Grand Party Shook Vilnius for City’s 700th Anniversary

July 26, 2023. Vilnius has started a new tradition of celebrating mid-summer—a grandiose party led by world-famous music stars. The Lithuanian capital celebrated its 700th-anniversary birthday on July 25 with the highly-awaited urban festival As Young As Vilnius. 

Although the festival was organized for the second year, the festivalgoers got a major surprise this time around—two headliners instead of one. British music legends Bastille and Clean Bandit took center stage to treat the crowd of thousands to beloved hits. The festival, held in Vingis Park, one of the greenest spaces in the city and an ideal setting for summertime events, entertained the spectators for six hours, starting with beloved Lithuanian artists and finishing with the main acts. It is reported that tens of thousands of people attended the festival this year.

The remainder of the year full of standout events

The festivities continue throughout the summer in Vilnius. Vilnius Biennial for Performance Art, which started on July 23, is the city's first event of its kind slated to position Lithuania as the new hub for performance art. The Biennial invites the enthusiasts of the genre to watch 31 thought-provoking acts by 38 artists in 17 locations peppered throughout the city till August 6. The creators explore the city as a living albeit artificially created organism, where all of its parts are interwoven with visible and invisible threads. The whole city—parks, streets, historic and new parts—turn into a stage for the Biennial. 

The city’s residents and guests get the chance to enjoy the gift of opera prepared for the grand anniversary at Opera.Connect: Vilnius, a City of Opera. A long-lost opera performance Alopera, dating to the 17th century, will be resurrected with the help of modern technologies and artificial intelligence and presented at the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania on September 2-3. 

A light on Vilnius’ past and present and the transformation into the booming metropolis is shed by Vilnius Poker: The Exhibition at the modern art MO Museum. The concept of the exhibition was designed by theater director Oskaras Koršunovas who is well-known to international audiences. The key topics of freedom, memory, individuality, and multiculturalism play out throughout the entire exhibition, offering a glimpse into the real character of Vilnius. The exhibition is available till January 28, 2024.  

The annual Vilnius Capital Days Festival 2023 will wrap up summertime activities in Vilnius on September 1-3. As one of the largest events of the year, the festival will invite the city’s residents and guests to exhibitions, musical performances, the ending show of the Biennial, and numerous other attractions.