Sugrizimai (Homecoming) Festival

This annual music festival features Lithuanian musicians who work or study abroad, as well as their foreign colleagues, resulting in over a month of concerts all over the city.

when - 4 April to 15 May 2007
where - city-wide
more info - click here

International Contemporary Dance Festival

The clumsily titled 'International Contemporary Dance Festival New Baltic Dance' is one of the largest and most prestigious dance festivals in northern Europe. The festival's program includes stagings of famous productions by well-established companies alongside younger companies/choreographers and their experimental works. In Vilnius and Klaipeda. Follow the link for a complete list of events.

when - 30 April to 31 May 2007
where - Lithuanian National Drama Theater, Gedimino 4
more info - click here

Wine Days

Not much planned for the next couple days? Why not be a wino? At Vilnius Wine Days you can do it with class, enjoying two days tasting the finest wines of the world and nibbling appetisers in the lovely courtyard of the Contemporary Art Centre. Expect a full house, because it's all ...(drumroll)... FREE! Culture is a difficult cross to bear, huh?

when - 4 and 5 May
where - SMC, Vokieciu 2
more info - click here

Kunigunda Lunaria 2007

The 6th edition of this alternative darkwave music festival promises to be "a throbbing feast filled with the fresh slashing energy of the full-moon." So look out. Bands from LT and abroad will be showcasing their various musical styles from electronic to neo-cabaret, industrial to gothic, ambient to experimental, metal and punk rock. Supporting the concerts will be a full programme of events, including original art exhibitions, film screenings and more. Most of the action takes place in the perfectly-suited Vilnius Museum of Energy and you really shouldn't miss your opportunity to see this incredible venue (as frightening as it may sound). Concerts will unfold in the boiler-room where authentic machinery dating back to the 1900s will be enhanced by glittering light installations and gothic decor. The basement has also been turned into the official 'Festival Club', "sparkling with the eyes of green fairies." Ticket prices vary; check their site for details and the full concert schedule. Eyeliner and black lipstick recommended.

when - 4th to 6th May
where - Museum of Energy, Rinktines 2
more info - click here

Street Musician Day

Be sure not to bathe or shave for several days in preparation for this unprecedented event. Whether you're a musician or not, it won't matter on May 5th as Vilnius citizens will gather in the streets of the city and create a unified cacophony of sound. Take up your spoon, pots and pans, jug, jaw harp, nose flute, saw - whatever your ax is, get it out on May 5th and celebrate that age-old cliche of music as the universal language.

when - 5 May
where - Streets of the Old Town
more info - click here

Poetry Spring

This yearly international poetry festival is organised by the Lithuanian Writers' Union and features a week-long program of literary readings, events and lectures. Audiences are invited to come out each evening and listen to readings from poets, prosewriters, literary historians and critics; nap in the back rows; participate in esoteric discussions; mingle and name-drop and generally try to be the most well-read person in the room. Let us go then you and I...

when - 15th to 28th May
where - Writer’s Club, Museum of the Applied Arts
more info - click here

Rainbow Days 2007

Vilnius' first-ever gay pride event isn't exactly going to paint the town pink, but this is clearly a big step for all of Lithuania's homosexual community. The programme will mostly consist of seminars, discussions and free information events, as well as parties at Men's Factory, naturally. The highlight will be the public action on May 25th, when participants will gather in the centre of Vilnius and unfurl an enormous 30m rainbow flag - the largest such flag in LT - in an effort to highlight the importance of solidarity, community spirit and support. For more details, follow the link.

when - 16 to 26 May
where - various
more info - click here

International Folklore Festival, Skamba Skamba Kankliai

'Skamba skamba kankliai' has been taking place in Vilnius since 1973. Each spring, during the last week of May, Sereikiskes Park and the walks of the Old Town are filled with ancestral song and dance. Singers, dancers, and musicians from different ethnographic regions of Lithuania take part in the festival, including over 30 Vilnius folklore groups. It doesn't get much more cultural than this.

when - 23rd to 27th May
where - Sereikiskes Park, around town
more info - click here

International Oriental Dance Festival

Renowned instructors from different countries will conduct workshops for everyone who wants to participate, from beginners to professionals. An oriental bazaar, gala-show, dance fiesta and various contests are also on the cards at Club New York.

when - 25th to 27th May
where - Club New york, Konstituciojs 16
more info - click here

Placebo

In the midst of a monstrous world tour in support of their latest LP, Meds, avidly androgynous alt-rockers Placebo are bringing their popular act to Lithuania for the first time. Tickets are 100 - 130 litas.

when - 31st May
where - Utenos Arena, Azuolyno 9
more info - click here