Tonight, May 17, the usual late-night silence in museums will once again be replaced by life, sounds, lights, words and unexpected encounters. Traditionally, on the occasion of the European Museum Night, museums across Lithuania will open their doors not only to their halls, but also to stories waiting to be heard.
This year's European Museum Night will take place on the evening of May 17. Lithuanian museums will offer more than a hundred free activities across the country.
Museums today: vibrant, bringing communities together
Museums around the world are experiencing a renaissance. They are no longer just archives of historical memory or repositories of collections - today they are becoming active centers of culture, education, critical thinking and community dialogue. Changing societies, geopolitical shifts, technological breakthroughs are changing not only how we live, but also how we create, perceive and share culture.
"Museums are responding to these changes - they connect to relevant topics, spread voices that have long been silenced, and create spaces for meetings where you can not only see, but also talk, ask, and experience. These are places where not only what is valuable is preserved, but also a new relationship with the past is sought and the foundation for the future is created," says Marius Pečiulis, Chairman of the Board of the Lithuanian Museums Association.
In Lithuania, museums are an integral part of cultural identity. They connect regions and cities, old and young, professionals and the curious. They invite us to discover ourselves every day through objects, people and stories that are important on both a national and personal level.
And society is responding to this - in recent years, museum attendance figures in Lithuania have been constantly growing, and cultural interest shows an increasing desire not only to consume, but also to delve deeper, understand, and participate.
“The growing number of visitors shows not only interest, but also trust in the museum as an institution. This is not surprising, because museums have long invited people not only to observe from the sidelines, but also to participate, hear, touch, and think,” adds M. Pečiulis. He adds that this is a sign that people are looking for meaningful time, a space to breathe from the noise and, at the same time, an opportunity to engage in a larger cultural narrative.
Museum Night – a celebration that transcends boundaries
The European Night of Museums is more than event. This is a Europe-wide cultural celebration on the occasion of International Museum Day, in which museums, even when usually quiet, reveal themselves differently: they turn into stages, workshops, experimental laboratories and places of unexpected encounters. In Lithuania, this initiative annually brings together tens of thousands of visitors and hundreds of museums from large cities to the smallest communities.
The theme of this year's International Museum Day - "The Future of Museums in Rapidly Changing Communities", announced by the International Council of Museums (ICOM), invites us to look at the museum as a social actor that responds to change, connects different people, and creates meanings and identities.
“Museum Night is a unique time when culture becomes accessible in a different way. It is an evening when doors open not only physically, but also symbolically – inviting you to step into the world of museums without prior rules. This year, more than a hundred museums across Lithuania will invite you to free events that reflect not only the past, but also visions of the future. It will be a night full of light, togetherness and discoveries,” says Dr. Sigita Bagužaitė-Talačkienė, Chairwoman of the Board of ICOM Lithuania.
Program: from historical stories to contemporary performances
This year's European Museum Night program in Lithuania stands out for its diversity, creativity and ability to speak about current issues through culture. More than a hundred museums across the country - from big cities to smaller towns and regional centers - invite visitors to free events that breathe both the breath of history and contemporary forms of artistic expression.
Visitors are invited to take night tours of museum exhibits, where stories about the past and present come to life. The festive atmosphere will be complemented by music and theater performances, contemporary art performances, literary readings and film screenings, and the museum spaces will host creative workshops, education, games, lantern walks and even gastronomic experiences. Each museum will interpret this year's theme in its own way and invite visitors to an authentic cultural experience.
Programme
Night at the Vytautas Kasiulis Art Museum
A. Goštauto St. 1, Vilnius. 13–21 p.m. admission is free
Visitors to the Vytautas Kasiulis Art Museum are invited to see the new exhibition "Open Lagoons: The Collection of Diaspora Art by Leonardo Andriekus and the Franciscan Brothers". It presents a unique collection of Lithuanian diaspora art, which was started by the Franciscan priest Leonardas Kazimieras Andriekus in the mid-100th century. About XNUMX works are on display, most of which have never been shown publicly before. The exhibition reveals the development of both sacred and secular art in diaspora, including such well-known authors as Pranas Domšaitis, Vytautas and Aleksandra Kašubas, Elena Kepalaitė, Elena Urbaitytė and many others.
"Museum Night 2025" at the Ivan Luckevich Museum of Belarusians in Vilnius
Vilnius Belarusian Ivan Luckevich Museum (Vilniaus St. 20, in the courtyard) invites everyone to the event dedicated to the "Night of Museums". Start time: 13:00 p.m. This year's theme is "Belarusian Painted Paradise".
Night at the National Gallery of Art
Constitution Ave. 22, Vilnius.17–22 p.m. admission is free
Visitors are invited to explore the permanent exhibition, which opened at the end of April and has been renewed after more than 15 years, presenting Lithuanian art of the first half of the XNUMXth century. The creators of the exhibition have revised the canonical narrative about Lithuanian art and prepared a new one, providing an opportunity to get to know the artistic life of our country in the first half of the XNUMXth century – reality, expectations and visions – in a broader historical context.
