What's on in Kaunas, Lithuania through the year

Quiet — school holidays in 7 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

Nothing new starts in January.

Quiet — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

• Festival

  Uzgavenes

  1 Feb – 10 Mar · usuallyCarnival

  Lithuania's pre-Lent carnival, forty-seven days before Easter: carved masks, a scripted fight between the fat man and the thin man, pancakes, and an effigy of winter burned at the end of it. Source ↗

Shoulder season — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in March.

Still on: Uzgavenes (1 Feb – 10 Mar (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 6 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

• Festival

  Kaunas Jazz

  10–30 Apr · usuallyMusic festival

  The city's long-running jazz week in April, spread across halls, clubs and the odd church rather than one site. It is the reason to be here before the summer programme starts. Source ↗

Shoulder season — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in May.

Busy — Joninės, Midsummer, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Pazaislis Music Festival

  1 Jun – 31 Aug · usually

  Classical concerts through the whole summer, the best of them in the baroque monastery courtyard on the reservoir edge. Bring something warm; the evening ones are outdoors and Lithuania cools off fast. Source ↗

• Festival

  Operetta at Kaunas Castle

  1 Jun – 31 Jul · usuallyMusic festival

  Open-air operetta staged against the round tower of the castle in June and July, on the nights it is not raining. Half the audience is local and treats it as a picnic. Source ↗

• Holiday

  Joninės, Midsummer

  23–24 JunNational holidayCrowdedClosures

  St John's Day on 24 June is a public holiday, and the night before is Lithuanian Midsummer: bonfires, flower wreaths and singing by rivers, lakes and the sea until dawn. Many people leave town, and shops and offices close on the 24th. Source ↗

Busy — school holidays in 7 of the markets that fill it, one of its best months for weather

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: Pazaislis Music Festival (1 Jun – 31 Aug (usually)), Operetta at Kaunas Castle (1 Jun – 31 Jul (usually))

Busy — school holidays in 7 of the markets that fill it, one of its best months for weather

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Pazaislis Music Festival (1 Jun – 31 Aug (usually))

Busy — AURA International Dance Festival, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  AURA International Dance Festival

  25 Sep – 10 Oct · usuallyArts festivalCrowded

  Kaunas Dance Theatre Aura's international contemporary-dance festival has run every autumn since 1989, drawing touring companies to the city's stages for about a week. Source ↗

Busy — AURA International Dance Festival, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in October.

Still on: AURA International Dance Festival (25 Sep – 10 Oct (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in November.

Busy — Christmas closures, school holidays in 7 of the markets that fill it

• Holiday

  Christmas closures

  24–26 DecChristmas & New YearClosures

  Christmas Eve, Kūčios, and the two days of Christmas are all public holidays. Families gather for a twelve-dish meatless supper on the 24th, and most shops, museums and many restaurants close or keep short hours until the 27th. Source ↗