Day: June 1, 2022

Programme for June events: contemporary festivals and unique experiences

June is going to be the busiest month of the European Capital of Culture year. This month will start and end with festivals that will bring optimism and action to the hearts of the residents of the city and its guests. The action in the rivers will not end after the “Confluence” weekend: the cultural ship “Nemuno 7” will delight with the exhibitions, and discussions of the National Expedition will take place near the river. Perhaps rivers have become one of the routes on the path to the art objects in the Kaunas district? Culture will awaken the courtyards of the city and the contemporary elderships. The music will play on the Summer Stage, and the choirs and jazz will be heard around. There will be no bad weather for culture - the summer of culture begins!

Music Programme of “Optimismo”

OPTIMISMO is a festival that looks back at the industrial past and is full of modern experimental and electronic music. Just as the creators of modernist architecture, defined by political, social, economic and cultural optimism, the creators of contemporary music, presented by OPTIMISMO, dare to experiment with technology and stand out with their virtuosity, non-traditional structure of their works and new creative methods.

When: June 3-5
Where: Industrial and cultural modernist buildings in Kaunas
Organizers: Creative teams of “Digital Tsunami” and “Ghia”.

Robert Magro’s “Visions”

The theatre play “Visions” is a dedication of the Italian contemporary circus director Roberto Magro to Vytautas Mačernis and M.K. Čiurlionis. The play analyzes human’s desire to create and be surrounded by art. The director decided to interpret Vytautas Mačernis’ “Visions” and, with the help of contemporary circus, dance, theatre and music, to reveal the metaphors and symbols hidden in the poet’s work by supplementing them with local stories.

When: May 31 – June 4
Where: The forest of Paštuva
Director: Roberto Magro. Scenography: Paolo Primon, Davide Visintini. Creative team: Džiugas Kunsmanas, Agnietė Lisičkinaitė, Eugenijus Slavinskas, Motiejus Bazaras, Liam Carmody, Pauline Camille Talon.

Tickets are available: here

Culture to the courtyards: Eiguliai, Dainava, Šančiai

“Culture to the courtyards” is back! So, take your seats in the VIP lounges on your balconies or make yourselves comfortable in your own courtyards. In June, professionals of various arts - theatre, dance, contemporary circus, and music - will perform in the courtyards of the apartment buildings of Eiguliai, Dainava and Šančiai. Courtyards filled with culture will delight active courtyard communities that collaborate and join “Fluxus Labas” initiatives.

The schedule of the programme of culture in the Courtyards for June:
June 9–11 – Eiguliai. June 14–16 – Dainava. June 20–22 – Šančiai.
Organizers: “Kaunas 2022”

Admission to the event is free

Festivals in neighbourhoods

Residents of neighbourhoods of Kaunas, in cooperation with art creators and using local stories, each created a festival for 2022. On June 11 in Eiguliai, there will be a musical route “Sounding Walls”, where participants will be greeted by wall drawings and music that reflect the community’s identity. On June 18, the action will continue in Dainava. As mid-summer approaches, the community of Dainava neighbourhood will invite you to the event “Midsummer Magic” in Draugystės Park, which will take you from everyday life to the times when people would draw strength from a harmonious relationship with nature and old customs. The programme of Šančiai Festival “Come as You Are” will take over the programme for St. John’s Day. The initiatives developed in Šančiai for four years: performance, opera, stories, and excursions which will merge into a joint two-day festival in Šančiai. The programme also includes a meal in an authentic restaurant “Kastytis”.

Schedule of festivals in the neighbourhoods:
June 11 – Eiguliai. June 18 – Dainava. June 23-24 d. – Šančiai. Dates and times are subject to change. Organizers: “Kaunas 2022” and neighbourhood communities

Admission to the events is free

“Kaunas Cantat – Kaunas Sings” International Choir Music Festival

Kaunas will be flooded with the sounds of choral music - the tenth international choir festival “Kaunas Cantat”, will be held in the city. Well-known bands from Lithuania and abroad will appear at the anniversary event. The German sextet “Singer Pur” will be among the festival guests performing at the event, and two children’s choirs from Ukraine will join the festival. Among the memorable concerts in the churches and at the Kaunas city fountains, the audience will be invited to sing together during the entire festival.

When: June 09-12
Where: Kaunas
Organizers: Public body “Lithuania Cantat” VšĮ
Admission to the events is free, except for the opening concert at the Great Hall of Vytautas Magnus University on June 9 at 20:00.

Tickets to the opening concert here.

“Contemporary Elderships”: Ežerėlis, Kulautuva, Raudondvaris

The alternate reality of Ežerėlis audio guide will introduce you to the imaginary local reality. On June 9, a photography exhibition (curator Vaida Virbickaitė) will open its doors at the newly established community gallery. The Kulautuva community is organizing a theatre music performance that will tell the story of the place on June 11. Finally, on June 17, the Raudondvaris community invites you to dive into an impressive time travelling – a theatre night trip.

Admission to the events of “Contemporary Elderships” is free.

The programme: is here

Opening the Emerald Road

Look for emeralds in Kaunas district. Emeralds are new artistic objects found in unexpected places. 8 objects were turned into emeralds of by the artists: Tadas Černiauskas Tadao (Neveronys), Vytautas Viržbickas (Čekiškė), Donatas Jankauskas Duonis (Piliuona), Kotryna Čalkaitė (Daugėliškiai), Tadas Vosylius (Bubiai), Mindaugas Lukošaitis (Vandžiogala), Kotryna Čalkaitė (Užliedžiai), Donatas Bielkauskas-Donis (Mastaičiai). Visit the opening of the Emerald Road on June 10 in Alšėnai and Neveronys.

