Back on Vilnius Light Festival & the 700 years of the city

Throughout 2023, Vilnius will have a number of city-wide cultural, educational, and art events to celebrate its 700th anniversary.

For a bit of context:

In 1323 Gediminas, the Grand Duke of Lithuania, mentioned the city for the very first time in his letters to foreign merchants and craftsmen, and the date, January 25th, has been attributed to the official origins of Vilnius as a city. The 700th anniversary this year highlights the colorful history of the capital and invite everyone to celebrate the modern and youthful city, which is constantly growing and reinventing itself every day.

Vilnius 700th birthday is one of UNESCO’s 67 mentionable anniversary dates over the two years.

What is the Vilnius Light Festival?

Since the 2019 edition, the Vilnius Light Festival starts on 25 January, the city’s birthday. It invites the capital’s residents and visitors to celebrate in the city for a few days, creating a festive atmosphere. The festival has become the highlight of this city celebration during the darkest season of the year. It is a very appropriate occasion to bring communities together in the city to celebrate the festival in a rich, vibrant and memorable way. The programme and the presentation of the festival have also became a tourist attraction.

The Vilnius Light Festival is the only festival in its category that combines modern light art, music and modern technology. Despite its young age, the ambitious event, which is growing every year, prides itself on its interesting, high-quality and solid content, famous names from the world of modern art, excellent reviews and thousands of fans.

Over the past five years, more than 90 projects from 20 countries around the world have been presented in the programme of the Vilnius Light Festival.

The sustainable aspect

The themes and works of the Vilnius Light Festival reflect the changing trends of the world. The city promotes initiatives focused on environmental protection and sustainability. When selecting projects, Vilnius takes into account their materiality and durability. Participants are invited to create sustainable, long-term, responsible projects, giving them the opportunity to educate, inspire and promote positive change in society.

As part of the City of Vilnius‘s concern for its community, and in order to reduce the event’s environmental impact, festival visitors are invited to come to the event by public transport, which is generally free of charge on 25 January – the city’s birthday.

Remarks by the Vilnius City Administration

©Saulius Žiūra_City of Vilnius