Kaunas and Kaunas District to Become one big European stage in 2022

It has been twelve years since a Lithuanian city was the European Capital of Culture. The grand opening of “Kaunas 2022” is scheduled for January 22, 2022; around 40 festivals, more than 60 exhibitions, more than 250 stage events, and more than 250 concerts will occur in Kaunas and Kaunas District in 2022.

Kaunas and Kaunas District have been getting ready for the most crucial cultural title of the continent for five years now – it can be said the international project has already proven to be a success. The change has taken place; the city, together with smaller towns surrounding it and the communities that make up the body and soul of Kaunas, have all activated themselves. The celebration of the uprising and creating the new history of Contemporary Capital are the key topics for 2022.

Since 1985, when the European Capital of Culture programme was launched, nobody has yet proposed a vision like this. The theme of “Kaunas 2022” is a grand yet unified dama that gives meaning to the road to the awakening of the city and its people. It’s the biggest co-creation festival of all since day one – the majority of the time, ideas and finances is dedicated to bringing as many people closer to culture as possible. It’s also an educational project, as hundreds of culture professionals and enthusiasts and representatives of the young generation have already gained new skills, which guarantees the continuity of the project and quality future for Kaunas and Kaunas District.

What also makes “Kaunas 2022” unique is creating a new myth for the city to help it change its path. The Mythical Beast of Kaunas – a project designed to create a unifying narrative for the city – will unfold in next year’s great mythical trilogy comprised of the Confusion (January 19–23), the Confluence (May 20–22), and the Contract (November 25–27). The three main events are co-created by artists from Lithuania and abroad; they incorporate the ideas of historical personalities from Kaunas into the new work – names like George Maciunas and Emmanuel Levinas. Among the programme participants are Marina Abramovic, Philip Miller, William Kentridge, Yoko Ono, Jenny Kagan, Robert Wilson and many others. It’s important to stress each branch of “Kaunas 2022” has its own superstars, some of whom are still on their way to international fame – Kaunas and Kaunas District, as one big European stage, will become their trampoline.

Annual festivals already launched by Kaunas 2022 will reach their culmination, such as the International Day of Happiness (March), the European Capital of Culture Forum (May), Contemporary Neighbourhoods (all summer long in Kaunas elderships), the European Youth Festival (July), the international performing arts festival ConTempo (August), Fluxus Festival (September), the Kaunas Design Event in celebration of its title as a UNESCO Creative City of Design (October), and the CityTelling Festival, which reconsiders the multiethnic memory of Kaunas and the people who built it every October.

Kaunas 2022 in numbers

Events and activities

Community initiatives

Partners

Volunteers

Events' participants

People engaged

People reached

Ambassadors

2017–2020  data

MISION

The mission of “Kaunas 2022” is to be a mediator and networker in this journey of change. The organization aims at the union of cultural organizations and creators in the Kaunas region, Lithuania and Europe for a common goal: a process that reveals the diversity of European cultures and our local identity in it, which would involve local people and partners from various sectors.

VISION of the European Capital of Culture project:

With this project, it is aimed to make Kaunas and Kaunas district famous in Europe as:

  • a place of happy people and positive experiences;
  • a community that accepts its history and is open and culturally active, together with young people empowered to build the future;
  • a place with the quality, diversity, and accessibility of culture for all;
  • a city with the unique architecture and design as well as the ability to innovate heritage;
  • a strong cultural sector networking in Europe and the world;
  • a tourist attraction, interesting due to the current contemporary culture and art;
  • a city that first invented and formed a new legend for itself in modern times, and continues to live happily ever after.

METHODS

Co-creation, participatory culture, local and international cultural partnerships, intersectoral (cultural and scientific, business, educational sectors) partnerships, the involvement of residents in cultural and artistic development processes, creation of modernity by knowing one’s roots, history, and uniqueness, openness, love of city and place where we live.