Fireworks festival moves to Kaunas after legal dispute in Vilnius

The international Fejerija fireworks festival will be held in Kaunas this year after an ongoing legal dispute with Vilnius over permission to stage the event in the capital, LRT reported, citing the organisers and municipal officials.

Andrius Žibikas, a representative of one of the organisers, Combo renginiai, said the legal dispute had influenced the decision to move the festival to Kaunas.

“The legal proceedings are still ongoing. The case is currently being heard by a court of second instance. This entire legal situation influenced the festival’s move to Kaunas,” Žibikas told ELTA.

He said the organisers had not applied to Vilnius Municipality for a permit this year. They had previously decided to seek an alternative location in Kaunas, where the necessary approvals were also required.

The festival had previously been held in Vilnius. In 2023, the city municipality decided not to issue a permit for the event. According to Vilnius Mayor Valdas Benkunskas, the decision was based on concerns about the emotional wellbeing of war refugees from Ukraine, air pollution that could endanger residents and excessive noise.

Vilnius Municipality representative Indrė Naureckaitė said the event had also faced objections and complaints from individuals and organisations because of air pollution, noise and its potential negative impact on residents and animals.

A first-instance court annulled the municipality’s refusal to issue a permit, ruling that it had not been sufficiently reasoned, and ordered the issue to be reconsidered. The municipality appealed, maintaining that its decision had been properly justified. A hearing in the case has not yet been scheduled, and no final ruling has been issued.

Naureckaitė added that the municipality also refused to approve the organisation of Vilnius Fejerija 2025, citing a potential risk to people’s physical or mental health.

This year’s Fejerija is being organised by Blikas and Combo renginiai and will take place at Kaunas’s S. Darius and S. Girėnas aerodrome. Žibikas said the organisers were pleased with the new location, which would allow more spectators to attend and enable them to expand the programme.

Kaunas Municipality said the event was being held on private property rather than in a public city space. As a result, a municipal permit to organise an event in a public place was not required and had not been issued.

The municipality also stressed that it was neither an organiser nor a partner of the festival.