Trilogy. Act 2: The Confluence
Kaunas, born in the embrace of two rivers, the Nemunas and the Neris, will be celebrating its birthday in a very special way this year – the grand weekend of The Confluence, the second act of the Contemporary Myth of Kaunas Trilogy, is about to begin.
This time, the city will be addressing its inhabitants in the language of water, inviting them to seek out intersections, convergence, connectedness, and – most importantly – for a communion with themselves and others. Kaunas’s dream of returning to the river will finally come true. In its waters, we will be searching for peace. Caught in the river’s current, we will be swept up in the whirlwind of events. We will ripple through the Kaunas district until, engulfed by streams of water, we will cover the whole city with splashes of culture. We will be celebrating unity: first and foremost, with ourselves, then with those around us, and finally with the city and the whole world. The Confluence will invite everyone to dive into three days brimming with unexpected experiences, video and audio journeys, encounters with culture and your own self.
All programme
20th of May
This is an extraordinary day and, without a doubt, one that is dedicated to the birthday of Kaunas city! From the rhythms of music to Kaunas’s longest table of neighbours, everything will fit into the first day of The Confluence’s events, in preparation for the whirlwind of activities and experiences that will be swirling into action over the weekend.
The 20th of May will start in Santakos Park, testing the synergy of air and altitude, the temperature will climb as you wander through the labyrinth of installations, and in the afternoon the city and the district will be rocked by concerts and performances. In the evening, the main event of the day – the Courtyard Festival – will await all Kaunas residents and guests. Once it’s over, all you have to do is relax at the Summer Stage, which will kick off with gentle guitar rhythms, gradually fading into nocturnal electronic sounds.
Slackline experience
15:00-00:00
Santaka Park
Organizer: “Slackline Lietuva”
Have you ever taken a walk in the air? That’s exactly what the positive daredevils Slackline Lietuva, who are coming to Santaka Park, are proposing. Hammocks, slackline bouncing, spatial net weaving and a mysterious night-time fire and light show will be waiting for you in the park’s lush greenery. The most adventurous ones will have a chance to try out ziplining and slacklining. What should you bring? Just a pocketful of relaxation and a willingness to discover the synergy between air and altitude.
Music stage
20:00-00:00
Santaka Park (stadium)
Organizer: Kaunas 2022
“Why are we finding it so bitter when we are together?”, Monique will ask, while Justinas Jarutis will remind us about the approaching August, and Saulės kliošas will encourage us to call them if we feel sad. All these artists will be performing on the main music stage at Santaka Park.
20:00 – 21:00 – Saulės Kliošas
21:30 – 22:30 – Monique
23:00 – 24:00 – Justinas Jarutis
Summer Stage
19:00-01:00
Kaunas Town Hall square
Organizer: Kaunas 2022
This recently opened venue is about to greet the city and will continue to delight us until the autumn. The Summer Stage will kick off with gentle guitar rhythms, gradually fading into nocturnal electronic sounds.
17:00-18:30 – Shishi
18:40-19:30 – Juzt
20:30-21:30 – Sraigės Efektas
22:30-23:20 – Kristijonas Ribaitis
00:00-01:00 – Gamka
Traditional craft fair
15:00-20:00
Kaunas Castle square
Organizer: Kaunas 2022
Can you imagine a celebration without the hustle and bustle of a traditional craft fair? Lithuanian and European folk artists and cooks will be waiting for all curious visitors who want to buy original souvenirs and delicacies.
Labyrinth/brain-teaser
15:00-00:00
Kaunas Castle surroundings
Organizers: “Espectacle Spectacular” and Kaunas 2022
Three days – three installations to wander through labyrinths, discover the art of comics and marvel at immersive visual play. Catalan group Espectacle Spectacular promises to bring a wealth of colours, unexpected wanderings and discoveries to the residents and visitors of Kaunas.
Installation: Tooth of the Mythical Beast of Kaunas
18:00, all-day long
A. Jakšto and Jonavos street intersection, pedestrian island
The mysterious Kaunas Beast left its marks in the city. It will be possible to see his magical tooth! This tooth brings happiness to all who see it and show it to others. Fortunately, the tooth was found by the ceramicist Remigijus Sederevičius, who will talk about the extraordinary object on the 20th of May.
Exhibition: “1972: Breaking Through the Wall”
10:00-18:00
Former Kaunas Central Post Office (Laisvės Avenue 102)
Paid
Organizer: Kaunas 2022
We are sure that this exhibition will touch a nerve. Through this exhibition, our city will engage in a candid conversation with itself like never before. It will transport audiences to the 1960s and 1970s and the communities of disobedient people who resisted the system: illegal rock music bands, Kaunas actors and pantomime performers, rebellious hippies, and modern artists from Kaunas and Vilnius. Paintings, photographs, and films, documentary testimonials of the city’s musical life, youth fashion from the period, and other artifacts will tell the story about an alternative culture and a non-Soviet lifestyle led in Soviet Lithuania. Curator: Rasa Žukienė.
