The biggest events in Lithuania run from a giant bowl of pink beet soup in May to all-night museum crawls in June, so there’s rarely a dull month on the calendar. This guide groups the country’s best-known festivals by type — food, music, art, light, and the big traditional dates — so you can build a year around whichever kind of chaos or calm you’re after.
Food & Drink Festivals
Vilnius Cold Beet Soup Festival
For one day, Vilnius goes fully pink. Restaurants and bars around the city compete to reinvent šaltibarščiai, the cold beet soup that’s normally a straightforward summer lunch — expect šaltibarščiai ice cream, cocktails, and a giant bowl set up as a paddling pool for anyone willing to get in. Usually held in late May. 2026 date: May 29, in central Vilnius.
Žagarė Cherry Festival
A small-town celebration in northern Lithuania that grew into a proper regional festival — a cherry market, concerts, horses, and a parade of Žagarė’s famous straw scarecrows. It’s a good pick if you want small-town hospitality without the Vilnius crowds. Usually held mid-July, in Žagarė, Joniškis district.
Asparagus Festival
A farm-to-table event on a working organic farm, timed to the first vegetable of spring. You’ll see the asparagus growing in the field and eat it an hour later, cooked by working chefs, with farm tours and talks on biodynamic growing built into the day. Usually held in late May, in Žalgiriai village, Ukmergė district.
Vyno Dienos (Wine Days)
The largest international wine expo in Northern Europe, organized by Vyno klubas — hundreds of wines under one roof and a rare chance to talk directly to producers who’ve flown in for it. The sommelier-led tasting seminars are aimed at beginners and serious collectors alike. Usually held in early May. 2026 dates: May 8–9, at Litexpo, Vilnius.
Diner en Blanc
An all-white pop-up dinner where the venue is kept secret until hours before it starts, and the dress code is strictly white. Thousands of people showing up dressed the same way, at a location revealed at the last minute, makes for one of the more cinematic nights on the calendar. Usually held in August, in Vilnius (exact location announced same-day).
Catch the Swarm
A honey harvest festival tied to Žolinė, held at the Beekeeping Museum inside Aukštaitija National Park — honey tastings, talks on beekeeping, and workshops in old crafts. Quieter and more grounded than most festivals on this list. Usually held in August, at the Beekeeping Museum, Stripeikiai.
Music Festivals
Kaunas Jazz
The country’s best-known jazz festival, and the reason Kaunas gets called Lithuania’s jazz capital for a long weekend every spring. International names headline the ticketed shows, but a good chunk of the program is free concerts in the street. Usually held in late April. 2026 dates: April 24–27, across Kaunas, with free shows on Vienybės aikštė (Unity Square) and in the Old Town.
International Klaipėda Festival
A high-culture festival, running since 2021, staged inside the historic Paul Lindenau shipyard hangar — an industrial space turned into a concert hall for opera, dance, and orchestral premieres. Past editions have built themed premieres around the city’s anniversary and the Čiurlionis anniversary year. Usually starts in mid-August, at the Paul Lindenau shipyard hangar, Klaipėda.
Masters of Calm
A wellness and mindfulness festival — no alcohol on site, just meditation, movement, and talks. Worth knowing about if the usual festival hangover isn’t what you’re after; this is the one that leaves you more rested than when you arrived. Usually held late June into July. Location announced closer to the date.
Yaga Gathering
A transformational festival deep in the forests of Dzūkija — electronic music, art installations, and talks, with none of the sponsor branding that usually comes with a festival this size. The forest installations at night are genuinely disorienting in a good way. Usually held mid-July, in the Dzūkija forests.
Blues Nights
A long-running blues and rock festival on the shore of Lake Lūkstas, known as the friendliest festival in the country — campers tend to be sharing a fire with strangers by the second night. Usually held in early July, in Varniai, near Lake Lūkstas.
Street Music Day
One day a year when anyone — trained musician or not — can perform on the street, nationwide. Every city center turns into a stage, and genres blur from rock to folk on the same block. Held every year in mid-May, nationwide — biggest in Vilnius, Kaunas, and Klaipėda.
Visagino Country
The biggest country music festival in the Baltics — cowboy hats, line dancing, and a warmer, less ironic crowd than you’d expect. Usually held in late August, in Visaginas.
Midsummer Vilnius
A performance series staged in the Great Courtyard of the Palace of the Grand Dukes — high-production shows in a genuinely historic setting, right in the city center. Usually held mid-to-late July, at the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania, Vilnius.
Loftas Fest
Vilnius’ one urban arts and electronic music festival, staged inside a former factory — multiple stages, art labs, and outdoor night screenings. It has the rawest atmosphere of anything on this list, and several now-well-known acts played here early. Usually held in September. 2026 dates: September 11–12, at Loftas, Švitrigailos g. 29, Vilnius.
