New Year in Vilnius
Although there is still a month to go before New Year’s Eve, many people are already thinking about where and how best to celebrate it. New Year’s Eve in Vilnius has always attracted great interest among tourists, who flock to Lithuania’s capital at this time of year. Every year, a great many events are organized for residents and visitors. This year, however, New Year’s Eve is set to be something truly special. The project “Vilnius—European Capital of Culture” launches on December 31. The next major event will be the thousandth anniversary of the name “Lithuania.” Numerous spectacular events are planned for the occasion, with the aim of making this a year that all participants will remember. According to Elona Bajorinene, director of the public institution “Vilnius—European Capital of Culture 2009,” people who decide to celebrate New Year’s Eve in Vilnius will remember it for a very long time.
Neujahr in Vilnius
Date: 04/12/2008
The festivities will begin with the musical performance “@Hoffmann_Spragtukas,” which combines classical and contemporary genres. It is a unique musical based on the fairy tale “The Nutcracker,” and will be performed on the banks of the Neris River. After the performance, spectators can enjoy a magical, multi-stage light and music show. According to the organizers, Vilnius will be visible from space on New Year’s Eve. The show was specially designed by renowned German lighting artist Gert Hoff. It will last about 20 minutes. Plans call for around 60 enormous, brilliant, multicolored spotlights, as well as 10 laser cannons considered among the best in the world. A burst of light will stretch 50 kilometers in length and measure 400 meters in diameter. The event will conclude with colorful fireworks depicting the Lithuanian national flag.
Organizing and staging these events will cost about one million euros. Around 50,000 people are expected to attend. The entire celebration will be broadcast live by Lithuania’s leading television channel.
And on January 1, the square by the Town Hall will become a real ice rink, where people can skate throughout January. The best-known Lithuanian figure skaters, Margarita Drobjasko and Powilas Wanagas, will take part in the rink’s opening as part of the “Ice Mystery” event. Plans also call for themed little houses to be set up around the rink, housing cafés, restaurants and souvenir shops.
According to information on the website: www.culturelive.lt
Photo: ВКСЕ
