Young Like Vilnius festival invites everyone to celebrate the capital’s 700th anniversary together
On 25 July – St Christopher’s Day – Vilnius will become a music arena for a day. The capital celebrates the feast day of its patron saint every year, but this year it should appear on the map of cultural events for all of Lithuania. To mark the upcoming anniversary, Vilnius locals and guests are invited to a free festival in Vingis Park featuring different musical genres. It will include ideas of sustainability, original Lithuanian music collaborations, the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre symphony orchestra, and a performance by internationally acclaimed Scottish music star Lewis Capaldi.
Find out more about the festival
A programme that includes not only music, but also discussions
With just six months left until the capital’s impressive anniversary, it is important to remember the history of Vilnius, celebrate the city’s achievements, and look optimistically at its future. The Young Like Vilnius festival will invite Lithuanian and foreign guests to draw inspiration from creative, passionate and green Vilnius.
“This is not yet the celebration of the capital’s anniversary – for now, it’s just a prelude to it. But I have no doubt that St Christopher’s Day is especially suitable for this – the festival will turn into an exchange between the city and its people, where we will exchange energy, creativity, originality and attitudes towards the environment with the city and with each other. After all, this is exactly what we can all take from Vilnius – that’s what makes this city so wonderful. Be sure to participate, be sure to celebrate the city,” says Vilnius Mayor Remigijus Šimašius.
Even though famous musicians from Lithuania and abroad will be appearing on the festival stage, it will not be just a music festival. In the conversation and community space in Cathedral Square, there will be discussions and conversations where festival participants will talk about global issues and the future of the city. Issues relevant not only to Vilnius or Lithuania, but also to the entire world will be touched upon: climate change, ecology, responsible consumption, sustainability, emotional health, equality and more.
The first concert in the Baltic States by global sensation Lewis Capaldi
The Young Like Vilnius festival will feature a concert by international music star Lewis Capaldi. The young Scottish singer is only 25 years old, but his name has been known to music fans around the world for several years now. Millions of fans know the lyrics to his most popular songs – like Bruises, Before You Go and Hold Me While You Wait– by heart. His global hit Someone You Loved became the longest-running top 10 UK single of all time, and his album Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent spent 10 weeks at the top of the UK Albums Chart, becoming the longest-running album ever. Festival guests will be among the first to hear Capaldi’s new work.
“We’re thrilled that Lewis Capaldi, who has never performed in the Baltic States, chose Vilnius for his musical presentation. We will hear this international award-winning musician who has millions of fans worldwide at the festival concert being held to ring in the capital’s 700th anniversary, where everyone will be united by music. The free event in Vingis Park will be a great opportunity to visit Vilnius, and not only for people from other cities, but for people from neighbouring countries as well,” says Inga Romanovskienė, director of Go Vilnius, the tourism and business development agency of the City of Vilnius.
Unexpected Lithuanian duets and musical collaborations
One of the main festivals for Vilnius’s upcoming 700th anniversary will begin with a spectacle that will bring together Lithuanian classical music performers. Together with well-known soloists, the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre symphony orchestra will be creating unexpected compositions that will appeal even to those who do not normally listen to classical music.
The festival will also feature prominent Lithuanian performers who have been matched into duets of different genres expressly for this event. On the evening of 25 July, the stage will resound with songs that we know and love, as well as legendary pieces that have been newly interpreted. The full Young Like Vilnius festival programme is coming soon. Entrance to the festival will be free and open to all.
Young Like Vilnius festival to protect the environment
Vilnius is recognised as the greenest capital in Europe, so the organisers of the Young Like Vilnius festival aim to make this event, which is dedicated to the anniversary of the capital, friendly to the environment and festival-goers. Throughout the festival, waste will be sorted so that it can be recycled; organic and sustainable trade of food and beverages will be promoted, and the use of plastic will be reduced.
More information about the Vilnius 700th anniversary events is available online at: www.700vilnius.lt. The real anniversary of Vilnius will be celebrated on 25 January 2023, 700 years after Vilnius was first mentioned in written sources. The Vilnius 700 anniversary celebration programme initiated by Vilnius City Municipality is being curated by Go Vilnius, the tourism and business development agency of the City of Vilnius.