Vilnius invites you to celebrate the city’s 702nd birthday in spectacular style with the Vilnius Light Festival, which has become a tradition. On 24-26 of January, 18 installations and three additional objects will illuminate the squares, courtyards, and facades of the Vilnius Teacher’s House, the Museum of Modern Art, the Museum of Fine Arts, the Centre for Contemporary Art, and other important buildings of the capital, inviting people to have a memorable dialogue with the light. Artists from 10 countries, namely Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Italy, Hungary, Croatia, Finland, Latvia, and Lithuania, will be inspired to meet again and tell their unique stories of light in the city on the banks of the Neris.
“This year’s festival is even more vibrant and ambitious – we present works by world-class artists and new artistic visions. The Light Festival is not only a celebration of art, but it is also an opportunity to discover new colours of our city and reflect on its history and future because the light is a universal language that connects different people and creates a dialogue between art, technology and society”, says Paulius Jurgutis, Director of the Vilnius Culture Centre, the organiser of Vilnius Light Festival. He invites everyone to experience how light transforms the city’s spaces and opens new emotional experiences.
From the modern world to the old town
Visitors will be immersed in a unique synthesis of light and art through a convenient route designed to make the festival a dynamic journey through the capital’s spaces, architecture, and history visions of the future, with each stop an unexpected discovery and source of inspiration.
This year, the festival route will stretch along both sides of the Neris River, starting at Rinktinės street 3, on the terrace of the modern Courtyard by Marriott Vilnius Hotel, and leading to the Museum of Energy and Technology, located in the first public power plant in Vilnius, nearby the King Mindaugas Bridge. Moving to the left bank of the Neris River, it will meander through the streets and squares of the Old Town to the renovated Vingriai Springs square next to the MO Museum.
Route on the map or the mobile app.
A user-friendly program has been prepared for festival visitors and will be available on the festival website https://lightfestival.lt/marsrutas/ and on the mobile app—App Store http://bit.ly/vilniuslightfestival or Google Play http://bit.ly/vilniuslightfestival1. The latter is very convenient for viewing the event program, getting to know the installations, planning your route, and finding all the festival sites.
Each installation has a unique story and message.
This year’s festival focuses on the diversity of artists and unexpected artistic solutions. The program features 21 light artworks by well-known Lithuanian and foreign artists from 9 countries, ranging from inspiring stories to surprising modern innovations.
The installations are united by several themes: interpretations of M. K. Čiurlionis’ works and perception of the world, reflection on identity, the impact of light on human emotions and interaction with technologies, sustainability, and attention to the climate crisis. Integrating the ecological theme into the city’s culture is particularly relevant as Vilnius becomes the European Green Capital of 2025. Environmental issues and the impact of our actions on the environment will be highlighted by projects such as The Ice is Melting at the Pøules – Legacy of Melt (No. 10), Fragments of Reality (No. 7), and Dreaming Sun (No. 4).
Installation – who and where?
This year, the Vilnius Light Festival invites you to start your exploration on the right bank of the Neris River – the courtyard of the Marriott Vilnius City Center (Rinktinės str. 3) will host the work Chronotope (No. 1) by German artist Ingo Wendt. Inspired by nature and urban landscapes, architecture, and historical sites, the artist’s analogue installation of light and colour, simulating the operation of a clock, will invite you to feel the slow passage of time.
In the spaces of the Museum of Energy and Technology (Rinktinės str. 2), inseparable from the technical sciences, history, and cultural heritage, festival visitors will be enchanted by the harmoniously integrated dynamic kinetic light sculpture Hand of the Galaxy (No. 2) by the renowned British artist and innovator Paul Friedlander, inspired by the movement of energy and cosmic waves. Read more about this unique artist and his installation in the article (https://bitly.cx/ROlCH).
After crossing the King Mindaugas Bridge, in the square in front of the National Museum of Lithuania, you will be greeted by a kinetic installation Heller-Forgó by Hungarian artists Dániel Besnyő, Mátyás Kálmán, Zoltán Czingáli (No. 3), a work that replicates the shape of a hyperboloid, inspired by the scientists Heller and Forgó. The installation will evoke thoughts about the limitations of our understanding.
The installation Dreaming Sun (No. 4), which combines Art Deco style, national motifs, and waste art and reflects Lithuanian identity and sustainability, will be on display in Cathedral Square. It is a bright and atmospheric waste art project by the Guinness World Record holder Agnė Kišonaitė. The installation is made of used tennis balls, symbolising the rays of the sun. The entire Lithuanian tennis and padel community contributed to its creation.
On Simonas Daukantas Square in front of the Presidential Palace, Arvydas Buinauskas’ monumental light and sound installation The Arc (No. 5), inspired by space travel, physics, and science fiction, will draw visitors into a unique sensory experience, reminiscent of a futuristic gateway to light.
Nearby, in the inner courtyard of the Presidential Palace (S. Daukanto sq. 3), visitors will find the immersive installation 27.500 Parpadeos (No. 6) by Lolo & Sosaku, an Argentinean-Japanese duo from Barcelona who have been collaborating since 2004. Light and mechanics create a new energy ecosystem reminiscent of the constant movement of energy and reflecting the relationship between time, motion, and perception.
