The highlight was a multimedia light show on the facade of the Zalgiris Arena with music and dance, which guided visitors through the eventful history of the city.
The whole weekend was celebrated with around 100 events – and a great rush: all 40,000 free tickets were in demand. Among the visitors was a delegation from the 2024 Capital of Culture in the Salzkammergut: Chairman of the Supervisory Board Hannes Heide, Artistic Director Elisabeth Schweeger and Sonja Zobel from the program team were inspired. “The opening shows that you can celebrate well even when there is snow and sub-zero temperatures,” said Heide. With the opening, Kaunas catapulted itself into the modern age, networked internationally and in the process worked through its past, according to Schweeger: “An attractive meeting place.”
By the end of the year, 40 festivals, 60 exhibitions and 500 (music) theater performances and concerts are planned in the city of 300,000 inhabitants. Highlights include a theatrical production by Robert Wilson, an exhibition by Marina Abramovic and two solo shows by William Kentridge and Yoko Ono, which opened over the weekend.
In addition to Kaunas, there are two other Capitals of Culture this year: Novi Sad (Serbia) opened the program with a festival on January 13, Esch (Luxembourg) will follow on February 26. (hes)
Source: Nachrichten
