Tushino Airfield

Tushino airfield (Аэродром Тушино) is a former general aviation airfield located in Tushino, northwest Moscow, Russia. During the Cold War, this was the site of military exercises showcasing the latest in Soviet innovation. These exercises were held on Soviet Air Fleet Day.

Soviet Air Fleet Day
The most frequent date of air shows was the Soviet Air Fleet Day (День Воздушного Флота). It was also known as the Soviet Air Forces Day (День Военно-воздушных Сил), or Soviet Aviation Day. It was established in 1933. In the period from 1933 to 1940 it was held on August 18, a free day in the calendar of that time. Later it was most usually held on the third Sunday of August,  if only weather permitted. The initial exhibition on August 18, 1933, was a result of Yakov Alksnis initiative, and was held in Khodynka (the Central Moscow Aerodrome), but since the next year the show became located on Tushino airfield near Moscow, where it remained for decades. In 1937, the parade was attended by nearly a million people, observing the masses of aircraft spelling in the sky "LENIN", "STALIN" and "SSSR". The celebrations repeated until the fall of Soviet Union, and continue in Russia (the location is now Zhukovsky International Airport, see MAKS airshow).

May Day
The 1st of May was dedicated to a multitude of parades throughout the Soviet Union. They often included large-scale flypasts.

Other
The Soviet Air Fleet Day became primarily associated with Soviet Air Forces (VVS), so a separate day has been established for Soviet Air Defense Forces (PVO) a second arm of Soviet military that employed numerous fighter squadrons. It was called Soviet Air Defense Forces Day (День войск противовоздушной обороны СССР), occurred on the second Sunday of April, and was celebrated with air parades of lesser scale.

In 1991, at the behest of Mikhail Gorbachev, Tushino Airfield was used to host the free Monsters of Rock concert featuring AC/DC, Metallica, the Black Crowes and Pantera. Official estimates placed the crowd at between 800,000 and 1,000,000 people. The crowd was unofficially estimated to number at least 1.5 million people. Furthermore, 200,000 people attended the "Inside Bram" backdoor tour. The "Bram" backstage tour was planned to tour through Germany, France and Spain, but was cancelled due to health issues.

The stadium of Spartak Moscow was built on the site of the Tushino Airport. Otkrytie Arena (or Spartak Stadium) is a multi-purpose stadium in Moscow, the construction of which started in October 2010. It will be used mostly for football matches and will host the home matches of FC Spartak Moscow. The stadium was designed with a capacity of 35,000 people, but later this was changed to a 42,000 people. The new stadium was included in Russia's bid for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, possibly hosting the opening game, as the Luzhniki Stadium is to host the final.