Courtyard Festival
18:00-22:00
Laisvės Avenue
Organizer: Kaunas 2022
Everyone has surely heard of the Courtyard Festival in Kaunas. Communities, organisations, and neighbours will set up tables in the city centre, decorating them with white tablecloths and flowers. A joint line of dinner tables will stretch across Laisvės Alėja, and various cultural performances will bring surprise and excitement to unexpected spaces.
“Nemuno7”
15:00-16:00, 17:00-18:00 ir 19:00-20:00
UAB „Kauno vandenų“ reservoir (Aukštaičių street 43)
Organizer: Kaunas 2022
The Tykumos duo concert exhibits a truly exceptional musical harmony. Sound samples from the environment and objects, collected in unique locations of Kaunas and Kaunas district – including the interwar water reservoirs belonging to Kauno vandenys and the river dredger-boat Nemuno7 – will merge with original atmospheric music and authentic folk songs performed by the mixed-voice choir Kamertonas. The unique concert venue will allow you to enjoy sounds that freeze in time, while the lighting and colours of the set design will make you feel as though you were drifting in magical water currents.The duo will be assisted by percussionist Viktoras Rubežas. Light designer Mantas Bartusevičius and Disco4U will take care of the visuals and atmosphere. Only a limited number of tickets is available.
Exhibition “Memory of Being” by Marina Abramović
10:00-18:00
Kaunas picture gallery (K. Donelaičio street 16)
Paid
Partners: Kaunas 2022, Marina Abramovic Institute, Moderna Museet (Stockholm)
Organizer: „Meno parkas“
One of the most anticipated art events in Kaunas and all of Lithuania is the exhibition “Memory of Being” by Marina Abramović, one of the most famous performance artists in the world, which is to be presented for the first time. The exhibition offers a detailed presentation of the works by Abramović from the 1960s to recent years; the exhibition also draws attention in a unique form – for the first time it is prepared as an impressive video installation from selected documentaries and films of the artist’s performances.
Exhibition “That Which We Do Not Remember” by William Kentridge
10:00-18:00
National M. K. Čiurlionis Museum of Art (V. Putvinskio street 55)
Paid
Organizer: Kaunas 2022
The exhibition “That Which We Do Not Remember” by William Kentridge, a South African artist with Litvak roots, who has been celebrated as a contemporary artistic genius, invites us to enter into dialogue with ourselves. This exhibition aims to piece together the scattered shards of historical events into meaningful mosaics, just like a mirror reflecting those who look into it. The artist brilliantly combines sharp content with an evocative aesthetic, shaking up the viewer’s preconceived notions or stereotypical viewpoints. Curator: Virginija Vitkienė
Yoko Ono’s installation “Ex It”
11:00-18:00
Bank of Lithuania in Kaunas (Maironio street 25)
The work of Yoko Ono, characterized as a non-conformist on the world art scene, is visiting Kaunas: the artist’s installation “Ex It”, hosted in the historic building of the Bank of Lithuania, displays hundreds of coffins of varying sizes with trees growing out of them.
Exposition “Stories of the House”
10:00-17:00
Historical Presidential Palace in Kaunas (Vilniaus street 33)
Paid
Organizer: Historical Presidential Palace in Kaunas
International Puppet Theatre Festival “Kaunas Puppet 2022”
10:00-18:00
Kaunas State Puppet Theatre, various locations
Organizer: Kaunas State Puppet Theatre
The International Puppet Theatre Festival has been taking place in Kaunas ever since 1991! During this year’s festival, we will learn about contemporary trends in European puppetry and object theatre and discover the world-renowned performances of puppeteers from overseas and the latest works of Lithuanian puppet theatre artists, which will showcase the universality and relevance of the language of puppetry and object theatre for all age groups.
21st of May
The second day of The Confluence’s events invites you to escape to the city once again. This time, “Let’s Celebrate the River!” will bring Kaunas residents and guests to the water. Participants will be travelling along the Neris and the Nemunas in canoes, boats and even makeshift rafts, and various educational activities will be run on the riverbanks. Those who would rather not get wet will be tempted by a craft fair, performances for the whole family and even blood-chilling tightrope walks.
In the evening, the whirlwind of events will reach its culmination: “The Confluence” – the second act of the Contemporary Myth of Kaunas Trilogy – will begin, presenting to its audiences a mystery on the water that has never been seen in Lithuania before. An unforgettable spectacle awaits!
Slackline experience
10:00-02:00
Santaka Park, P. Vileišio and Vytauto Didžiojo bridges
Organizer: “Slackline Lietuva”
Have you ever walked in the air? This is what the positive daredevils “Slackline Lietuva” coming to Santaka Park offers. Hammocks, slacklining, weaving a net will be waiting for you in the greenery of the park… And as dusk falls, the whole “Hanging Venice”. What’s that? You’ll find out when you come.