When: From June 10.
Where: Kaunas District

Admission is free

Documentary performance “TAXIS. Attempts to travel distances”

The performance experiment in moving cars tells us about the changing everyday life of taxi drivers. During the performance, nine taxi cars with taxi drivers telling their stories will appear on the streets of Kaunas. Spectators-passengers will have an opportunity to get acquainted with the different daily lives of taxi drivers, the city’s nightlife, the passengers they meet and the stories that took place inside and outside the taxis.

When: June 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 19, at 19:00
Where: A. Juozapavičiaus pr. 31G
Organizers: Art agency “Artscape” VšĮ

Tickets are available: here

Kaunas 2022 Jazz Stops

The legendary “Kaunas Jazz” presents Kaunas 2022 Jazz Stops - four jazz stops of Lithuanian and European cities in the centre of Kaunas and Vilkija. The most talented jazz creators from Lithuania, Norway, Hungary, Estonia, Luxembourg and Ukraine will perform here. Together with the jazz operators of Dudelange (LU) and Novi Sad (XS), the organizers of the event invite you to a unique project “jazzXchange” at one of the jazz stops. This is a specially created joint work and will be presented to Dudelange and Novi Sad audience later this year.

When: June 18-19
Where: Kaunas (Laisvės Bld. and the Independence Square) and Kaunas District (the amphitheatre of Vilkija berth)

The admission to the event is free

National expedition with Edmundas Jakilaitis

For seven years, the project “National Expedition” travelled by the rivers across Lithuania, Belarus, Latvia, Poland, the old estates of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Central Europe. In the middle of June, the expedition will moor in Kaunas for five discussions about the city on the most interesting issues. The city’s residents and guests will be invited to participate in the discussions together with the most famous Lithuanian historians, academics, cultural and art experts. The panels are moderated by Edmundas Jakilaitis / Robertas Petrauskas.

When: June 17, 18, 19
Where: Amphitheatre of Kaunas Castle

Contemporary City Festival “Audra”

A “Storm” is coming. Over a few days, you will see the whole future of Kaunas! Contemporary art installations and electronic, experimental and acoustic music will move into the city's industrial spaces. The Festival of the Modern City “The Audra” is an event that reflects the lifestyle, culture and values of young people, creating a curious community through experience and bold discussions. You will not be able to remain a passive observer at the festival!

When: June 26 – July 3
Where: Kaunas
Organizers: International Association of Art Creators “Freimas”, “Kaunas 2022”, youth organization public body “Kylantis Kaunas” VšĮ.

Exhibition “Memory / Future” by an artist group “Konsortium” (Germany)

Kaunas has an impressive number of modernist buildings. However, the unique history of the city and the international cultural cooperation that once took place here is still inspiring today. A group of artists-curators, “Konsortium” (DE) has invited over fifty artists worldwide to create a collaborative collective sculpture dedicated to this historical period in Kaunas.

When: May 27 – July 1
Where: Gimnazijos g. 4, Kaunas
The admission to the event is free

“Summer Stage” of Kaunas 2022

Throughout the warm season, the heart of Kaunas Old Town - the Town Hall Square - will beat with the rhythm of culture. The most memorable performances, concerts, tastings and meetings will delight the spectators and the audience at the Summer Stage of “Kaunas 2022”. From May to September, you will be offered carefully prepared artistic programme weekends and hundreds of free events with the best Lithuanian and foreign music performers. In the repertoire in June: Golden Parazyth (LT), Kaunas National Drama Theatre performance “Empty Chair”, Fo Sho (UA), “Girių Dvasios” (LT), “Akli” (LT) and at least ten other performances.

When: from May 9.
Where: Kaunas Town Hall Square
Organizers: “Kaunas 2022” and partners

Admission to the events is free

Summer Stage programme: here

Summer full of culture

During the summer, it will be possible to visit the cultural ship “Nemuno7” by the river or participate in the initiatives of the organizers of “Upynė”. The brass quintet will create a (con)Temporary Music Train, spreading the word about Kaunas on the train route Kaunas–Białystok–Warsaw–Berlin–Esch –Schengen–Brussels. “Kaunas Gospel & Worship Festival” will set up a tent town with concerts by Lithuanian and foreign Gospel choirs and worship groups, film screenings, seminars, creative workshops, and children's programme. And the International Summer School of Modernism “Modernism for the Future”, organized for the fourth year, will introduce you to the treasures of Kaunas architecture and allow you to gain a unique experience of the city as a studio.

Having broken through the wall earlier, an exhibition filled with rebellion, “1972. Breaking Through the Wall” is open at Kaunas Central Post Office. After climbing the Owl Hill, visit the exhibition “Kaunas-Vilnius: Overthrowing the Mountains”, and then, during an hour’s trip, complete your experience with the exhibition at the MO Museum (or vice versa). Finally, refresh the collective memory at the Yoko Ono’s installation “Ex It”, William Kentridge’s “That Which We Do Not Remember” and Marina Abramović’s “Memory of Being”.

The European Capital of Culture programme in Kaunas and the Kaunas region continues throughout the year, with hundreds of traditional and debut events planned for 2022, including exhibitions, festivals, performances and other activities created by local and international artists and Kaunas communities. For the complete Kaunas 2022 programme, please visit www.kaunas2022.eu or the mobile app.

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by Sandra