The Best Baltics Festivals in October 2019
Some of the best festivals in the world are in the Baltic States. Here’s where you have to be this October. As the leaves change color and the weather turns cooler, festival season winds down from the hectic summer months. But the Baltic states still have something to offer!
Are you stuck on where to go this October? Here is the ultimate guide to the best Baltics music, arts and culture festivals that you just can’t miss.
International Dance Festival AURA29
September 28 – October 6, 2019
AURA is the only municipal theater of contemporary dance in Lithuania. Its history dates back to 1980. The first international dance festival AURA was organised in 1989. And now it’s an important tradition that encourages the popularity of contemporary dance. Moreover, this festival enriches the cultural life of Kaunas and beyond. Above all, by inviting more and more established masters of dance from different countries, AURA strengthens the image of Lithuania abroad. In other words, it encourages intercultural exchanges.
The performances are accompanied with workshops held by famous masters. All the participants of the festival are invited to take part in them. This event is a unique opportunity for its participants to exchange ideas and experiences of dance. Discover the world of contemporary dance on one of the best festivals in October!
Fashion Film Festival ‘MoeKunstiKino’
October 3-9, 2019
‘MoeKunstiKino’ is an international film festival showing fashion and design related movies that are mostly documentaries. ‘MoeKunstiKino’ offers a selection of new fashion documentaries to help you keep up with the fashion world and love it (even more!). To see people who have dedicated their lives to fashion. To be passionate together with them. Certainly, to realize why fashion matters. The main characters in the films are legendary fashion designers, photographers, editors, models and other fashion enthusiasts.
The program of 2019 includes a diverse selection of films. For instance, there are films featuring the truly unique fashion designer Alexander McQueen, punk queen Vivienne Westwood, renowned Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama and many others.
The films will be shown at Sõprus Cinema in Tallinn, with a special screening at Tartu Elektriteater Cinema. Open the door to the glamorous and mysterious fashion world!
Kihnu Violin Festival 2019
October 4-6, 2019
Kihnu Violin Festival brings together all the best violinists of Estonia and honors the Kihnu tradition. It will help develop local emerging violinists, improve music skills and style, and expand awareness about the Kihnu violin tradition.
The festival focuses on both adults and the young. That is to say, anyone who is interested in folk culture is welcomed to participate. One of the aims of the Violin Festival is to bring together Estonian folk music violinists, who teach Kihnu children and introduce Kihnu repertoire to their friends at the workshops. You can also attend dance evenings and get real pleasure!
Festival of Light 2019
October 5, 2019
Festival of Lights focuses on light and light based technologies. It creates a platform to meet and share one’s knowledge and experience working with light. Most importantly, the festival studies the essence of light from the scientific and artistic perspective. Therefore, you can participate in scientific workshops and enjoy the experience of light, music and dance.
Festival of Lights has always shared the value of World Space Week – strengthening the link between space and society. Likewise, this festival acknowledges direct and distant impact of light on humans and the environment. The purpose of the festival is to create a social-cultural environment for scientists, artists, etc. Most noteworthy, the 2019 theme is “The Moon: Gateway to the Stars.”
Festival of lights will happen on shore of the Nõo Mill Lake (Estonia). Well? So to the moon and back?
GAIDA Contemporary Music Festival
October 5-19, 2019
The GAIDA Festival that takes place in Vilnius since 1991. It is the main, the largest and most prominent festival of contemporary music in Lithuania and the Baltic states.
What is contemporary music? It’s definitely not just what you hear on the radio. Listen for a program open to all traditions and cultures. Serious symphonic music and alternative works, electronic or experimental music, and an array of multimedia projects will take over the main concert halls of Vilnius. In short, events of the GAIDA Festival are always associated with strong artistic ambitions, innovations, highest quality of performers, creativity of composers and other artists what produces great works of nowadays. In other words, this is truly a wonderful festival!
Skaņu Mežs festival
October 11-12, 2019
Skaņu Mežs is a festival for adventurous (innovative, experimental, avant-garde, etc.) music. It happens in Riga, Latvia since 2003.
Seeing as all forms of modern music have an experimental dimension, there is always a wide variety of musical genres represented at the festival. From electro-acoustic music, free improvisation, contemporary composition and noise to interesting shifts in dance music, hip-hop and rock or metal.
