What's on in Vilnius
Vilnius's festival calendar month by month: the Light Festival, Kaziukas craft fair, Book Fair, Pink Soup Fest, Culture Night, Museum Night, Capital Days, the Marathon and the Christmas season.
Every date ahead
56 events
October 20263
Inconvenient Films (Nepatogus kinas) Human Rights Documentary Festival
The Baltics' only international human-rights documentary film festival, held since 2007, screens more than fifty documentaries on politics, social justice and the environment, with talks after many screenings.
Vilnius Jazz Festival
Running since the late 1980s (2026 is its 39th edition), this festival focuses on contemporary and avant-garde jazz and brings adventurous international names to Vilnius every October.
GAIDA Contemporary Music Festival
The Baltics' largest contemporary music festival, held in Vilnius since 1991, spans symphonic premieres, chamber music, electronic and club nights, music theatre and multimedia projects over three autumn weeks.
November 20268
All Saints' Day (Visų Šventųjų diena)
A solemn public holiday when Lithuanians visit cemeteries to light candles on family graves. Together with All Souls' Day it creates one of the most atmospheric times of the Lithuanian year.
All Souls' Day (Vėlinės)
A public holiday for remembering the dead, observed the day after All Saints' with continued candle-lighting and graveside visits. Vėlinės has deep roots in Lithuanian folk belief.
Scanorama European Film Festival
Founded in 2003 as a Nordic film forum, Scanorama is now one of Lithuania's biggest film festivals. It brings around a hundred new European films to Vilnius cinemas and towns across the country each November.
Lithuanian Gastronomy Week
For one November week, restaurants in Vilnius and across Lithuania serve specially created set menus, making it an easy and affordable way to try ambitious kitchens. Organised by the Lithuanian Hotel and Restaurant Association.
Staro Rīga Light Festival
Riga's free light festival lights up both banks of the Daugava, the Old Town and the city-centre parks with installations and video projections around Latvia's Independence Day on 18 November. The 2026 theme is 'unum momentum – that one moment'.
Date TBCNearby · KaunasKaunas Christmas Tree Lighting
Kaunas opens Lithuania's festive season by lighting its tall natural Christmas tree in Town Hall Square. A concert starts the evening, and Old Town Christmas market weekends, a Christmas train and a skating rink on Unity Square follow.
Riga Old Town Christmas Market
Riga's long-running Christmas market fills Dome Square under the cathedral with more than 80 stalls of Latvian crafts, gingerbread and mulled wine, plus weekend concerts and family activities.
Vilnius Christmas Market & Cathedral Square Tree
Cathedral Square fills with wooden chalets, mulled wine and crafts around one of Europe's most celebrated Christmas trees, lit on the opening evening of 28 November 2026.
December 20262
Christmas (Kalėdos)
Lithuania's Christmas public holiday runs Dec 24–26, centred on the Kūčios family supper on Christmas Eve and two quiet feast days. The city empties as families gather, though the Cathedral Square market and tree glow throughout.
New Year's Eve in Cathedral Square
Vilnius has rung in the new year without fireworks for several years running, with a video projection on the Cathedral Bell Tower and a midnight light show over Cathedral Square instead.
January 20274
New Year's Day (Naujieji metai)
The first public holiday of the year, following Vilnius's fireworks-free New Year's Eve celebrations. A quiet recovery day across Lithuania, also marked as Flag Day.
Day of the Defenders of Freedom (13 January)
Lithuania remembers the 14 civilians killed when Soviet troops stormed the Vilnius TV Tower and Radio and Television building on 13 January 1991. Memorial bonfires burn on the eve, and ceremonies, the Seimas Freedom Prize and a mass at the Cathedral follow on the day.
Vilnius International Short Film Festival
Lithuania's only festival that qualifies films for the Oscars and the European Film Awards celebrates its 20th edition with more than a hundred short films from around the world, screened in Vilnius and other Lithuanian cities.
Vilnius Light Festival (Šviesų festivalis)
To mark the city's birthday in deep winter, the Old Town's streets and squares are transformed with large-scale light installations and new-media art over three January evenings.
February 20272
Užgavėnės (Shrove Tuesday Carnival)
Lithuania's pancake-and-masks carnival chases winter away with grotesque masks, the burning of the effigy Morė and mountains of pancakes on the day before Lent.
