On the 22nd of April, at 5:30 p.m., a free concert on the occasion of Earth Day will take place at the White Bridge in Vilnius. We will hear Free Finga, Ba, kamanių šilelis, Sisters On Wire, Angelou and many more. The event will be hosted by comedians Laura Dragūnaitė and Evaldas Jasaitis.

Lithuania’s most renowned performers, scientists, public figures and activists will come together for one purpose—to honour our home, Mother Earth, to spread the message of environmental protection, and to inspire people to protect the forests, water, and the health and cleanliness of the environment as a whole. Migloko, Katarsis, Abudu, Superkoloritas, Kabloonak, Akli, Golden Parazyth, Solo Ansamblis, Strings of Earth, Mesijus, and the choir Ąžuoliukas will also perform a few songs.

‘Vilnius is the European Green Capital 2025, which is why we are celebrating Earth Day in a special way this year — it’s a great opportunity to emphasise the importance of environmental protection once again. This concert is a reminder that caring for nature is not only important but also inspiring. I am delighted that so many talented performers have agreed to take part and help spread this message,’ says Vilnius Mayor Valdas Benkunskas.

The organisers have no doubt that they are creating a special event for Earth Day. ‘Free Finga was the first to agree to perform, followed by a host of artists. Now the list of performers is staggering, and my colleagues and I joke that suddenly the concert has turned into the Lithuanian Grammy Awards,’ says Dominyka Motiejūnaitė, one of the concert organisers.

All songs are for the Earth

Rugilė Matusevičiūtė, the founder of the organisation ‘Gamtos bičiuliai’ (Friends of Nature), shares that it was her dream to bring together famous, interesting personalities and creators, to honour nature together and to invite the public to care for it more.

‘I have secretly dreamt of how wonderful it would be to gather a huge circle of like-minded people and create a mind-blowing concert where all the songs, all the words and all the applause would be dedicated to honouring our home, Mother Earth. I mentioned this idea to the Vilnius—European Green Capital team, the Ancient Woods Foundation, and the wonderful manager Dominika Motiejūnaitė. Everyone agreed to contribute to the concert, and we started work immediately,’ says R. Matusevičiūtė.

Vilnius City showed interest in R. Matusevičiūtė’s proposal right away. ‘We invite everyone, Vilnius residents and visitors, to enjoy a special event. This year, we are celebrating our title of the European Green Capital, and we are paying particular attention to ecological topics. A concert of this level on the occasion of the Earth Day seemed like a great idea and we are doing everything in our power to ensure that it is a high-quality, smooth event that achieves the main goal—to awaken the public’s love for nature and the desire to take better care of the Earth,’ says Jurga Pociūtė-Mikūtienė, Project Manager of ‘Vilnius—the European Green Capital 2025’.

Creators contribute voluntarily 

According to Rugilė Matusevičiūtė, once the idea was launched, the ranks of both organisers and performers grew incredibly fast. ‘I would like to emphasise that all the organisers and performers are contributing to the concert voluntarily, which makes me even more proud of Lithuanians’ dedication and love for nature. Scientists, naturalists and public figures have also come to help, contributing to the content of the event and appearing on stage,’ says the organiser of the concert.

The Ancient Woods Foundation is one of the organisers. According to Manager Rimantė Paulauskaitė-Digaitienė, this concert is a celebration for the team of the Foundation and a reminder to everyone that the Earth with all its life forms is a treasure in itself, which must be respected and preserved. ‘Whether it’s the ground under our feet, a bug, a river, an old forest or the air we breathe. We are joining with the aim of reaching out to the public to talk about the most relevant topics for the Earth—biodiversity, forests, rivers, climate, the connection between humans and forests, how each of us can contribute through our communities or in other ways, and inspire them to take action,’ says R. Paulauskaitė-Digaitienė, the head of the Ancient Woods Foundation.

Among the performers, thoughts on the importance of nature conservation will be shared by Mindaugas Survila, film director and co-founder of the Ancient Woods Foundation, Dr Mindaugas Lapelė, botanist and co-founder of the Ancient Woods Foundation, Dr Justinas Kilpys, climatologist, Dr Vykintas Vaitkevičius, historian and archaeologist, Lina Paškevičiūtė, chairperson of the Environmental Coalition, and others.

For instead of against

The main message of the organisers is not against, but for: clean nature, clean air, rivers and seas, green forests, life, a safe and healthy planet for us and future generations. So, on Earth Day, the 22nd of April, at 5:30 p.m., let’s meet in Vilnius, at the White Bridge, to enjoy the concert, thank nature, and get inspired to protect it.