From Street Music Day to the Vilnius Pink Soup Fest – here are some of the best summer festivals, according to a press release from the municipality.
Street Music Day, May 17
Amateur and professional musicians take up spots throughout the Old Town to offer concerts of various genres and styles – from metal to folk. The theme of the 19th Street Music Day is “Dress Rehearsal” – organisers are inviting musicians to show how their music is created. With more than 6,000 performers, spectators are bound to find something to suit all tastes.
Museum Night, May 18
Launched in 2005 in France, this event quickly became popular in many countries, including Lithuania. During Museum Night, Vilnius museums are free to visit – but only in the evening or at night.
The museums also host outdoor activities, such as exhibitions, workshops and storytelling sessions.
For example, the House of Histories museum is inviting visitors to explore conspiracy theories. The Former Detention House museum is presenting an exhibition on survival strategies during Soviet times, and the Bastion of the Vilnius Defence Walls Museum is opening its underground chambers.
Vilnius Pink Soup Fest, May 31
The start of the summer season in Vilnius is synonymous with the Vilnius Pink Soup Fest. This annual festival, which celebrates Lithuania’s famous cold pink soup, šaltibarščiai, will take place on May 31 at Tymo Market.
Visitors will be able to taste different versions of the soup and take part in a range of activities – including a 50-metre slide down Bastion Hill, a costume contest inspired by the soup and a race. A new addition this year is the Pink Parade, where participants will walk the city streets dressed in pink.
Culture Night, June 13
Continuing the night-time programme, Vilnius will host Culture Night on June 13. The city enjoys long summer evenings, during which venues across Vilnius – including museums, galleries, churches and theatres – open their doors to the public for free.
Last year’s event featured a variety of musical performances, scattered across the city’s squares.
Midsummer Vilnius music festival, July 14–25
Midsummer Vilnius is a music event that aims to reach the heart of the city through a wide variety of genres and artists.
This year marks a special milestone, as the festival celebrates its 10th anniversary with the theme “Eternal Love for the Stage”.
Organisers have prepared an exceptional line-up, including a performance by Mercury Prize winner Benjamin Clementine, a passionate duet from opera star Violeta Urmana and Italian tenor Alfredo Nigro, and a one-night-only revival of the acclaimed international project FINK Orchestra. The festival will be held in the Grand Courtyard of the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania.
Festival As Young As Vilnius, July 25
Vingis Park will host the annual music festival As Young As Vilnius, held to mark the city’s birthday. The event will feature a wide range of live music to suit all audiences, from classical orchestras to contemporary pop and rock acts.
It will take place on July 25, which is also the feast day of Saint Christopher, the patron saint of travellers and of Vilnius.
St Christopher Summer Festival, July–August
St Christopher is honoured through the city’s largest summer music festival, held annually since 1995.
The festival runs for two months during the summer. Most concerts are staged outdoors – in parks or historic buildings in the Old Town – offering audiences a diverse programme of classical, world and cross-genre music from around the globe.
This year’s line-up includes everything from Chopin to tango and flamenco, from nocturnal jazz to the Huelgas Ensemble: Medieval Voices, and from soul to Afro-Brazilian rhythms.
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