“Gatvės Žvėris: dantis už dantį”: 3×3 basketball tournament
10:00-18:00
Santaka Park, open basketball court
Organizers: Kaunas 2022 and “Kiemo lyga”
The outdoor basketball court in Santaka Park, which has already hosted many matches, has never seen such a ferocious tournament before! Fans of the orange ball will not only compete for the title of best player but will also witness gravity-defying stunts performed by professionals.
With pre-registration
“Pirties garas”
12:00-20:00
Santaka Park
Organizers: “Pirties Bičiuliai”, “Vantos Lapas”, “Kaunas 2022”.
On May 21-22, we will meet at the confluence of the Kaunas Neris River, where we will all take part in the sauna festival “Pirties garas Kaunas 2022”!
The pirtis event will acquaint visitors with the traditions of the healthy Lithuanian pirtis. It will reveal the abundance of procedures and the positive impact on the body and psycho-emotional state. There will be a whole pirtis town and health services besides the Neris river. The integrity and aesthetics of the town will be formed by the wonderful “Vantos Lapas” saunas, where the masters of the pirtis will gift warm treatments, and visitors will be able to pamper themselves with gentle hand touches in the massage room. In the pirtis performance and knowledge pavilion, pirtis masters and lecturers will share their knowledge. In the trade area, you will be able to purchase various products for a healthy lifestyle and pirtis. Various pirtis and SPA organizations will also present their activities.
The following activities will take place:
* Pirčių space.
* Demonstration programs “Pirties vanta (Whisk) Dances.”
* SPA centers, massages “Power of touch.”
* Artistic program.
* Presentations of saunas and other organizations.
* Knowledge space “Mysteries of the Lithuanian pirtis.”
* Trade zone “Kermošius.”
We look forward to seeing you!
You can find a more detailed program at: https://www.pirtiesgaras.com
As the Lithuanian pirtis is inseparable from the use of natural resources, we, the Lithuanian pirtis community, respect and nurture nature; therefore, the celebration will be organized by the principles of sustainability.
Until a warm meeting!
Music Stage
18:00-21:30 and 23:00-01:00
Santaka Park (stadium)
Organizer: Kaunas 2022
The musical experiences, having begun on Friday, continue all through Saturday. The air will be vibrating with indie, pop and electronic beats. All night long, we will dance to music by various Lithuanian artists, and as midnight approaches, we will be taken on a musical journey by a DJ set.
19:00 Sister on wire
19:30 Gjan
21:00 Saulius Prūsaitis
23:30 DJ Jovani
The second act of the Contemporary Myth of Kaunas Trilogy: “The Confluence”
22:00-23:00
Santaka Park
Organizer: Kaunas 2022
The evening’s most anticipated event is “The Confluence” – the second act of the Contemporary Myth of Kaunas Trilogy. In the embrace of two rivers, the Nemunas and Neris, we invite audiences to resolve their inner contradictions and celebrate unity at the Kaunas confluence. Kaunas residents and visitors will be treated to a performance on water, never-before-seen in Lithuania, whose scenography will feature boats undulating on the waves, while projections animating the rivers will provide a unique spectacle, and live orchestral music will make you sink into a dream.
Summer Stage
14:00-02:00 (break – 22:00-23:00)
Kaunas Town Hall square
Saturday is dedicated to the World Music programme. From Swedish legends and bridge-building between Western and Eastern cultures, to raucous dancing, where Czech, Balkan and Litvak rhythms fuse into a single whirlwind.
14:00-15:00 – Musica Vitae
16:30-17:30 – JISR (Germany)
18:50-20:00 – LÜCY (Taiwan)
20:30-21:45 – Bratri (Czech Republic)
23:00-01:00 – Baltic Balkan
Traditional craft fair
10:00-20:00
Kaunas Castle square
Organizer: Kaunas 2022
Can you imagine a celebration without the hustle and bustle of a traditional craft fair? Lithuanian and European folk artists and cooks will be waiting for all curious people who want to buy original souvenirs and delicacies.
Creative experience town of “Santaka”
11:00-15:00 ir 17:00-20:00
Kaunas Castle surroundings
Organizers: “Kultūros kiemas” ir Kaunas 2022
The smallest participants of the festival are invited to safely and inspiringly delve into the creative experience town of “Santaka”. Here man and creation will merge, and this synergy will give rise to a new experience. “Santaka” will be waiting with linen carving, mosaic, kites.
Labyrinth/brain-teaser
12:00-20:00
Kaunas Castle surroundings
Organizers: “Espectacle Spectacular” and Kaunas 2022
Three days – three installations to wander through labyrinths, discover the art of comics and marvel at immersive visual play. Catalan group Espectacle Spectacular promises to bring a wealth of colours, unexpected wanderings and discoveries to the residents and visitors of Kaunas.
