As the centenary Lithuanian Song Celebration is kicking off on Saturday, organisers are finishing preparations for one of the biggest festivals in the country.
While performers prepare for the Song Celebration by rehearsing their dances and songs, the authorities of Kaunas and Vilnius are cleaning up the cities.
Kaunas will be the first to welcome participants and spectators in the recently renovated Song Valley this Saturday.
“We understood from the very beginning what a responsibility this is, as this national, multiday event is starting in Kaunas,” said Deputy Kaunas Mayor Mantas Jurgutis. “In the vicinity, we are mending the street infrastructure and bike lanes, and you can really feel the mood in the city.”
Vilnius is also still getting ready for the Song Celebration: mending its streets, as well as the Kalnai Park stage and Vingis Park, the main venues for the events.
Čiurlionio Street, which leads to Vingis Park, is getting a new tiling, with the city authorities assuring it will be completed in time.
The Song Celebration will be attended by around 37,000 participants, including over 20,000 from other cities.
According to Rolanda Lingienė, spokeswoman for the Public Health Centre, they will be accommodated in around 100 places, from schools to hotels.
“Schools have done as much as they could. We’re inspecting them, some things are still missing, like sanitary facilities, so they are being installed now,” she said. “The most important thing is that people can stay in dignified conditions, have access to all the sanitary facilities, and can dry their clothes.”
According to Lingienė, there will be no fridges in many places, so participants are advised not to bring perishable food. The quality of the water in the schools has also been assessed, she said.
“In Vilnius, cases of legionella disease occur from time to time, so my colleagues checked the temperature of the hot water in the accommodation where needed, carried out tests for legionella, and asked the responsible services to raise the temperature where it was insufficient,” Lingienė explained.
Although grass has been mowed and bushes have been pruned in the parks, Lingienė recommends not to sit or lie on the grass during the festival, to bring tick repellent, to stock up on water, and to bring hats and raincoats.
Expatriate Lithuanians from more than 20 different countries are also looking forward to the centenary Song Celebration. For the first time, some are coming from South America.
“Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Venezuela, Colombia, Chile,” lists Dalia Henke, president of the World Lithuanian Community. “They are second or third-generation descendants, not all of them speak Lithuanian, but they have been very focused. For example, there is a huge delegation from Uruguay. They will participate in the pavilions, they want to be together with Lithuania. They remember the Lithuania that their parents sang about.”
The programme of the centenary Song Celebration includes 14 events, 10 of which are free. The police will increase their presence and deploy up to 150 extra officers during the festival.
The police are advising all participants and spectators to be more careful with their personal belongings during the event.
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