The song festival, which in its spirit is reminiscent of the ancient Greek Olympic Games, is recognized by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.
In a historic first, the world-renowned Lithuanian Song Festival is coming to downtown Cleveland. Baltic song festivals, a tradition begun more than 100 years ago, are the literal coming together of a nation in song. Choirs of all ages gather every 4-5 years to perform a single, coordinated repertoire, expressing their shared love of music and the vitality of their culture, nationality and traditions.
The centennial celebration of the first song festival took place in Lithuania in the summer of 2024. It featured more than 12,000 singers from over 450 choirs. It was attended by more than 100,000 spectators, and the live stream was viewed by over 300,000 viewers across the globe. In a country with a population under 3 million, the song festivals are a cultural phenomenon.
The song festival tradition was continued by the Lithuanian diaspora in the USA and Canada as a means of preserving their culture abroad. The first festival occurred in 1956 and motivated the community to fight for Lithuania’s independence, which was regained in 1991 following the collapse of the Soviet Union. The upcoming 2025 song festival will be the 11th such celebration in North America.