Day of Restoration of the State of Lithuania (Vasario 16-oji)
Marks the 1918 Act of Independence that re-established the modern Lithuanian state. One of the country's two key independence holidays, with flags, ceremonies and concerts in Vilnius.
March 20274
Kaziuko mugė (St. Casimir's Fair)
Lithuania's largest folk-craft fair fills Gediminas Avenue and the Old Town streets for three early-March days with palm bundles, linen, amber, smoked treats and the scent of spring.
Date TBCKino Pavasaris (Vilnius International Film Festival)
Lithuania's biggest film festival fills Vilnius cinemas for two March weeks with festival hits, premieres and Q&As, the highlight of the city's film calendar.
Day of Restoration of Independence (Kovo 11-oji)
Celebrates the 11 March 1990 Act re-establishing Lithuania's independence from the Soviet Union — the first Soviet republic to break away. Marked with flags, a march through central Vilnius and festive events.
Easter (Velykos)
Lithuania's most important Christian holiday, a two-day public holiday in 2027 celebrated with decorated margučiai eggs, egg-rolling games, morning resurrection mass and family feasts.
April 20274
Užupis Republic Independence Day
On April Fool's Day the bohemian Užupis district 'reopens its borders', stamping passports at the bridges and filling its streets with art, music and gentle anarchy.
Lithuanian Coffee Festival
A one-day festival of Lithuanian roasters and cafés with tastings, brewing workshops and national barista championships. The first edition was held at LITEXPO in February 2026; the second is set for 3 April 2027.
Date TBCNearby · KaunasKaunas Jazz Festival
One of the Baltics' leading jazz festivals, held in Kaunas since 1991, brings international headliners and Lithuanian jazz to concert halls and free open-air street stages each spring.
Date TBCOpen House Vilnius
For one weekend, Vilnius opens the doors of buildings usually closed to the public, from modernist landmarks to private homes and offices, with free architect-led tours. Part of the worldwide Open House network.
May 20278
Date TBCHot-Air Balloon Flights over Vilnius
Vilnius is one of very few European capitals where hot-air balloons may fly over the historic centre. Flights run at dawn and dusk in calm weather from late spring to early autumn.
International Labour Day (Tarptautinė darbo diena)
May Day public holiday across Lithuania, marking the start of the warm season. A relaxed day for outings and the countryside.
Mother's Day (Motinos diena)
A public holiday in Lithuania observed on the first Sunday of May, when families honour mothers with flowers, cards and gatherings.
Rimi Riga Marathon
The Baltics' biggest running weekend sends runners across Riga's Old Town and Daugava bridges, with a full marathon, half-marathon, 10 km, 6 km and mile races, plus a Kids' Day the day before.
Date TBCStreet Music Day (Gatvės muzikos diena)
On one Saturday in May, musicians of every level take to the streets, squares, courtyards and even buses of Vilnius for a city-wide day of free, spontaneous music.
Date TBCNearby · KaunasKaunas City Days (Kauno miesto diena)
Kaunas celebrates its birthday, dating to the town privileges granted in 1463, with a three-day festival at Santaka Park where the Neris meets the Nemunas: concerts, a medieval town at the castle, river cruises, sport and fireworks.
Date TBCVilnius Mama Jazz
One of the Baltics' most respected jazz festivals, founded in 2002, brings international names and the best of Lithuanian jazz to the Lithuanian National Drama Theatre. Since 2026 it has been held in late spring instead of November.
Vilnius Pink Soup Fest
Vilnius turns pink for three days to celebrate šaltibarščiai, Lithuania's cold beetroot soup, with a pink parade, costume contests, a giant foam slide and communal soup lunches. 2027 is the festival's fifth anniversary.
June 202710
Date TBCNearby · RigaRiga Opera Festival
The Latvian National Opera and Ballet's flagship summer festival, held since 1998, presents the season's best opera and ballet productions over two-plus weeks in June, closing with a gala concert.
Date TBCVilnius Festival (Classical Music)
The Lithuanian National Philharmonic's flagship summer festival brings world-class soloists, ensembles and orchestras to Vilnius across three weeks of June.