Theatre show “Plain Bob”
12:00
Kaunas Castle surroundings
Organizer: Kaunas State Puppet Theatre
An immensely beautiful, poetic, innocent and tender show without words is coming to Kaunas. The performance’s stage is created in the here and now – out of suitcases, an umbrella and a raincoat. You will be asked to come on stage to help Bob with a few simple tasks. The show will be accompanied by original music and sound effects, mysteriously controlled by a second character, who sometimes magically controls Bob himself via radio signal.
Recommended for 5-year-olds and older children
Duration – 30 min
Theatre show “Asteroid”
13:00 and 15:00
Kaunas Castle surroundings
Organizer: Kaunas State Puppet Theatre
A street has been hit by an asteroid. The Space Guard science team is approaching. But suddenly, unexpected things begin to happen. Through absurdist humour, this performance shows us what we think about things we do not know or understand. Toti Toronelli’s unique performance delivers an unexpected, enchanting and transformative effect.
Recommended for 1-year-olds and older children
Duration – 45 min
Cie Basinga performance “Open Lines”
16:00
Kaunas Castle surroundings
Organizers: Cie Basinga and Kaunas 2022
Balance and imbalance, courage and fear, strength and weakness – a whole bouquet of emotions will be drawn together in the “Open Lines” performance by Cie Basinga – the world-renowned professional troupe from France. Blood-chilling tightrope walks will challenge the limits of human potential and seek points of interaction with spectators.
Installation: Tooth of the Mythical Beast of Kaunas
All-day long
A. Jakšto ir Jonavos streets intersection, pedestrian island
Organizer: Kaunas 2022
The mysterious Kaunas Beast left its marks in the city. It will be possible to see his magical tooth! This tooth brings happiness to all who see it and show it to others. Fortunately, the tooth was found by the ceramicist Remigijus Sederevičius who prepared a little surprise for all citizens.
Street Music Day
12:00-21:00
Laisvės Alley
Organizers: Kaunas Cultural centre and Kaunas 2022
The event, which has become a tradition, will delight the residents of Kaunas and the guests of the city also this year. Guitars, drums, violins, flutes and other instruments will sound on the streets and invite you to listen to music performed with enthusiasm.
Exhibition: “1972: Breaking Through the Wall”
10:00-18:00
Former Kaunas Central Post Office (Laisvės Avenue 102)
Paid
Organizer: Kaunas 2022
We are sure that this exhibition will touch a nerve. Through this exhibition, our city will engage in a candid conversation with itself like never before. It will transport audiences to the 1960s and 1970s and the communities of disobedient people who resisted the system: illegal rock music bands, Kaunas actors and pantomime performers, rebellious hippies, and modern artists from Kaunas and Vilnius. Paintings, photographs, and films, documentary testimonials of the city’s musical life, youth fashion from the period, and other artifacts will tell the story about an alternative culture and a non-Soviet lifestyle led in Soviet Lithuania. Curator: Rasa Žukienė.
Putvinskio Street Day
13:00-18:00
Putvinskio street
Organizer: Kaunas Artists’ House
Once a year, on a Saturday in May, come rain or shine (or even pandemic!), the whole of V. Putvinskio Street is bustling. Kaunas Artists’ House collaborates with institutions, establishments and neighbours on Putvinskio Street in a joint effort to turn the whole street into a community courtyard, even if only for a day. The street becomes a venue for workshops, neighbourly conversations and concerts. This year, Putvinskio Street Day has been handed over to the artists – everyone is invited to join in the bustle of creative workshops and artistic activities.
Exhibition “Memory of Being” by Marina Abramović
10:00-18:00
Kaunas picture gallery (K. Donelaičio street 16)
Paid
Partners: Kaunas 2022, Marina Abramovic Institute, Moderna Museet (Stockholm)
Organizer: „Meno parkas“
One of the most anticipated art events in Kaunas and all of Lithuania is the exhibition “Memory of Being” by Marina Abramović, one of the most famous performance artists in the world, which is to be presented for the first time. The exhibition offers a detailed presentation of the works by Abramović from the 1960s to recent years; the exhibition also draws attention in a unique form – for the first time it is prepared as an impressive video installation from selected documentaries and films of the artist’s performances.
Paspirtukynės
Time: 10:00 – 13:00
Place: Aukštaičių str. 45, Kaunas
Organizer: Early Education School Eureka
Families who like to move are welcome in the “Paspirtukynės”, where children aged 2-6 with balance bikes and scooters will compete. The free event will take place in the main yard of the Early Education School Eureka. Let’s exercise, race, share good emotions and be rewarded. Don’t forget to register – www.paspirtukynes.lt
Community cultural route “Let’s Celebrate the River!”
