Kaunas, Lithuania, is the birthplace of a unique creative sport that is, sadly, not yet an Olympic event.
Dating back to the 14th century, the country’s second city is known for its vibrant cultural scene that spans everything from contemporary art and fascinating architecture to gourmet dining, music, and street art. The FLUXUS festival combines all of these elements into one unforgettable experience you are welcome to discover for yourself.
FLUXUS festival will take place on 13 September 2025 at 20:30 in Kaunas, J. Mačiūnas Square.
What began in 2018 as an adventure for a handful of like-minded friends has blossomed into an event drawing thousands. Alright, perhaps a handful was an understatement: the very first FLUXUS festival gathered 350 participants in the one-of-a-kind and usually inaccessible Jurgis Mačiūnas Square. By 2022, when Kaunas celebrated its title as European Capital of Culture, over 7,500 festival-goers, transformed into all sorts of characters, made their uphill pilgrimage on Parodos Hill, a street in the city centre shut down just for them.
A Procession? A Race? A Ball? A Festival!
For the 8th time this year, Mačiūnas Square will open its arms to enthusiasts of all kinds, lovers of adventure and good times, patrons of creativity, and the simply curious. As dusk falls, the bustling intersection will fall silent as cars depart, making way for a throng of costumed revellers, who will wait for the starting signal, hyped up by rhythmic music. And when it sounds, a miracle will happen: a river of festival-goers will surge uphill, powered by creativity and fantasy, dopamine and serotonin, camera flashes and the cheers of the crowd.
What’s This All About?
Kaunas is, by its nature, more of an idea and a state of mind than a movement or a style. Just like Fluxus, an art movement that rejects seriousness and rules in favour of play, humour, and the unexpected in everyday life. Its godfather, Jurgis Mačiūnas, kicked off the Fluxus story in New York and fundamentally changed the course of art history.
Mačiūnas, of course, was born in Kaunas, back in 1931 when our city was flourishing as the temporary capital of Lithuania. The wild spirit of the First Republic continues to inspire the city’s pulse to this day. And so Kaunas, a UNESCO City of Design and a member of the Creative Cities Network, is forever intertwined with the legend of Fluxus and Mačiūnas. It’s no wonder that a new urban tradition was born right here in Kaunas.
The Inaccessible Square
“I once noticed that the triangular square at the intersection was like a dead zone, a triangle where no one drives and nothing happens. I felt an urge to do something there. I immediately knew the idea was perfect for Mačiūnas,” once recalled Kaunas artist Naglis Rytis Baltušnikas. It is in this “christened” Inaccessible Square that the FLUXUS festival kicks off each year. Indeed, the small square, embraced by the modernist buildings of K. Donelaičio, Parodos, and Vytauto streets, is a unique work of art realised through the “Kaunas Accents” programme. And it was in one of the buildings right next to the square that Mačiūnas himself was born!
The Prize Awaits at the Top
After conquering the main stretch of the festival, participants will be greeted at the top of Parodos Hill by a final chord still shrouded in mystery. Directors, screenwriters, composers, and other performing arts professionals have joined forces with communities from Kaunas city and district, working intensely to create an audio-visual experience that will inspire movement and creative circulation all year round, until the next festival.
Even Sisyphus Makes the Climb
It’s hard to know where to begin describing the costumes that residents of Kaunas and visitors to the city prepare for the annual Fluxus frenzy. For instance, could anyone’s passion rival that of the basketball fan, watching a game on a TV in his wheelbarrow while his friends push him and all his belongings to the summit? Parodos Hill has also seen a gigantic cepelinas (the Zeppelin-shaped potato dumpling, a Lithuanian delicacy), countless astronauts, storks, toadstools, living legends and bygone celebrities, Sisyphus with his boulder, paintings come to life, a funicular that’s lost its way, and a travelling feast table. In short, anything that inspires us to rejoice in the moment, forget the mundane, and celebrate togetherness.
Unleash Your Inner Beast
For those contemplating a costume, the organisers of the 2025 festival have a theme: unleash your inner beast. And once you do, feel free to run, slither, shuffle, clamber, climb, or gallop. Clearly, there is no wrong way to ascend Parodos Hill. So, give it some thought: does a tail or paws suit your character and eyes better? Hooves or feathers? If you’re stuck, you can always find inspiration at the Lithuanian Zoo, located right next to Parodos Hill, or at the Tadas Ivanauskas Zoological Museum, waiting just down the road on Laisvės Alėja.
Open to All
No matter your physical fitness, where you live, your age, or your favourite music, the FLUXUS festival is not only the most creative but also the most democratic sporting event where there are no losers. If you’ve decided to participate, you’ve already won. All that’s left is to prepare a costume.
How to Prepare
Throughout August and September, creative workshops will take place at the Lithuanian Zoo, Science Island, and the Oak Grove Library. Meanwhile, the programme of warm-up events will kick off with a performance at Science Island on September 9th. Leading up to the main event on September 13th, the organisers will invite everyone to various artistic happenings designed to spark the imagination, held at Kaunas Artists’ House and other locations across the city. A detailed programme will be announced soon, but even if you arrive on the eve of the festival, you can still whip something up spontaneously.
Moreover, the FLUXUS festival is just one of many reasons to spend this September in Kaunas. Gastronomy, music, contemporary art, festivals: the cultural calendar can barely fit all the events, so we recommend you plan nothing else.
Photos: by G. Jovaiša
