Festival

On 20–22 June 2025, we celebrated the twenty-fifth Kilkim Žaibu on the grounds of the President Antanas Smetona Manor Museum beside Lake Lėnas. The anniversary line-up featured Mayhem, Sólstafir, Finntroll and other performers close to the festival’s spirit. A Viking ship joined the living history programme, while the new Folk stage immediately found a devoted audience.

Every invited musical act arrived, and the concert programme ran on time. Even Benediction’s missing instrument baggage and Finntroll’s travel difficulties could not stand in the way of strong performances: the stage teams found solutions. For the anniversary, we also achieved a long-held ambition in Ukmergė for the first time, positioning the Perkūnas stage side-on to the lake. It looked impressive, although the wind occasionally carried the sound away.

Poor weather, especially on the first day, did little to dampen the audience’s spirits. We were delighted by the visitors’ friendliness and the exceptional cleanliness of the site. We avoided long queues at the vehicle entrance, the change of security team proved successful, and toilet maintenance improved. Despite the challenges and exhaustion, we considered the anniversary a success. Our largest team of organisers and volunteers to date, local partners and festival friends helped create a celebration that left us looking forward to our twenty-sixth gathering.