10.00-16.00
Nemunas and Neris rivers and their banks, various locations
The participants of the festival “Let’s Celebrate the River!” will travel along the Neris and Nemunas in canoes, boats and even makeshift rafts, while various educational activities, exhibitions, musical rhythms and workshop areas will entice you to relax and enjoy the river.
Neris river:
- Art island: Plein air painting
12:00-16:00
Neries Krantinės Park
In Neries Krantinės Park, you will be invited to contribute to the creation of a large-scale collaborative mural. More than 100 canvases of different sizes will be awaiting professional artists, amateurs or just those who have sailed down the Neris to participate in the “Let’s Celebrate the River!” festival – all of them will have an opportunity to fill the canvases with colours and images they have just seen on the river.
- Music and education island
12:00-16:00
Area next to the P. Vileišio bridge
The oasis of peace – an island of music and education – awaits families with children. It will be hosting a range of river-themed activities: boat gardening, puppet theatre activities, meeting a scientist, music school performances and a photography exhibition.
Nemunas river
- Sports and games island
12:00-16:00
Vieta: Panemunės Beach, Smetonos alley
Participants who cannot stand still and are always seeking outdoor activities are welcome at Panemunės Beach. Here they will find volleyball and checkers tournaments, a board games area and even fencing classes.
- Art island: boat workshops
12:00-16:00
Close to Panemunės bridge
A lasting symbolic decoration will brighten up the riverbank with colour! Participants are welcome to a plein-air session of painting wooden boats, led by artist Rodica Morari, which will be taking place in a unique setting. Your work will land next to the river, not only as a reminder of the event but also as yet another attraction for passers-by.
- Performing Arts Island
12:00-16:00
Žemieji Šančiai beach
Anyone sailing along the river routes or just dropping by Žemieji Šančiai beach will be tempted by the Performing Arts Island. Audiences will be delighted by contemporary dance performances, plays and improvisations.
Artists’ Square
12:00-21:00
M. Valančiaus street square
Organizer: Gallery “Balta”
M. Valančiaus Street Square will be transformed into a creative space for artists. Introducing a range of creative ideas to their colleagues and the city’s audience, the artists will be discussing, interacting, and presenting their works to the city folk, recounting their origin stories, holding performances and exhibitions, and creating an art installation dedicated to Ukraine.
Exhibition “That Which We Do Not Remember” by William Kentridge
10:00-18:00
National M. K. Čiurlionis Museum of Art (V. Putvinskio street 55)
Paid
Organizer: Kaunas 2022
The exhibition “That Which We Do Not Remember” by William Kentridge, a South African artist with Litvak roots, who has been celebrated as a contemporary artistic genius, invites us to enter into dialogue with ourselves. This exhibition aims to piece together the scattered shards of historical events into meaningful mosaics, just like a mirror reflecting those who look into it. The artist brilliantly combines sharp content with an evocative aesthetic, shaking up the viewer’s preconceived notions or stereotypical viewpoints. Curator: Virginija Vitkienė
Exposition “Stories of the House”
11:00-16:00
Historical Presidential Palace in Kaunas (Vilniaus street 33)
Paid
Organizer: Historical Presidential Palace in Kaunas
It is time to see the Historical Presidential Palace of the Republic of Lithuania in a new light: the stories of this palace date back to the time when the residence of the Governor of Kaunas was located in the building and the German Kaiser was visiting. In almost two hundred years, the palace has seen many important moments of Kaunas and Lithuania – great achievements, decline, wars. This is the crossroad of our history.
“SESSIONS’22”
11:00-21:00
Žalgiris arena parking
Organizer: Kaunas extreme sport club
Extreme sports enthusiasts will be gathering at Vienybės Square. Skateboarding, BMX biking, rollerblading and scooter tournaments as well as sports classes will await the fans. There will also be special structures erected for stunt practice.
International Puppet Theatre Festival “Kaunas Puppet 2022”
11:00-18:00
Kaunas State Puppet Theatre, various locations
Organizer: Kaunas State Puppet Theatre
The International Puppet Theatre Festival has been taking place in Kaunas ever since 1991! During this year’s festival, we will learn about contemporary trends in European puppetry and object theatre and discover the world-renowned performances of puppeteers from overseas and the latest works of Lithuanian puppet theatre artists, which will showcase the universality and relevance of the language of puppetry and object theatre for all age groups.
The second act of the Contemporary Myth of Kaunas Trilogy: “The Confluence”
The evening’s most anticipated event is “The Confluence” – the second act of the Contemporary Myth of Kaunas Trilogy. In the embrace of two rivers, the Nemunas and Neris, we invite audiences to resolve their inner contradictions and celebrate unity at the Kaunas confluence. Kaunas residents and visitors will be treated to a performance on water, never-before-seen in Lithuania, whose scenography will feature boats undulating on the waves, while projections animating the rivers will provide a unique spectacle, and live orchestral music will make you sink into a dream.
