Stories festival 2026

The Story Festival invites you to spend four days exploring Kaunas through stories, people, places, and experiences. This year's theme, "Disconnected," invites us to look at what creates our connections: what brings us together, what drives us apart, and how our relationship with the city, other people, and the environment around us changes. The festival began in 2019 as part of the "Kaunas – European Capital of Culture 2022" program, and today its history is continued by the Kaunas City Museum. Themes, people, and forms of storytelling change, but the desire to get to know the city, ourselves, and others through stories remains. In the program, connection will be revealed in different forms – through sound, image, movement, technology, nature, and shared presence. Various city spaces will host concerts, discussions, a performance, an exhibition, a film evening, a book launch, and activities for families. 𝗗𝗘𝗧𝗔𝗜𝗟𝗘𝗗 𝗙𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗩𝗔𝗟 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗠: istorijufestivalis.eu 𝗦𝗘𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗠𝗕𝗘𝗥 𝟮𝟰 | 𝗧𝗛𝗨𝗥𝗦𝗗𝗔𝗬 𝟭𝟵:𝟬𝟬 | Town Hall Square (location subject to change) Grand opening of the festival, dedicated to the 100th anniversary of Lithuanian radio. Featuring Martynas Kavaliauskas and the Kaunas "Rubininis" choir. Event is free 𝗦𝗘𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗠𝗕𝗘𝗥 𝟮𝟱 | 𝗙𝗥𝗜𝗗𝗔𝗬 𝟭𝟱:𝟬𝟬 | Lithuanian Aviation Museum Presentation of an exhibition specially created for the Story Festival and a discussion "The connection between earth and sky." Visiting the exhibition is free only during the discussion event (August 25, 3 PM) and on the last Sunday of the month (August 27). On all other days, visiting the exhibition is paid, with a visitor ticket. 𝟭𝟳:𝟬𝟬 | Kaunas Town Hall, White Hall Presentation of the book "Kaunas through the eyes of Stanislovas Lukošius: A man (not) in his time." Event is free 𝟭𝟴:𝟬𝟬 | Kaunas Film Center "Romuva", Chamber Hall Screening of the film "The Secret Agent" and discussion "In one hall, different experiences: does cinema still create a sense of community?" 𝗧𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁𝘀: https://kcromuva.lt/.../istoriju-festivalis-slaptasis.../ 𝟮𝟬:𝟬𝟬 | Inner courtyard of the M. and K. Petrauskas House Museum Acoustic concert by Lukas Pilkauskas. Event is free 𝗦𝗘𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗠𝗕𝗘𝗥 𝟮𝟲 | 𝗦𝗔𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗗𝗔𝗬 𝟭𝟮:𝟬𝟬 | M. and K. Petrauskas House Museum Tour "Musical Žaliakalnis" with museum curator Deimantė Kondrotaitė. Event is free. Registration starts in September. 𝟭𝟰:𝟬𝟬 | Kaunas Town Hall Square (location to be confirmed) Performance "Drained Stories" by Linas Kaziulionis. Event is free 𝟭𝟲:𝟬𝟬 | Kaunas Town Hall, White Hall Discussion about Lithuanian-Polish relations, accompanying the exhibition "In Shadow and Light. The Image of Kaunas." Event is free and is part of the European Heritage Days. 𝗦𝗘𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗠𝗕𝗘𝗥 𝟮𝟳 | 𝗦𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗔𝗬 𝟭𝟬:𝟬𝟬 | 𝟭𝟯:𝟬𝟬 | 𝟭𝟲:𝟬𝟬 | VMU Botanical Garden Experiential slow walking tour. Registration required (registration will be available from September). VMU Botanical Garden visitor ticket required. 𝟭𝟭:𝟬𝟬 | 𝟭𝟰:𝟬𝟬 | 𝟭𝟳:𝟬𝟬 | Lithuanian Zoo Tours at the Lithuanian Zoo. Registration required (registration will be available from September). Lithuanian Zoo visitor ticket required. For individual visitors The VMU Botanical Garden and the Lithuanian Zoo are creating this year's festival program together. On September 27, visitors will be able to explore both spaces independently, and at the Lithuanian Zoo, special festival tasks "Find what we have in common" will be waiting for them. By following clues, you will search for 8 garden residents and discover similarities between humans and animals. FESTIVAL GIFT. You can get a set of stickers with plant and animal illustrations created especially for the festival in one of two ways: by visiting both the VMU Botanical Garden and the Lithuanian Zoo, or by completing special Story Festival tasks at the Lithuanian Zoo. If you visit both spaces on the same day, a 50% discount applies to the second visit. 𝗡𝗘𝗘𝗗 𝗠𝗢𝗥𝗘 𝗜𝗡𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡? During the festival, a festival information point will be open at the Kaunas Town Hall – here you will find a printed program, festival merchandise, and all information about the events.