Skaņu Mežs festival will happen at concert hall Hanzas Perons with a free-entry opening event on October 5 at the Art Museum Riga Bourse (Doma Square 6). Check full program of the festival here.
Simjud’s Fair
October 12, 2019
On the second Saturday of October at the Town Square of Valmiera (Latvia) local residents and guests are invited to the historical Simjūds Fair. Latvian writer Pāvils Rozītis in his book „The Boys of Valmiera” wrote: „Who has not seen the Simjūds Fair, has not had a youth.”
The Simjūds Fair is the last fair before the winter, when people could buy everything they needed for their households. And, following the centuries old traditions, local producers and craftsmen offer rich selection of goods! What can you find there? Knitted and crocheted items, folk costumes and their accessories, jewelry, kitchen utensils, plants, autumn berries, fruit and vegetables, honey, gingerbread cookies, dried fish, bread, basketry and lots more.
Above all, items sold at the Simjūds Fair range from ones resembling those made during the medieval times to the ones describing contemporary Latvian design. Therefore, everyone will find something for their needs and taste. Furthermore, the fair is not only about selling and buying items, it’s also about having good time with songs and dances. So it is a great place to meet with long-time-no-see friends and relatives.
International Jazz Festival “Vilnius Jazz”
October 16-20, 2019
Hear the wave of contemporary jazz and improvisational music flood the city. This is a rare opportunity to see some renowned foreign jazz performers in Lithuania, discover musical innovations. In addition, you can hear the rising stars and get a taste of jazz avant-garde.
Vilnius Jazz is the oldest annual jazz festival in Vilnius. It is an exceptional event in Lithuania, providing a broad perspective on contemporary trends in jazz from all over the world. Over the years Vilnius Jazz has earned a reputation of a radical avant-garde festival oriented towards novelty and limit-stretching creativity. The stylistic boundaries of jazz and free improvised music are often crossed. As a result, it is expanding here by offering joint projects with musicians from the academic, ethnic, rock and industrial music backgrounds.
Dive into the free spirit of the festival and choose from a multi-media program that will pique your curiosity!
CityTelling Festival
October 17 – 24, 2019
Memory Office, a program of Kaunas 2022, is working on its first festival.
CityTelling Festival is an eight-day event during which residents and the communities of Kaunas City and its districts, also theaters, museums and artists will share their memories. In the festival, organizers will strive to tell the city: its legends, stories and memories. People will present these stories in spoken word, sound, light and visual language.
The CityTelling Festival is a unique experience which we will start with the Grand Opening event in Ramybės Park (Kaunas Old Cemetery). This is a place where several different nations that lived in Kaunas meet. Memory Office will tell a story of this multi-ethnic place through interactive routes, art installations and an impressive Choir of Stories. Doors of the Kaunas Mosque and the Holy Resurrection Orthodox Church will be open at the same time. Moreover, the festival will spread around the entire Kaunas City and its districts.
People will have opportunity to listen to the stories on the streets, in cafés, theaters, museums and apartments. Even more, the program of the festival will feature around half a hundred events! Guided tours, creative workshops, theatrical and stage performances, exhibitions and concerts. In conclusion, it will be really something unusual in the Baltic States, so don’t miss CityTelling Festival!
Theater Festival ‘Golden Mask in Estonia 2019’
October 18-30, 2019
The theater festival ‘Golden Mask in Estonia’ is one of the most important theater events in Estonia. Hence, in 2019 Estonia will see the 15th Festival. Every autumn festival offers the audience an exclusive opportunity to become acquainted with Russia’s best theater productions in their most varied forms — drama, ballet, musical and puppet theater. Most noteworthy, the main mission of the festival is the development and expansion of professional relations and contacts between Russia and Estonia in the field of theater. Therefore, to achieve this goal, the festival will host special program and master classes, creative meetings, and discussions.
By the way, the Golden Mask Award is the most prestigious award that is given to productions in all genres of theater art.
To sum up, saying goodbye to summer is hardly easy, but our pick of fun and festive events for October sure does help lighten the mood. So you can fall into fun and amazement, and Jerulita is ready to help you! In short, it is worth to spend 3 days in Riga or join Charming Vilnius City Tour! Moreover, you can find some out-of-the-ordinary places to visit in Tallinn. You can also choose Baltic Trilogy Tour.
Don’t hesitate visiting our Travel Blog to find different articles about the Baltics!