Date TBCNearby · KaunasPažaislis Music Festival
Lithuania's largest classical music festival runs all summer, with symphonic, choral and chamber concerts at the baroque Pažaislis Monastery near Kaunas and in other historic venues around the region.
Father's Day (Tėvo diena)
A public holiday in Lithuania on the first Sunday of June, celebrating fathers with family time and outdoor activities.
Date TBCCulture Night (Kultūros naktis)
For one warm June night the whole city turns into a free open-air stage, with concerts, installations and pop-up performances in courtyards, churches and rooftops across Vilnius.
Date TBCNearby · TrakaiThe Living Middle Ages at Trakai Peninsula Castle
The Trakai History Museum's annual medieval festival, held since 1999, recreates the medieval town at the lesser-known Peninsula Castle with knights, craftspeople, music, archery and a procession along Karaimų Street.
Date TBCNearby · KlaipėdaKlaipėda Castle Jazz Festival
Running since 1994, this early-summer jazz festival brings Lithuanian and international jazz to Klaipėda's Theatre Square, the castle area and clubs around the port city, with concerts in nearby resorts too.
Joninės / Rasos (Midsummer) in Vilnius
On the shortest night of the year, Vilnius marks Lithuania's pagan-rooted Midsummer with bonfires, flower wreaths floated on the river and a dawn walk through the dew. The most traditional gathering is the Rasos celebration on Verkiai's high hill, held there since 1999.
St John's Day / Midsummer (Joninės / Rasos)
Lithuania's public-holiday Midsummer, marking the summer solstice with bonfires, flower wreaths, the search for the mythical fern blossom and all-night festivities by lakes and rivers.
Christopher Summer Festival (Kristupo festivalis)
Lithuania's big crossover summer music festival turns Vilnius churches, courtyards and parks into concert halls for two months, mixing classical with jazz, world music and contemporary sounds. The 2027 edition runs under the theme \"Beacons\".
July 20273
Statehood Day (King Mindaugas' Coronation Day)
Lithuania's national day marks the 1253 coronation of King Mindaugas, the country's only crowned king. Vilnius holds flag ceremonies, and at 21:00 Lithuanians everywhere sing the national anthem together.
Thomas Mann Festival in Nida
A week of classical concerts, literary readings and talks in Nida on the Curonian Spit, centred on the Nobel laureate's former summer house. The 2027 theme is 'Time is out of joint. The Love.'
Klaipėda Sea Festival (Jūros šventė)
Lithuania's oldest big city festival, first held in 1934, fills the port city of Klaipėda with around 100 free concerts, a maritime carnival, a ship parade, crafts fairs and fireworks over one late-July weekend.
August 20272
Date TBCNearby · RigaRiga City Festival (Rīgas svētki)
Riga's annual birthday celebration takes over the city in mid-August with free concerts on the Daugava embankment, Old Town markets and neighbourhood events organised by the City Council.
Assumption Day (Žolinė)
A Catholic public holiday and ancient harvest feast known as Žolinė, when Lithuanians bring bundles of herbs and flowers to church to be blessed. It marks the symbolic end of summer.
September 20275
Date TBCVilnius Days (Vilniaus dienos)
The city's biggest street festival fills Cathedral Square, Gediminas Avenue, Lukiškės Square and the riverbank by the White Bridge with free concerts, design and book fairs and sport over the first weekend of September.
Date TBCLoftas Fest
Vilnius's urban music and contemporary-art festival takes over the Loftas arts factory in Naujamiestis for two September days of electronic, indie and hip-hop acts, street art, installations and street food.
Date TBCSwedbank Vilnius Marathon
Lithuania's biggest running event sends thousands of runners through the Old Town and along the Neris each September, with marathon, half-marathon and shorter distances.
Vilnius Book Fair (Vilniaus knygų mugė)
The Baltics' largest book fair packs the LITEXPO halls with publishers, author talks and hundreds of events. Usually held in late February, the 2027 fair moves to 16–19 September to make way for Lithuania's EU Council presidency events.
Date TBCSirenos International Theatre Festival
Vilnius's leading international theatre festival, held every autumn since 2004, brings acclaimed foreign productions and a showcase of Lithuanian theatre to stages across the city.