Vilnius 700th birthday ,,Time portal”

Moments from Vilnius’ 700th birthday

Vilnius birthday programme

Vilnius anniversary event at Cathedral Square

On 25 January, the Time Portal, which opened in the Cathedral Square, brought together the loudest voices of different generations, whose echoes, just as Gediminas wrote, echoed throughout Lithuania, telling the story of the city, our capital, our Vilnius. Participants heard and saw a special programme created especially for the anniversary, with musical works from different generations and genres that opened up historical and contemporary themes of Vilnius.

In the Cathedral Square, we were immersed in a harmony of words, sounds, voices and images, in a continuous narrative of Vilnius as the city of all of us – not only of the citizens of Vilnius, but also of the whole of Lithuania, which was created by Gediminas in his letters, and whose vision has been carried forward through the ages by the generations that have brought up the generations of us who are living, working, creating, living and working in Vilnius today.

Among the participants of the anniversary concert are Andrius Mamontovas, Monika Liu, Mantas Jankavičius, Ieva Barbora Juozapaitytė, Saulius Petreikis, the groups Solo Ensemble and Freestarz, the Saint Christopher Chamber Orchestra, the NIKO Chamber Orchestra of New Ideas, and a host of other performers, who met on the unconventional stage of the Cathedral Square, illuminated by the signs of the “Time Portal” – visual images of the past and present, which will mark the beginning of the Vilnius Festival of Lights, which will start after the concert.

Talking Images: The Time Portal on the Cathedral Wall

The Time Portal is a journey created by video projections, which was started by Duke Gediminas and is continued by us, generation after generation, writing the answer to his letter – creating, growing and nurturing this city.

The Time Portal, which will open in Cathedral Square on 25 January invites you to watch the unique story of Vilnius being told every day during the jubilee Vilnius Light Festival on a giant screen – the facade of the Cathedral. In the Šventaragis Valley, where the waters of the Neris and Vilnelė rivers converge and the young heart of Vilnius has been beating for 700 years, video projections will help you to see the symbols of a celebrating Vilnius, not only of the past, but of the future as well. The spectacle will delight Vilnius residents and visitors from January 25 to 28.

Vilnius Light Festival – a special tradition for the Lithuanian capital’s birthday

During the festive days on 25-28 January, Vilnius will become an open-air modern art gallery. The city’s architectural objects will be transformed by installations in the city’s squares and yards, and the streets will be flooded with bright light.

Vilnius Light Festival will mark the start of other impressive birthday events. Anticipation for the anniversary will begin with a festive week, surprises and fascinating spectacles.