The Vilnius City Municipality Administration has decided not to issue a permit for the fireworks festival Vilnius Fejerija, citing air and noise pollution, as well as the emotional health of Ukrainian refugees.
The 15th edition of the musical fireworks festival was to take place on September 30 in Vingis Park in Vilnius.
“The negative answer of the Vilnius City Municipality Administration is not based on legal arguments, facts, and laws, but on information that does not correspond to reality and on unfounded assumptions,” said Ovidijus Barkauskas, head of Blikas, the company that organises the Vilnius Fejerija festival.
According to Barkauskas, this year, the organisers of the festival decided to donate 5 euros from every ticket sold to Ukraine.
“We were planning to buy the necessary equipment for the second battalion of the National Guard of Ukraine Spartan unit. All the decisions had already been made, contacts had been established, and the preparatory work had started,” he said.
In a Facebook post, Vilnius Mayor Valdas Benkunskas pointed out that Vilnius residents “were getting concerned that six hours of fireworks show is harmful to the environment, the animals, the children, and the elderly”. He also noted that Ukrainian refugees living in Vilnius are sensitive to the sound of explosives.
“The idea was to play the Ukraine card and, under the guise of a support event, to try to silence that public voice. We do not believe in manipulation,” the mayor said.
He cited reasons for refusing to issue Vilnius Fejerija with a permit, including the emotional health of war refugees, air pollution, noise, and the fact that for several years now, Vilnius has not been using fireworks in the city’s events.
Barkauskas said, however, that fireworks pollution, compared to other sources of pollution, is minor, short-lived, and concentrated at high altitudes.
“We find the decision of the Vilnius Municipality administration to reject the festival very surprising and unexpected, especially because Vilnius Vingis Park continues to host large concerts that also use professional pyrotechnics,” the organiser said. “Neither in terms of environmental impact nor in terms of sound level would our event be different from them.”
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