The kinetic installation Fragments of Reality (No. 7) by Italian artist Alessandro Lupi, made of mirrors, will be on display in the Alumnatas courtyard (Universiteto str. 4). Influenced by light, wind, and point of view, this constantly changing non-electric minimalist work will subtly draw attention to nature’s dynamism.
In the courtyard of the Vilnius Picture Gallery (Didžioji str. 4), the installation Hulahoop (No. 8) by the French artist collective Collectif Scale will mesmerise with a dance of light and musical composition, where geometric patterns, seamlessly combined with sounds, will create an audiovisual experience full of lightness.
Lithuanian artist Petras Saulėnas’ installation Čiurlionis Light (No. 9), interpreting the motif and symbolism of light by M. K. Čiurlionis, will be installed in the Savičiaus Street 17 of the Old Town of Vilnius, subtly spreading the majesty of light and hope.
The facade of the Contemporary Art Centre (Vokiečių str. 2) will be illuminated by the joint work The Ice is Melting at the Pøules – Legacy of Melt (No. 10) by the Danish artist collective Båll & Brand and the Lithuanian composer and musician Jonas Jurkūnas’ solo project Robotic Folk. Using water from the melting glaciers of Antarctica, Austria, and Iceland, a unique analog projection for which a Lithuanian has created a soundscape draws attention to the climate crisis and the tragedy of melting glaciers.
Lithuanian artist Paulius Šaparnis will reminisce about one of the most popular and recognisable video games in the history of video games by presenting an interactive installation Blocks (No. 11) at Vilnius Vytis Gymnasium, which allows viewers to control falling light shapes.
St Catherine’s Church (Vilniaus Str. 30), which presents exceptional works during the festival, will also offer a unique visual and emotional experience this year – the interactive audiovisual installation Sphere (No. 12) by Spanish artists Xevi Bayona and Alex Posada. Light, technology, generative algorithms, and real-time music will synchronously merge into a unique spectacle in this hemispherical and responsive work. Caffeine has contributed to the opportunity to see this impressive project in Vilnius.
The monumental video artwork 408 Posesija (No. 13), which will transform the façade of the Vilnius Teachers’ House (Vilniaus str. 39), will make you feel the spirit of the festival even stronger. It is a dynamic canvas of light and video projections—an installation by the Lithuanian 3D design studio Video Architects. The building will become a living work of art, conveying a synthesis of past, present, and future through images, music, and words.
Here, in the courtyard of the Vilnius Teacher’s House (Vilniaus str. 39), the installation Point of View (No. 14) by the Croatian light and media artist Marko Bolković, known as the founder and director of Visualia, the first and the largest light festival in Croatia. It consists of 33 illuminated geometric objects arranged so that the words Dark and Light are visible to the viewer from a certain point. The work reflects the importance of perception and perspective and symbolises global crises, the influence of media, and the possibility of changing perspective.
The audiovisual installation Echo of Light (No. 15) by Latvian artists Those Guys will be in the courtyard of the Lithuanian Museum of Theatre, Music and Cinema (Vilniaus str. 41). It will encourage people to be environmentally conscious, with symbols of energy sustainability and the environmental impact of our actions.
Based on NASA solar observation data, French artist Guillaume Marmin’s installation Oh Lord (No. 16) in the courtyard of the A. Mickevičius Library (Trakų str. 10) will encourage attention to the sun’s role in our lives and in environmental protection.
VILNIUS TECH courtyard (Pylimo str. 26) will invite young Lithuanian artists Elektroplazma and Roma Salė to explore the boundaries of illusion and reality and reflect on the transformations of future technologies and human perception with the holographic installation Ghost of Space (No. 17).
In the Vingrių Springs square (Pylimo str. 17), next to the MO Museum, festival visitors will find the kinetic light and shadow installation Model of an Imaginary Structure (No. 18) by Finnish artist Jaakko Niemelä, which will question the way we see things.
Visitors following the festival route will also have the opportunity to visit three additional objects.
In the showcases of the Vilnius Tourism Information Centre (Plies St. 2), they will see an interpretation called The Creation of the Worlds, based on the soon-to-be-released virtual reality film On the Trails of Angels, which commemorates the 150th anniversary of M. K. Čiurlionis.
In Konstantinas Sirvydas Square, a cheerful friend Drakis – an artistic machine of Lituanica Birds embodying a mythical dragon-like creature – will invite you to immerse yourself in the magic of colours and lights and celebrate togetherness through music and dance.
Traditionally, Arvydas Buinauskas’ installation on the tower of the Gediminas Castle Invitation conveys the message that the Festival of Lights is taking place.
A place to relax with a cup of coffee at the Konstantinas Sirvydas Square
During the Vilnius Festival of Lights, you can rest your feet and relax with a hot drink and snacks in Konstantinas Sirvydas Square. From 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., visitors will be welcomed by restaurants on wheels.
VII Vilnius Light Festival and a spectacular light art program: 24–26 January from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Let’s celebrate together and discover Vilnius in a new light!