Museum Night is a great opportunity to visit a photography exhibition "Silver Girls. A Retouched History of Baltic Photography"The works of the "Silver Girls" from Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia present not only the technical and artistic achievements of photography, but also deepen the understanding of the role of women in creating the visual history of the Baltic region.
NIGHT OF MUSEUMS AT THE RADVILA PALACE MUSEUM OF ART
Saturday, May 2025, 17 Museum opening hours: 16–23 p.m.
Visiting exhibitions, excursions and educational activities are free of charge.
Visitors will be able to enjoy the long-term exhibitions "Protest Art: Soviet-era Disobedients. From the Vladimir Tarasov Collection Donated to the National Museum of Art of Lithuania" and "Vivid Profiles of the Old World. 16th–19th Century Western European Painting from the Collections of the National Museum of Art of Lithuania" as well as the short-term exhibitions "Post Ars. Sankrov" and "Everything That Cannot Be Done. 21st Century Lithuanian Artists in the Historical Painting Exhibition of the Radziwill Palace Art Museum".
Night at the Museum of Applied Arts and Design
Arsenalo St. 3a, Vilnius. 17–23 p.m. admission is free
During the Night of Museums, visitors to the Museum of Applied Arts and Design are invited to the exhibition of works by the outstanding interdisciplinary Lithuanian artist Stasys Ušinskas “Stasys Ušinskas: The Iceberg of Lithuanian Modernism”. The retrospective exhibition features paintings, stained glass windows and their sketches, puppets and their X-rays, scenography and sketches of theatrical costumes. The exhibition is complemented by exclusive archival footage, the puppet animation film “The Fat Man’s Dream”, and a special documentary about the stained glass windows created by S. Ušinskas for Lithuanian churches.
The exhibition of contemporary Latvian jewellery "Touch and Feel" invites you to get acquainted with the stories of people, their jewellery and the artists who created it. Jewellery collections created by 23 artists of the Latvian Jewellery Art Association are exhibited, along with portraits of models selected by the artists. This exhibition provides an opportunity to discover or re-experience the enchanting power of jewellery, its traditional, modern and innovative forms, various materials and techniques.
Night at the Vilnius Picture Gallery
Didzioji St. 4, Vilnius. 17–23 p.m. admission is free
During the Night of Museums at the Vilnius Picture Gallery, in addition to permanent exhibitions, visitors will be able to enjoy the exhibition "Thou shalt not make unto thyself an image. Precepts, everyday life and scrolls" marking the centenary of the founding of YIVO – the Jewish Research Institute – in Vilnius.
Museum Night at the Royal Palace: Baroque
ADMISSION TO THE MUSEUM IS FREE FROM 18.00:XNUMX PMThe museum's exhibitions are open until midnight.
A museum is not just a repository of exhibits! It is a space where you can learn, explore, and improve. Celebrating International Museum Day The Royal Palace Museum invites you to explore the Baroque era in greater depth in a specially prepared exhibition for this occasion. in the lecture ir on an excursion, admire the Baroque treasures preserved in the museum, the works of artists of this period, masterfully woven tapestries, and listen to Baroque music. Your acquaintance with this era will be crowned by By Motiejs Kazimieras Sarbievijus and an exhibition of two of the poet's books dedicated to the Year of Baroque Literature.
The theme of the Baroque path will be continued International Museum Night program of events. In the Great Renaissance Hall of the Royal Palace, visitors will be treated to Baroque "shorts" - for the first time in the history of the museum, a tournament of nine short stories and conversations about the Baroque era prepared by the Royal Palace museum staff, accompanied by music from this period. Baroque "shorts" are a unique opportunity to learn more about the ruler's estate and its everyday life, the royal family's travels and marriages, the development of the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania and the history of their interior decoration, Baroque innovations in the ruler's estate, and the consequences of the Flood for the Baroque heritage.
European Museum Night in Bėgiai Park
European Museum Night at the Railway Museum in Vilnius: on May 17, we invite you to an unforgettable journey through time - from steam locomotives to modern trains!
Night at the House of Stories
House of stories (T. Kosciuskos St. 3, Vilnius)
Tours of the Ethnographic Repository-Exhibition of the National Museum of Lithuania/ Kada: 19.00:20.00 p.m.; XNUMX:XNUMX p.m.
Canine Detective: The Case of the Missing Bone. Kada: 19.00:23.00 a.m. to XNUMX:XNUMX p.m.
Opening of the poster exhibition "Lydyntysis". Kada: 20.00 hour
Short tours: The sound of guns: between combat and art
The defensive walls of Vilnius are being fortified (Bokšto g. 20, Vilnius). Short excursions to the sound of guns: between combat and art
Kada: 20.00:20.20 p.m.; 20.40:21.00 p.m.; 21.20:21.40 p.m.; XNUMX:XNUMX p.m.; XNUMX:XNUMX p.m.; XNUMX:XNUMX p.m.
Orientation game MUSEUM CELEBRATES WITH MUSICIANS
18.00:20.30 PM–18.00:3 PM; starts at XNUMX:XNUMX PM at the House of History (T. Kosciuškos g. XNUMX), ends on Gediminas Hill.
