Peace and quiet, or tricks and treats? Traditionalists in Lithuania insist on simply not celebrating Halloween; others offer original alternatives, and many choose to ignore the prohibitions. The fact is that every year, as October gets underway, pumpkins appear in city streets and courtyards, and cobwebs start to cover windows. Here are some terribly exciting suggestions for those visiting Kaunas at the turn of October and November this year.
On 1 November, from 5 pm, the centre of Kaunas will traditionally turn into the ‘River of Souls’. Candles will be lit from the fountain of Laisvės Alėja to Soboras church. The organisers, a local students union, told us that they will take care of the candles and you don’t need to bring your own.
River of Souls. Photo by A. Aleksandravičius
From 25 October to 16 November, the Galaunė House-museum will host the "Día de Muertos" exhibition. The photographs on display are by the American Lithuanian artist Algis Kaupas. The exhibition presents a series of pictures created in 2017, when Unidad Latina en Acción, an organisation that supports the Spanish-speaking community in New Haven, invited the artist to immortalise the annual Day of the Dead (Día de Muertos) parade.
After visiting Kaupas’s exhibition, you might consider extending the Mexican spirit to the cinema. On 2 November, Romuva will screen the film Koko. Dancers from the Mexican folk dance club Cielito Lindo will welcome visitors to the cinema lounge, and members of the Mexican community in Lithuania will share the traditions of the Día de Muertos. (More information and tickets)
Halloween is the perfect time for classic cinema—especially classic horror films. Forum Cinemas will screen Carrie and The Shining from 30 to 31 October.
On 3 November, the NEfonas music promotion team and Kaunas Artists’ House will host an audiovisual installation performance, Neramu, in the Evangelical Reformed Church in Kaunas. The installation will guide visitors through the physical labyrinth of mourning and the customs of honouring the dead. (More information)
Many people associate an extra day off in the calendar with a crazy night on the eve of it. The eve of All Saints' Day, 31 October, is no exception. Kaunas has a long tradition of Halloween night dancing rituals!
On this occasion, the electronic music indulgence Prisukamas Abrikosas, with the most interesting DJs from Lithuania and abroad, will invite you to a factory on the outskirts of central Kaunas (more information and tickets). Psychological dances will be hosted at the Freud Club in Laisvės alėja (more information). Rave exorcism will be performed in a unique location that is part of the Kaunas fortress—P.A.R.A.K.A.S. (more information)
For those preferring live music, Old Town’s icon OLDMAN Kaunas will be serving up Antikvariniai Kašpirovskio Dantys band (more information), and the heavy music club Lemmy has invited the bands of the creepy music scene for 31 October. (more information)
Halloween theme parks are still a novelty in Kaunas. A new one in Vilijampolė, in the Brasta Square, well-known for street food fans, opened on 19 October. Called Brasta Nightmare, the location park turned into the most terrifying maze of adventures, where mysterious creatures, zombies, witches, ghosts, a horror cinema, unexpected challenges, and more await you every day from 4 pm. (tickets)
Photo by Brasta squareThe Lithuanian Zoo has a special invitation for the most impatient adrenaline lovers. This historic place will open up from an unexpected angle on 25 October (or rather, at night) - a programme full of mystery and mystique is promised for those eager to face their greatest fears and try to overcome them. (more information)
P.S. Both in the run-up to All Souls’ Day and afterwards, it is interesting to visit the historic cemeteries of Kaunas. The Petrašiūnai Cemetery is highly popular (we’re talking traffic jams after dark) because hundreds of famous people are buried there, and the Eiguliai Cemetery, which has a pantheon of circus performers, is usually a bit less busy. Pictured is the centrally located Old Kaunas Cemetery, now a park.
Photo by Andrius Aleksandravičius
