mothercare right through to "VIP" night-clubs and brightly lit casinos pretending they're in Vegas. The 3km strip of the parade route isn't the kind of road that normally attracts pedestrians or marching bands, as cars normally whiz or crawl along the eight-lane route, depending on just how bad the traffic can be at any given time of the day.
Given the suspicious attitude in Russia towards most foreigners, the parade is something of an oddity, with no comparable events in the city, which still has both stiff military parades and communist rallies for the restoration of the old Soviet society.
"There are absolutely no political problems with the parade, that's down to the Irish Embassy here. If the current Ambassador, Justin Harman, or previous ambassadors didn't have good contacts, we'd never get it, it's clear," said Ms Conroy. Her favourite participants are the wolfhounds and their proud owners from the Russian Irish wolfhound society.