Gather in one big yard
On Friday evening, the people of Kaunas will move from the courtyards to Laisvės aleja and sit down at the most communal and one of the largest dinner tables in Lithuania. The “Yard Festival” will be held here for the sixth time, the tablecloths will be fluttering, the smell of feasts and sincere conversations of neighbors will spread, the Kaunas City Municipality informs.
The event will traditionally consist of two parts: a neighborhood dinner and a cultural program. Those who wish to participate in the dinner will not need to register this year – all participants are invited to take their favorite place on Laisvės avenue between Maironios street and the Cathedral on the day of the event. You just need to bring a table, tablecloth and delicious dishes. The organizers are intriguing and hint that an unexpected guest will attend the celebration, which will be impossible not to notice.
The cultural program, like every year, will be varied and motley: orchestras, individual musicians and young creators will play, songs by ensembles and choirs will be played, electronic music, there will be an opportunity to see songs performed in sign language and to dance or take part in movement improvisation. Aerial acrobatics, various music genres, and scrabble performances will amaze you at the event.
Those who want quieter activities will be invited to photography and cyanotype workshops, listen to readings through the library window, play creative-geographical games, take part in education for the whole family or just meet and get to know various organizations, have coffee and just chat.
Bringing rivers back to the city
Kaunas and city guests are invited to visit, breathe in and thank the city’s rivers at the event “Let’s celebrate the river” on May 27. During it, the banks of the Neris and Nemunas will attract you with performances, creative workshops, educations and active activities. Those wishing to sail the river routes are encouraged to register in advance, while those remaining on the shores are invited to the cultural stops, which will welcome a generous program.
The best way to celebrate the river is rowing (kayak, paddle board, boat, raft) in Nemunas or Neris. Both routes will be unique – live music will be played in Nemune, and Neris will involve enthusiasts of improvisation and orienteering games. Participants of the routes will meet at the finish line in Santaka, where creative and active activities await them.
The cultural program is designed so that everyone can participate in the celebration. Therefore, those who feel more comfortable on land will be invited to visit the stations located on the banks of the rivers (Panemunė, Šančiai, Vilijampole) on foot or by bicycle. Here, visitors will be greeted by an abundance of education, artistic activities and sports activities.
Feel one of the most beautiful streets of the city
The cultural festival “Putvinski Streets Day” will be held for the seventh time in one of the city’s most interesting streets filled with the aesthetics of modernist architecture. Saturday’s event will be dedicated to unexpected experiences, deeper insights and tickling of the imagination.
The celebration, which has already become a tradition, is organized by the Kaunas Artists’ House together with partners and neighbors: the National MK Čiurlionis Art Museum, the Faculty of Political Sciences and Diplomacy of the Vytautas Magnus University, the Emanuelis Levin Center, “Kaunas In”, P. Mažylis Maternity Hospital, the “Kolibris” bookstore, the printing house Hands On Press, Kaunas County Public Library and others.
Creators selected by the curators of the Kaunas Artists’ House will participate in Putvinskis Street Day. Trapdisciplinary artist Julija Pociūtė, performance artist Gabrielė Vetkinaitė, this year’s “JCDecaux prize” winner duo “allsofeatherlightseven”, creator exploring movement and weight Aistė Jančiūtė and others will present their work. Theater group “Teatrariumas” will invite you to experience the warmth of Anykščiai in a performance of the senses based on the work of Antanas Baranauskas.
All together they will offer about 30 different activities. There will also be creative workshops, excursions, street radio and playful street explorations, Putvinskis street rap will be created with the director and educator Greta Štiormer. The summer terrace of the Kaunas Artists’ House will await curious people wandering the street, and the day will be crowned by a poetry slam, which will take place under the open sky for the first time this year.
All events are free and open to everyone.
Tags: weekend city Kaunas celebrate birthday invites routes rivers streets courtyards
