Lenin is fitted with a new suit every 3 years.A fresh bath, too....

For your sake, people I wouldn't recommend to be anywhere near First of May parade in Russia.
Thousands of drunks mindlessly walking on the streets isn't a pretty picture.
And trust me you are blessed if you don't understand Russian ...
If you are not known for the gift of best luck - it could be even dangerous.
I should of known, I lived there for 26 years.

Getting in to see Lenin depends upon the whim of the guards. We stood in line for several hours this August and then were told the tomb was closing soon so we wouldn't get to the front of the line quickly enough. We stood our ground (eating take-out from McDonald's--what an irony), and a half hour later someone pulled a group of us out of line and took us to the front of the line. We were hustled into the building and past Lenin. What transpired with the guards is still a mystery--but I was thrilled to see the mausoleum.

Lenin's mausoleum was open to the public when I was there in August this year, from 10-1300 (in theory) Tue-Fri. There is a very long line, and as Red Square was (is) closed off due to the Chechen bombings, there were 3 different security points from the History Museum to the entrance of the mausoleum, all with metal detectors and/or hand wands and all left to the discretion of the guards. NO bags or electronic equipment whatsoever will be let in; they will find it. Best bet is to hire one of the many 'guides' that hover around the line, pay him 10-15 USD and you'll go right to the front of the line, where the 'gift' for the guards is worked out, and off you go. Stalin, Brezhnev and others are buried next to the Kremlin wall behind the mausoleum. They say Stalin was buried under 6 feet of concrete to make sure he stayed dead! It's an odd sensation seeing 'Volodya'. It's kind of like facing the ghost of childhood fear and Soviet Power. I highly recommend it, although it is a bit overly-dramatic with guards inside holding their finger to their lips, pointing the way, total darkness until the bright light of the bier itself. I was surprised; he was a wee little man. Shock, awe and a bit of wonder at 'this is what the fascination was about'.