Let the night at the museum begin musically! Celebrating its 170th birthday Lithuanian National Museum invites you to participate in an orientation game, during which competing teams will visit all LNM branches in Vilnius. Participants will face musical and engaging tasks, and the three fastest teams will be awarded prizes. Gather a team of 2-6 family, friends or colleagues and overcome a cheerful museum labyrinth.
Night in the Gediminas Castle Tower
Gediminas castle tower (Arsenalo st. 5, Vilnius). Short excursion stories from the past
Kada: 20.00:20.30 p.m.; 21.00:21.30 p.m.; 22.00:XNUMX p.m.; XNUMX:XNUMX p.m.; XNUMX:XNUMX
On Museum Night, we invite you to exclusive short tours of the Gediminas Castle Tower! During the tours, you will immerse yourself in intriguing stories about Gediminas Hill, the legendary Gediminas Letter, the development of the Upper Castle, and the peculiarities of the formation of the city of Vilnius. Come and discover history where it began! We are waiting for you!
Museum night at the Holocaust exposition
At 18 p.m. we invite you to a thematic tour in English at the Holocaust exposition (Pamėnkalnio g. 12).
The tour will present not only the history of the Holocaust in Lithuania, but also a new exhibition "Zivai. Unforgettable", dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the death of Holocaust survivor Naftali Zivai, who lived in Švėkšna.
The exhibition was prepared in collaboration with photographer Dovila Dagiene, researcher Dr. Radvila Rimgaile-Voicik, and Monika Žąsytiene, curator of the Švėkšna exposition of the Šilutė Hugo Šojus Museum.
Museum Night at the Samuel Bak Museum: Skateboard Art, a Dynasty of Painters, and a Film About the Baltic Streets
On May 17, we invite you to the Museum Night at the Samuel Bak Museum (Naugarduko 10) – a creative evening that will combine contemporary art, history, and street culture.
On the Night of Museums, educational activities will take place at the exhibition "SK8 ART: Vilnius in the Rhythm of New York": we will invite you to try your hand at creativity: Have you tried decorating a skateboard yet?
Museum Night at the Museum of Lithuanian Jewish Culture and Identity: Chagall's Expositions, Courtyard Wonders, and Musical Hugs
On May 17, from 18 p.m., the Museum of Lithuanian Jewish Culture and Identity (Pylimo 4A) invites you to a special "Museum Night" evening - a meeting where the past becomes the present, and art becomes a living wall.
Unveiling of a neo-fresco dedicated to Marc Chagall, opening of the museum courtyard, creative workshops for families, Marija Beržė concert and a sweet musical café – all in one place, one evening, in the courtyard of one museum.
Night at Liepkalnis Water Reservoir
We invite you to a special Museum Night event in the centennial water reservoir! An exhibition by two artists, an exceptional live art performance, and tours of the historic building await you. Visualizations will come to life on the walls of the reservoir, and later artists Jonas Jakštas and Barbora Ramanauskaitė will present live art, which will be interpreted by interpreters with sound, conveying the emotions and thoughts of the creators. This is a rare opportunity to experience a unique space through sound, image, and live creative action.
Museum Night in Tuskulėnai
Do you have the courage to become a light that dispels the darkness of Soviet-era cruelty? Do you want to better understand what life was like in the Soviet Union and Soviet Lithuania, to get to know the man also known as homo sovieticus? We invite you to spend the night at the European Museum at the Tuskulėnai Memorial - a place that commemorates
Orientation game at the exhibition “AMARÈ DŽIIPENÀ. Stories of the Roma in Vilnius”
Vilnius Museum. Take part in an interactive game during the Museum Night – Complete the challenge and win a prize!
On May 17, from 18 p.m., a unique experience awaits you at the Vilnius Museum – an interactive game at the exhibition "AMARÈ DŽIIPENÀ. Stories of the Roma of Vilnius", which opens up the lives, voices, and memories of young Roma people.
Museum Night at the Customs Museum
On Saturday, May 17 (from 18.00:23.00 p.m. to 18.00:XNUMX p.m.), the Customs Museum invites you to a lecture, education, conversations, and interactive games: XNUMX:XNUMX p.m. – The Customs Criminal Service crew will demonstrate the customs vehicle and the equipment installed in it to the event audience. After viewing the Customs Criminal Service crew vehicle, event visitors are also invited to familiarize themselves with the Customs Museum exhibits.
Night at the Energy and Technology Museum
During the Night of Museums, rarely displayed museum exhibits will “leave the showcases” – you will be able to see them up close and even touch history. At the same time, we will invite you to excursions where you will get acquainted with the development of Vilnius’ industrialization, the most important events and industrial heritage. Hungarian artist Banyek will be waiting for you in the museum’s dungeons – he will lead interactive video synthesis workshops and hold a live performance, presenting his debut album Aloe. And the culmination of the evening will be "INSITI Artists' House" is prepared inan interactive performance in which the museum spaces will turn into a theater stage, and the audience will become an integral part of the creative process.