22:00-23:00
Santaka Park
Organizer: Kaunas 2022
22nd of May
The rivers have run their course, the frenzied night has passed. But we want to feel yesterday’s emotion once again, so the rich programme of “The Confluence” will keep us from going home for a little bit longer. On Sunday, routes for lovers of contemporary art and culture will meander between Yoko Ono’s installation “Ex It”, the exhibition “1972: Breaking through the Wall”, and the retrospectives of William Kentridge and Marina Abramović. A kite festival will bring you into nature, a traditional craft fair will tempt you with delicacies, and those who want to see a new and unique attraction in Kaunas will enjoy the opening of the Nemuno7 dredger-boat.
Slackline experience
10:00-20:00
Santaka Park
Have you ever taken a walk in the air? That’s exactly what the positive daredevils Slackline Lietuva, who are coming to Santaka Park, are proposing. Hammocks, slackline bouncing and alternative sport activities will be waiting for you in the park’s lush greenery. The most adventurous ones will have a chance to try out slacklining. What should you bring? Just a pocketful of relaxation and a willingness to discover the synergy between air and altitude.
“Kaunas Resuscitates“. First aid training
11:00-17:00
Main stage
Organizer: Emergency clinics, Kauno klinikos
On Sunday, we will be aiming for a new record that you will really want to be part of. During the “Kaunas Resuscitates” campaign, trained doctors and instructors will teach essential life-saving first aid steps. Record for the most people trained in resuscitation in one day – can we make this happen together?
“Pirties garas”
11:00-19:00
Santaka Park
Organizers: “Pirties Bičiuliai”, “Vantos Lapas”, “Kaunas 2022”.
On May 21-22, we will meet at the confluence of the Kaunas Neris River, where we will all take part in the sauna festival “Pirties garas Kaunas 2022”!
The pirtis event will acquaint visitors with the traditions of the healthy Lithuanian pirtis. It will reveal the abundance of procedures and the positive impact on the body and psycho-emotional state. There will be a whole pirtis town and health services besides the Neris river. The integrity and aesthetics of the town will be formed by the wonderful “Vantos Lapas” saunas, where the masters of the pirtis will gift warm treatments, and visitors will be able to pamper themselves with gentle hand touches in the massage room. In the pirtis performance and knowledge pavilion, pirtis masters and lecturers will share their knowledge. In the trade area, you will be able to purchase various products for a healthy lifestyle and pirtis. Various pirtis and SPA organizations will also present their activities.
The following activities will take place:
* Pirčių space.
* Demonstration programs “Pirties vanta (Whisk) Dances.”
* SPA centers, massages “Power of touch.”
* Artistic program.
* Presentations of saunas and other organizations.
* Knowledge space “Mysteries of the Lithuanian pirtis.”
* Trade zone “Kermošius.”
We look forward to seeing you!
You can find a more detailed program at: https://www.pirtiesgaras.com
As the Lithuanian pirtis is inseparable from the use of natural resources, we, the Lithuanian pirtis community, respect and nurture nature; therefore, the celebration will be organized by the principles of sustainability.
Until a warm meeting!
Music Stage
18:00-21:00
Santaka Park (stadium)
Organizer: Kaunas 2022
We invite you to end a weekend of spectacular events the way it began – with music and engaging performances. This time, the stage is taken over by Ieva Narkutė and Aistė Smilgevičiūtė with the band Skylė.
Summer Stage
16:00-20:00
Kaunas Town Hall square
Organizer: Kaunas 2022
The river has run its course, the frenzied night has passed. Would you like to relive yesterday’s emotion once again? Sunday’s programme features three great Lithuanian bands that will boost your positivity for the week ahead and beyond.
15:50-16:50 – Kedrostuburas
17:50-19:00 – Ministry of Echology
20:00-21:00 – Arklio galia
Traditional craft fair
10:00-17:00
Kaunas Castle square
Organizer: Kaunas 2022
Can you imagine a celebration without the hustle and bustle of a traditional craft fair? Lithuanian and European folk artists, artists and cooks will be waiting for all curious people who want to buy original souvenirs and delicacies.
Creative experience town of “Santaka”
11:00-15:00
Castle surroundings
Organizers: “Kultūros kiemas“ ir Kaunas 2022
Cosy educational space pavilions for children will be located at the entrances of the castle and will welcome the smallest participants of “Santaka”. Here, the mosaic workshops will check your thoroughness, ebru art classes will invite you to paint on the water, and a sweet rest after activities will be ensured by self-made dream traps.
Labyrinth/brain-teaser by “Espectacle Spectacular”
12:00-18:00
Kaunas Castle surroundings
Organizers: “Espectacle Spectacular” and Kaunas 2022
Three days – three installations to wander through labyrinths, discover the art of comics and marvel at immersive visual play. Catalan group Espectacle Spectacular promises to bring a wealth of colours, unexpected wanderings and discoveries to the residents and visitors of Kaunas.
