Vilnius Galleries Weekend: Four Days of Contemporary Art
When: September 10–13
Where: Vilnius
From September 10 to 13, the eleventh Vilnius Galleries Weekend will take place in Vilnius. This four-day event will focus mainly on the world of the galleries themselves – their history, people, connections, and place in the city’s cultural life.
Read more SAM: state-funded flu vaccines for risk groups will arrive in Lithuania in November
The organizers invite visitors to discover not only the usual gallery spaces. The program includes exhibition openings, meetings with artists, tours, discussions, performances, and other events.
This year, the event will also draw attention to newly established or temporarily opened exhibition spaces. The organizers suggest exploring the city as if on a kind of art orientation game, seeking creativity not only in the usual gallery halls.
The full program and more information are available here.
“PLARTFORMA”: Diversity of Contemporary Performing Arts in Western Lithuania
When: September 9–October 7
Where: Klaipėda, Priekulė, Šilutė, Kretinga
The international arts festival “PLARTFORMA” will take place for the 20th time this year. For the anniversary, the festival’s creative team has invited creators and troupes who have previously participated in the festival, but this time they will present their latest works.
From September 9 to October 7, audiences in Klaipėda and towns in Western Lithuania will experience contemporary dance, theater, circus, and sound art performances.
According to the festival organizers, this year’s program theme is the fragility of life. The festival’s founder and director Goda Giedraitytė states that creators are invited to reflect on what it means to simultaneously create and destroy the world, plan the future, and live under conditions of war.
Among the festival program events are Swiss creator Julian Vogel’s “Ceramic Circus,” Belgian troupe “Post uit Hessdalen”’s “Ballroom,” and works by other Lithuanian and foreign creators.
The full program and more information are available here.
Kaunas Book Fair – 45 Authors to Present New Books
When: September 18–20
Where: “Žalgiris” Arena, Kaunas
In mid-September, the second Kaunas Book Fair will take place in Kaunas. The organizers announce that more than 70 publishers will participate in the three-day event, and visitors can expect over 100 literary and cultural events. Forty-five authors will present their new books at the fair.
The program includes book presentations, talks, discussions, lectures, educational activities, and creative workshops. Younger visitors will enjoy literary quizzes, board games, and other activities, while the library space will showcase the activities of Lithuanian libraries.
The full program and more information are available here.
“Alytus Jazz”: Jazz in a Former Bread Factory
When: September 10–12
Where: Former Alytus Bread Factory, Pulko St. 98, Alytus
From September 10 to 12, the “Alytus Jazz 2026” festival will take place in Alytus. This year, the organizers invite listeners to the spaces of the former Alytus bread factory, where the city’s industrial history meets contemporary culture and jazz music.
The organizers emphasize that the festival’s goal is not only to listen to music but also to discover lesser-known city spaces, feel their history, and let the music “fill them with new life.”
The festival program will include performances by Lithuanian and foreign artists. The organizers announce that the event is open to everyone, so even listeners not yet familiar with jazz can start their acquaintance with the genre here.
All festival events, except for the closing program on September 12, are free of charge.
The full program and more information are available here.
Panevėžys Birthday: Art, Music, and Technology Meet in the City
When: September 11–13
Where: Panevėžys
From September 11 to 13, Panevėžys will celebrate its 523rd city birthday. This year’s celebration is titled “Panevėžys. HOW WE ARE!”.
According to the organizers, the three-day program will combine traditions, culture, music, contemporary art, technology, sports, and community initiatives.
The organizers promise not only traditional city birthday events but also art projects specially created for Panevėžys, new entertainment spaces, and stage names.
The main celebration venues will include Laisvės Square, Senvagė, and the city center. The program includes a ceremonial city procession, concerts, family activities, a technology zone, and other events. Most of the program will be free for visitors.
The full program and more information are available here.
FLUXUS Festival: The “Big Bang” Returns to Kaunas
When: September 19
Where: Kaunas
On September 19, the FLUXUS festival will take place in Kaunas. This year, the organizers invite a return to the “beginning of beginnings” – they call the main event the “Big Bang.”
The festival tradition remains connected to Jurgis Mačiūnas and Fluxus ideas. The organizers aim for interaction between professional art and community initiatives, cultural decentralization, and the dissemination of Fluxus principles.
On September 19, participants will again be invited to Jurgis Mačiūnas Square and the traditional climb up Parodos Hill. The organizers encourage viewing the event not only as a performance or festival but also as an opportunity to become part of it.
The full program and more information are available here.
“AURA 36”: Sharon Eyal Performance in Kaunas
When: September 24–25, 7 PM
Where: National Kaunas Drama Theatre
From September 24 to 25, the 36th international dance festival “AURA” will begin in Kaunas. The festival will run from September 24 to October 4, and its opening will feature the work “Delay the Sadness” by Israeli choreographer Sharon Eyal.
