An exhibition of live tropical butterflies opens in Vilnius – MadeinVilnius.lt

This year is special, because the Live Tropical Butterflies Exhibition is celebrating its first 10-year anniversary this year – during the decade, more than 15 temporary exhibitions were organized throughout Lithuania and even beyond. Live butterflies flew in educational institutions and museums, and in zoos and even in shopping centers!

For the first time, in 2014, live butterflies welcomed the capital’s residents and guests at the stage building of Vilnius Vingis Park – that time the visitors were very satisfied, and the organizers decided to open exhibitions and spread the message and love for nature throughout Lithuania. In the same year, the exhibition was also held in a small tourist house in Šventoja and in the VDU Botanical Garden in Kaunas. In 2015, a long-term exhibition opened for the first time, which lasted a year. Meanwhile, exhibitions were also held in Klaipėda during the Sea Festival, in Panevezys, and in Šiauliai. In the spring of 2017, the exhibition opened its doors in the Oz shopping center, in the Riga shopping center Domino. In the summer, the exhibition moved to the seaside, where it ran for several months in the HBH complex.

In 2018, the exhibition returned to Vilnius, where, along with the organization of exhibitions, active education and training in educational institutions also began – cooperation with the Culture Passport system also began, so education became even more accessible to children from primary, basic and secondary education institutions.

In 2019, the butterflies settled in Sapiegi Park for a short time in spring, and in Dvar Antikvar in autumn. In the fall of 2020, the exhibition in Žirmūnai invited visitors to stop for a moment and enjoy a completely different, in the post-apocalyptic world. Unfortunately, the exhibition had to be closed after a couple of weeks due to global restrictions. In the same year, a series of free YouTube lessons about the life of a butterfly appeared, which includes as many as 41 lessons.

At that time, it was not yet clear whether the authors of the idea would be able to return to organizing exhibitions, or whether they would still be able to allow children and adults to observe the beauty of tropical butterflies up close. From 2021 after the end of the biggest quarantines, there was a slow return to educational institutions – although there were no exhibitions, education for classes was also carried out in kindergartens and schools. In 2023, the organizers opened the doors to all visitors at the exhibition in Vilnius, Naugarduko st.

In the exhibition celebrating ten years, which will open on the 4th of April even 115 sq.m. will be waiting. m. tropics, which appeared this year in a very unexpected space – a former cafe! Ozo str. 41 in the building, which Vilnius residents know well from the Impuls sports club on the second floor, we will welcome customers through the service premises (former kitchen) and invite them to enjoy the most beautiful drawings from past drawing competitions, to view the handmade souvenirs of the organizers. From the premises of the former kitchen, we will open the door to the cafe, where from now on, instead of tables for customers, there are flowers for butterflies, where instead of breakfast, lunch and dinner, there is always the smell of oranges and blooming flowers! The bar area will become a book reading room and souvenir shop for a few months.

In the exhibition space itself, you will also find a researcher’s corner – you can look at the wings of dead butterflies through a microscope, touch them with your hands, and look at the room with the “eyes of a butterfly” through special binoculars. You will be able to analyze butterflies through a magnifying glass.

Also, a special space for photo sessions has been created in the exhibition space, although you can safely do it in any place in the butterfly tropics, there is also a corner for rest, a corner for drawing and events, where up to 15-20 people can sit at the tables at the same time.

Just like every year, there will be various events at the exhibition during the holidays.

Opening hours of the exhibition:

II – V from 15:00 to 19:00.
VI – VII and on holidays from 10:00 to 19:00. Mondays are not working days.

Address: Ozo str. 41

The exhibition is paid. Children up to 3 years old (inclusive), persons with disabilities, persons from social institutions (orphanages, care centers, etc.) can visit for free.

Working hours may change during the warm season.