Theatre show “Asteroid”
12:00 and 14:00
Kaunas Castle surroundings
Organizer: Kaunas State Puppet Theatre
A street has been hit by an asteroid. The Space Guard science team is approaching. But suddenly, unexpected things begin to happen. Through absurdist humour, this performance shows us what we think about things we do not know or understand. Toti Toronelli’s unique performance delivers an unexpected, enchanting and transformative effect.
Recommended for 1-year-olds and older children
Duration – 45 min
Theatre show “Plain Bob”
13:00
Kaunas Castle surroundings
Organizer: Kaunas State Puppet Theatre
An immensely beautiful, poetic, innocent and tender show without words is coming to Kaunas. The performance’s stage is created in the here and now – out of suitcases, an umbrella and a raincoat. You will be asked to come on stage to help Bob with a few simple tasks. The show will be accompanied by original music and sound effects, mysteriously controlled by a second character, who sometimes magically controls Bob himself via radio signal.
Recommended for 5-year-olds and older children
Duration – 30 min
Cie Basinga performance “Open lines”
16:00
Kaunas Castle surroundings
Organizers: Cie Basinga and Kaunas 2022
Balance and imbalance, courage and fear, strength and weakness – a whole bouquet of emotions will be drawn together in the “Open Lines” performance by Cie Basinga – the world-renowned professional troupe from France. Blood-chilling tightrope walks will challenge the limits of human potential and seek points of interaction with spectators.
Tooth of the Mythical Beast of Kaunas
All-day long
A. Jakšto and Jonavos streets’ intersection, pedestrian island
Organizer: Kaunas 2022
The mysterious Kaunas Beast left its marks in the city. It will be possible to see his magical tooth! This tooth brings happiness to all who see it and show it to others. Fortunately, the tooth was found by the ceramicist Remigijus Sederevičius who prepared a little surprise for all citizens.
“Nemuno7” grand opening
21:30-23:00
Zapyškis, left bank of Nemunas river
Organizers: “Ars Futuri” and Kaunas 2022
“Nemuno7” is a novelty of which we are proud. It is a unique river engineering and landscape design project in Europe, which will become a public cultural space. The object combines history of technology, heritage and contemporary architecture to become a new attraction of Kaunas district. On May 22, the opening of the ship-excavating machine “Nemuno7” will take place, where viewers will be invited to experience water from the perspective of art, architecture or science.
Kite festival “Between land and sky”
15:00-21:30
Muziejaus gatvė 1, Zapyškis
Organizatorius: Zapyškio laisvalaikio salė
A special kite festival awaits on a special weekend! “Between land and sky” is an opportunity to spend the entire day together with your family members and friends, creating kites, flying them in the sky, admiring the Nemunas and its coastlines, listening to exceptional music and participating in creative activities.
Exhibition “Memory of Being” by Marina Abramović
10:00-18:00
Kaunas picture gallery (K. Donelaičio street 16)
Paid
Partners: Kaunas 2022, Marina Abramovic Institute, Moderna Museet (Stockholm)
One of the most anticipated art events in Kaunas and all of Lithuania is the exhibition “Memory of Being” by Marina Abramović, one of the most famous performance artists in the world, which is to be presented for the first time. The exhibition offers a detailed presentation of the works by Abramović from the 1960s to recent years; the exhibition also draws attention in a unique form – for the first time it is prepared as an impressive video installation from selected documentaries and films of the artist’s performances.
Artists’ Square
12:00-18:00
M. Valančiaus street square
Organizer: Gallery “Balta”
M. Valančiaus Street Square will be transformed into a creative space for artists. Introducing a range of creative ideas to their colleagues and the city’s audience, the artists will be discussing, interacting, and presenting their works to the city folk, recounting their origin stories, holding performances and exhibitions, and creating an art installation dedicated to Ukraine.
Exhibition: “1972: Breaking Through the Wall”
10:00-18:00
Former Kaunas Central Post Office (Laisvės Avenue 102)
Paid
Organizer: Kaunas 2022
We are sure that this exhibition will touch a nerve. Through this exhibition, our city will engage in a candid conversation with itself like never before. It will transport audiences to the 1960s and 1970s and the communities of disobedient people who resisted the system: illegal rock music bands, Kaunas actors and pantomime performers, rebellious hippies, and modern artists from Kaunas and Vilnius. Paintings, photographs, and films, documentary testimonials of the city’s musical life, youth fashion from the period, and other artifacts will tell the story about an alternative culture and a non-Soviet lifestyle led in Soviet Lithuania. Curator: Rasa Žukienė.