Pažaislis Music Festival
A season-long classical and world music series staged in churches, monasteries, and parks around the country, including the related Christopher Summer Festival. The low-key alternative if crowds aren’t your thing — refined, unhurried, and in genuinely beautiful venues. Runs all summer, June through August, with a highlight concert at Pažaislis Monastery, Kaunas.
Šaknys Festival
A boutique music and culture festival on the lakeside in Raganiškė, mixing Lithuanian and international acts across electronic, pop, and alternative lineups — past editions have brought in names like Monika Liu and the UK’s Horse Meat Disco. Now in its eighth year, it’s built a reputation as one of the more curated, less mainstream festivals on the summer circuit, closer in spirit to Yaga Gathering than to a big commercial lineup. Usually held in early August. 2026 dates: August 7–9, at Šilaičių poilsiavietė, Raganiškė.
Art & Culture Festivals
Kino Pavasaris (Vilnius International Film Festival)
The country’s biggest film event — two weeks of international premieres, festival titles, and director Q&As. Less about spotting celebrities, more about programming people actually take time off work for. Usually held in March. 2026 dates: March 9–22, at cinemas across Vilnius, with screenings in other cities too.
Kultūros Naktis (Culture Night)
One night when Vilnius doesn’t sleep — museums, churches, and parks throw their doors open for free, and stage things you’d never otherwise see inside them. Held every year in mid-June. 2026 date: June 12, citywide in Vilnius.
Thomas Mann Festival
A literary and classical music festival in Nida, where the writer kept his summer house. It pairs well with a Curonian Spit trip if you want the visit to be about more than the dunes. Usually held in mid-July, in Nida, at the town’s Evangelical Lutheran Church and other venues.
Purpurinis Vakaras (Bard Song Festival)
A festival of bards and sung poetry in Anykščiai — unhurried, genuinely local, and a rare look at a Lithuanian tradition most tourists never encounter. Usually held in mid-August, in Anykščiai.
Sirenos International Theatre Festival
Vilnius’ international theatre festival, bringing in productions from across Europe — contemporary, sometimes deliberately provocative, and a change of pace from a regular season program. Usually held September into October, at theatres across Vilnius.
Būtent! Festival
The country’s biggest open-air discussion festival — the public, experts, and public figures debating in the same space, with the audience able to join in directly rather than just watch. Applications to pitch your own discussion topic typically open by mid-April. Usually held in late August, at Bernardinai Garden, Vilnius.
Light Festivals
Vilnius Light Festival
The city’s biggest winter event — Old Town streets, squares, and historic buildings turn into an open-air gallery of light installations, including courtyards and church facades that only open to the public for this one weekend. Usually held in late January, in Vilnius Old Town.
Klaipėda Light Festival
A late-winter light show across Klaipėda’s Old Town — smaller and less crowded than the Vilnius edition, with the same effect. Usually held in mid-to-late February, in Klaipėda Old Town.
Lithuania’s Biggest Traditional and City Festivals
Kaziuko Mugė (St. Casimir’s Fair)
Vilnius’ oldest trade fair, running since 1604 — verbos (decorated palm branches), handmade crafts, and food stalls fill the Old Town streets. Buying a verba is the closest thing the fair has to a signature souvenir. Usually held the first weekend of March, on Pilies gatvė, Didžioji gatvė, and the surrounding Vilnius Old Town.
Jūros Šventė (Sea Festival)
Lithuania’s biggest summer festival, held in the port city of Klaipėda — three days of concerts, markets, and events along the harbor, capped by a tall ship parade through the harbor channel. Usually held in late July, in Klaipėda.
Vilnius City Days (Vilniaus dienos, formerly Sostinės dienos)
The city’s biggest free culture festival, closing out the summer season — Gedimino Avenue fills with people, Cathedral Square hosts the major concerts, and food trucks line the Neris riverfront. Usually held in early September, across central Vilnius.
Joninės (St. John’s Eve / Midsummer)
The one night a year when staying home is genuinely frowned upon. Bonfires, live music, and outdoor parties happen nationwide, whether you want quiet Baltic solstice rituals on a hillfort or a full open-air party in the city. A fixed date: June 23, every year, nationwide — hillforts, riversides, and city parks.
Žolinė (Assumption Day)
A late-summer holiday and long weekend, celebrated hardest outside the big cities — small towns run their own version, from traditional dances at old manor houses to outdoor films and night football. A fixed date: August 15, every year, nationwide, especially in smaller towns.
Related Guides
Music Festivals in Lithuania — the full lineup
Food and Drink Festivals in Lithuania — full guide
Traditional Festivals and Holidays in Lithuania
Christmas Markets in Lithuania