Read more Due to the drought caused by «El Nino,» the Panama Canal is considering further restricting shipping
The performance will be presented on the main stage of the National Kaunas Drama Theatre by S-E-D / Sharon Eyal Dance Company from France and Israel. The piece lasts about 50 minutes and features eight dancers.
According to the creators, “Delay the Sadness” is Sharon Eyal’s most personal work. It was born from the choreographer’s experience of her mother’s loss, and through movement, it expresses what cannot be said in words.
The festival organizers announce that the September and October program will feature creators from various countries, with performances at the National Kaunas Drama Theatre, “Daina” cinema, “Romuva” cinema center, and other city venues.
The full program and more information are available here.
“Sirenos”: This Year’s Festival Theme – “Theatre is an Escape”
When: September 23–October 8
Where: Vilnius
On September 23, the international theatre festival “Sirenos” will begin in Vilnius. This year’s festival theme is “Theatre is an Escape.”
The festival organizers are focusing much attention on Greek performing arts this year. The foreign program features Greek creators, and from September 23 to 27, the Lithuanian Performing Arts Platform will also take place in Vilnius, dedicated to presenting the most relevant Lithuanian performing arts works and creators to the international theatre professional community.
One of the festival guests is Greek director Mario Banushi. His performance “Mami” will be shown in October at the Lithuanian National Drama Theatre. The performance was commissioned and produced by “Onassis Stegi.”
The organizers also promise meetings with Lithuanian and foreign creators, discussions, and other festival program events.
The full program and more information are available here.
Joseph Achron Festival: For the First Time – in Klaipėda
When: September 15 and later
Where: Various venues in Klaipėda
The fifth International Joseph Achron Music Festival is coming to Klaipėda for the first time this year. Five concerts are planned in the port city during September and October.
The festival organizers announce that works not yet performed in Lithuania will be presented in Klaipėda, international artists will meet, and chamber music programs will be performed.
The first concert in Klaipėda is scheduled for September 15 at the Pranas Domšaitis Gallery. The “Premieres” program will feature violinist Dalia Dėdinskaitė and Swedish pianist Martin Sturfält.
This year’s festival geography is significantly expanded – a total of 35 concerts are planned in 15 cities and towns in Lithuania and Poland.
The full program and more information are available here.
“Vilnius Shalom Festival” – Music and Jewish Culture
When: September 13–October 7
Where: Vilnius
In mid-September, the third international Jewish music and culture festival “Vilnius Shalom Festival” will begin in Vilnius. The nearly month-long program includes classical music, klezmer, and jazz concerts, educational events, and a Shofar March.
The festival opening on September 13 will start with a Shofar March from the Three Crosses Hill, followed by a free opening concert in the Town Hall Square. The concert will feature the Lithuanian Symphony Wind Orchestra, Israeli conductor Micha David, horn player and shofar virtuoso Bar Zemach, and other performers.
The program also includes a concert by the Polish ensemble YAEL titled “Sounds of Vilnius,” dedicated to the cultural and musical heritage of the Litvaks, the concert “Shofar Prayer,” an evening dedicated to the Lithuanian Jewish Genocide Remembrance Day, and a concert celebrating Fausto Latėnas’s 70th birthday featuring the “Mettis” string quartet and pianist Vytis Šakūras.
The festival closing concert on October 7 will take place at the LVSO concert hall. The international “October Jazz Ensemble,” bringing together performers from 11 countries, will present a program dedicated to the memory of the victims of the October 7 terror attack.
The full program and more information are available here.
Andrius Blaževičius’s “Divorce During the War” Arrives in Cinemas
When: From September 18
Where: Cinemas across Lithuania
On September 18, director Andrius Blaževičius’s film “Divorce During the War” will premiere in Lithuanian cinemas. The film was presented this year in the competition program of the Sundance Film Festival, where Blaževičius won the Best Director award. In August, the film was also selected as Lithuania’s candidate for the Oscar nomination in the Best International Feature Film category.
The film’s story takes place in Vilnius in 2022. Marija decides to tell her husband Vytas that she wants a divorce, but the next day Russia launches a large-scale invasion of Ukraine. The couple, trying to resolve their personal relationship, simultaneously faces the circumstances of war, anxiety, and changed everyday life.
The main roles are played by Marius Repšys and Žygimantė Elena Jakštaitė. The film also stars Emilija Latėnaitė-Beliauskienė, Gintarė Parulytė, Indrė Patkauskaitė, and other actors. The film’s duration is 1 hour 48 minutes, rating – N-16.
“Divorce During the War” is the third feature film by A. Blaževičius after “The Saint” and “Runner.” The film intertwines a personal couple’s drama with broader historical events and the beginning of the war in Ukraine.
Read more UK will ban goods from expanding Israeli settlements in the West Bank
More information about the film is available here.
