Every May, Vilnius does something wonderfully strange: the entire city turns the colour of bubblegum. The Vilnius Pink Soup Fest, now in its fourth edition (May 29–31, 2026), celebrates šaltibarščiai, Lithuania's beloved cold beet and kefir soup, with three days of parades, foam slides, costume races, and creative food. Last year, 93,000 visitors showed up. This year, you could win your way there.
Spring arrives differently in Vilnius. While other European capitals mark the season with blooming parks and outdoor café terraces, Lithuania's capital turns bubblegum pink. The catalyst is šaltibarščiai (pronounced shawl-tee-barsh-chay): a cold soup made from beets, kefir, cucumber, dill, and boiled eggs that Lithuanians have eaten since the first warm days of the year for generations. The colour is striking. The flavour, refreshing and tangy, tends to convert skeptics on the first spoonful.
The Vilnius Pink Soup Fest, now in its fourth year, has grown into something considerably larger than a local food celebration. In 2025, the festival drew 93,000 visitors, including nearly 17,000 international guests. That kind of momentum pushed organizers to expand the event from a single day to a full three-day programme. The 2026 edition runs May 29–31, and it promises to be the biggest and most elaborate yet.
For travellers who have been watching Vilnius rise quietly on Europe's radar, this festival is a compelling reason to book flights sooner rather than later.
What the festival actually looks like
Streets fill with revellers dressed in pink from head to toe, wearing tulle skirts, flowing gowns, furry mascots, wigs, and playful šaltibarščiai-themed accessories. The energy is theatrical and genuinely community-driven, somewhere between a street carnival and a very committed group costume party.
The centrepiece of the festival is the Pink Soup Parade, with dancers, marching bands, stilt walkers, and waiters racing through the streets with bowls of pink soup. Beyond the parade, the programme includes:
- The Pink Waiters' Run, a 600-metre race where participants sprint without spilling a drop of soup from their trays
- A 50-metre pink foam slide down Bastion Hill, with views over the bohemian Užupis district at the bottom
- The Pink Soup Walking Challenge, a 10.5-kilometre route through Vilnius for those who want to see the city while working up an appetite
- Culinary offerings across the city, from traditional šaltibarščiai in its classic form to inventive variations like soup-inspired cocktails, beetroot tacos, and kefir ice cream
This year's programme also includes a comedy show on stage, a first in the festival's history. Events take place across Vilnius, primarily centred around Tymas Market, adjacent to the Užupis district, and Bastion Hill in the Old Town.
The costume competition — and how to enter from abroad
One of the most talked-about elements of the festival is its costume competition, which has grown more creative and elaborate with every passing year. What began as people simply showing up in pink has evolved into a full-scale creative endeavour: handmade outfits, soup-ingredient accessories, and increasingly inventive interpretations of the dish itself.
Previous winners offer a sense of what earns attention at this event. Most incorporate the core ingredients of šaltibarščiai — beets, dill, cucumbers, kefir — in unexpected ways. One participant dyed her hair pink and paired a šaltibarščiai-inspired dress with an umbrella styled like a bowl of soup. Another arrived as the "šaltibarščiai monster," complete with a giant mask.
"I fell in love with the festival from the beginning and haven't stopped going since," said Anastasija, one past participant. "I learned to combine my crafty side with a world of clothes, and it felt amazing. What really made the experience special was how supportive everyone was — and the colours. I felt like I was a kid again."
The competition extends beyond Lithuania's borders, with an international prize that makes it accessible to travellers who haven't yet made it to Vilnius. Last year's participant Sibel travelled from Ankara, Turkey, to take part for the first time. She described the contest as an opportunity to freely express her identity while drawing inspiration from both the soup and the city.
"Throughout the festival, the attention my outfit received, the kind feedback I got, and the warm connections I made made this experience unforgettable," she said. "The moment I stepped onto the stage, I deeply felt the energy of pink and the magic of the festival."
Eglė Girdzijauskaitė, Head of Communications at Go Vilnius, the official tourism and business development agency of the City of Vilnius, puts it plainly: "Every year, the costumes surprise us. People put so much thought and care into them — it has become one of the most genuine expressions of what this festival is about."
The 2026 competition is already live on social media. Here's what you need to know:
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| What to submit | A photo of your šaltibarščiai-inspired costume, accessory, or style detail |
| Submission deadline | April 29, 2026 |
| Winner announced | May 11, 2026 |
| International prize | Return flights + hotel accommodation for two during the festival, plus festival merchandise |
| Separate categories | International participants and Lithuania-based participants compete separately |
| Where to enter | Go Vilnius |
There are separate prize categories for international participants and for those based in Lithuania, meaning the competition is genuinely open to anyone.
Vilnius beyond the festival
The festival is a reason to visit Vilnius, but it's far from the only one. Lithuania is emerging as one of Europe's new "cooler" destinations, with Skyscanner's Travel Trends 2026 showing a 59% increase in flight searches from the UK to Lithuania's second-largest city. Interest in the capital itself is growing steadily.
Vilnius' UNESCO-listed Old Town is a reward in itself, with its Baroque architecture, winding cobblestone streets, and a density of history that invites slow exploration. The bohemian Užupis district, often compared to Paris's Montmartre, has its own self-declared constitution and a lively independent arts scene.
For those who want to get out of the city, the options are easy and worthwhile:
- Trakai, about 28 km west of Vilnius, is home to a medieval castle on an island in Lake Galvė, surrounded by lush forests and calm blue waters. Buses depart regularly from Vilnius, and the journey takes under 30 minutes. It's one of Lithuania's most photogenic landmarks, and during the summer, boat tours operate on the lake.
- Nature trails run close to the city centre, offering a quick green escape without the need for long travel
- Train and bus connections make it straightforward to continue on to other Baltic cities, including Riga and Tallinn, for those building a broader itinerary
Why this festival keeps growing
The growth curve of the Vilnius Pink Soup Fest is genuinely unusual. In its first year, it drew around 10,000 visitors. The second edition brought in over 40,000. By 2025, attendance had more than doubled again to 93,000, including thousands of international travellers who made the trip specifically for the event.
The festival has grown so rapidly that it can no longer fit into a single day. Visitors are coming from the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, and beyond, wanting to stay longer and immerse themselves more deeply, according to Girdzijauskaitė.
Part of what makes the festival work is the combination of accessibility and spectacle. Entry to most events is free. The city is compact and walkable. And šaltibarščiai, as a centrepiece, is approachable — a dish that rewards the curious rather than demanding culinary adventurousness.
Plan your trip
The festival runs May 29–31, 2026, across multiple venues in Vilnius. Programme updates are published on the Go Vilnius website and the Vilnius Events calendar. Hotels and flights in late May fill up faster each year, so early booking is advisable.
For those entering the costume competition from abroad, the deadline is April 29, 2026, and the international winner will be announced on May 11.
Three days of pink, one city worth knowing
Vilnius Pink Soup Fest has become something rare in the world of travel events: a festival that feels entirely local in spirit but genuinely welcomes the world. It's rooted in a real food tradition, built around community participation, and managed in a way that keeps the energy accessible rather than overproduced. The fact that it has grown from 10,000 to 93,000 visitors in just three years says something meaningful about what travellers are looking for right now — experiences with genuine cultural texture, not manufactured spectacle.
Whether you're planning to enter the costume competition, eat your way through a city that takes its soup seriously, or use the festival as an anchor for a broader Baltic itinerary, late May in Vilnius offers a compelling case. Book early, dress boldly, and come hungry.