Exhibition “That Which We Do Not Remember” by William Kentridge
10:00-18:00
National M. K. Čiurlionis Museum of Art (V. Putvinskio street 55)
Paid
Organizer: Kaunas 2022
The exhibition “That Which We Do Not Remember” by William Kentridge, a South African artist with Litvak roots, who has been celebrated as a contemporary artistic genius, invites us to enter into dialogue with ourselves. This exhibition aims to piece together the scattered shards of historical events into meaningful mosaics, just like a mirror reflecting those who look into it. The artist brilliantly combines sharp content with an evocative aesthetic, shaking up the viewer’s preconceived notions or stereotypical viewpoints. Curator: Virginija Vitkienė
Exposition “Stories of the House”
11:00-16:00
Historical Presidential Palace in Kaunas (Vilniaus street 33)
Paid
Organizer: Historical Presidential Palace in Kaunas
It is time to see the Historical Presidential Palace of the Republic of Lithuania in a new light: the stories of this palace date back to the time when the residence of the Governor of Kaunas was located in the building and the German Kaiser was visiting. In almost two hundred years, the palace has seen many important moments of Kaunas and Lithuania – great achievements, decline, wars. This is the crossroad of our history.
International Puppet Theatre Festival „Kaunas Puppet 2022“
11:00-18:00
Kaunas State Puppet Theatre, various locations
Organizer: Kaunas State Puppet Theatre
The International Puppet Theatre Festival has been taking place in Kaunas ever since 1991! During this year’s festival, we will learn about contemporary trends in European puppetry and object theatre and discover the world-renowned performances of puppeteers from overseas and the latest works of Lithuanian puppet theatre artists, which will showcase the universality and relevance of the language of puppetry and object theatre for all age groups.
FAQ
The grand evening event will start on May 21 at 10:00 p.m. (Lithuanian time) at the confluence of the rivers of Nemunas and Neris. The event duration is ~1 hour.
Yes, the event is free of charge, without registration and tickets.
Organizers highlight that the event will take place outside, therefore attendees should choose clothes according to the temperature and weather conditions at that time.
Yes, the event will take place even in bad weather conditions. The scenography and performances of the event have been created taking into account the possibility of rain.
Yes. An additional platform will be set up at the “Confluence” event for people with special needs. Moreover, volunteers will assist people with special needs at the place of the event, while the “Social taxi” will be giving free rides. To book the free shuttle service, call on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on the phone number +370 687 440 01 or fill in the registration form.
The record of the opening event will be available on May 22nd at 9 p.m. on LRT television. The record of the event with an English translation will also be shared on Kaunas 2022 youtube channel.
During the events, traffic will be restricted in the part of Kaunas Old Town (from May 20 at 12:00 a.m. to May 22 at 9:00 p.m.), Užnemunės str. in one traffic lane (from 12 May at 6:00 p.m.to 22 May at 00:00 a.m.) and Užnemunės str. in all lanes (from 4:00 p.m. on 19 May to 1:00 a.m. on 20 May and from 1:00 p.m. on 21 May to 2:00 a.m. on 22 May).
Yes, various events (concerts, exhibitions, festivals, acrobatic performances) will take place throughout the whole weekend. A detailed program of events can be found here.
During the weekend there will be many events, including two music stages. Lithuanian and foreign musicians will perform on the Summer Stage in Kaunas Town Hall square while the most famous Lithuanian pop music performers will show up on the Music Stage in Santaka Park.
Most of the events on May 20-22 will be free of charge. You can find out whether the event is paid for in the programme.
Anyone can take part in this game. To start the game, it is necessary to have a special mask, which can be picked up at the “Confluence” information centers (Laisvės a. 36, info tents at Rotušės square and Kaunas Castle surroundings). Examining the map and the list of the events, participants will collect special stickers at the event venues. The more stickers players collect, the better prize awaits them. Read more about the Game of the Beast here.
Those who live in Vilnius and want to participate in the evening events will be able to return home using the additional train routes Kaunas-Vilnius:
Friday (departure from Kaunas) 9:50 p.m.
Saturday (departure from Kaunas) 11:40-55 p.m.
Sunday (departure from Kaunas) 9:50 p.m.
Yes, for the convenience of guests and residents of the city, on May 20-22 additional public transport routes will be organized in Kaunas. You can find out which buses and trolleybuses will help you return home safely or drive from one event to another by visiting the website www.stops.lt/kaunas/.
All the necessary information and assistance will be provided by volunteers working in the information centers. The information centers can be found at:
The Office of Kaunas 2022 (Laisvės Avenue 36)
May 20 d. 9:00 a.m.–10:00 p.m.
May 21 10:00 a.m.–10:00 p.m.
May 22 10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.
Info tents:
Kaunas Town Hall square
May 20: 3:00 p.m.–11:00 p.m
May 21: 10:00 a.m.–11:00 p.m
May 22: 10:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m
Kaunas Castle surroundings
May 20: 3:00 p.m.–11:00 p.m
May 21: 10:00 a.m.–11:00 p.m
May 22: 10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m