President Antanas Smetona's Manor, Dvaro street, Ukmergė district municipality, Lithuania
The KILKIM ŽAIBU Ethnic Culture and Heavy Music Festival is the largest and oldest heavy music festival in the Baltic States. The festival has been held for more than 20 years and has achieved worldwide recognition among alternative music fans. The festival's distinctive feature is its special focus on ethnic culture. The event is organised by a non-profit organisation consisting of enthusiastic organisers and volunteers. The event takes place in different regions of Lithuania.
The festival has been running for many years and breaks down negative stereotypes of heavy music. KILKIM ŽAIBU maintains the unique, warm and positive aura of the event. The event was born in Zemgale in 1999 and moved to Žemaitija a decade later. In 2015, it was included in the programme of the Lithuanian Capital of Culture Žagarė, and the following year, when Telšiai became the Capital of Culture, the festival spread the mood of heavy music in Žemaitija. This year, as Ukmergė celebrates its 690th anniversary, we have become one of the most rock 'n' roll events in the city. The festival, which has been well received, will continue to take place in Ukmergė next year. The partners of the event, the Ukmergė District Municipality and the Ukmergė Museum of Local History, encourage people to get acquainted with different music and to get involved in the event's educational activities.
For many years, the festival has been held during the Dew Festival, so we have deliberately chosen the date of the festival to coincide with the summer solstice. Since one of the cornerstones of the festival has always been the preservation of old traditions, the calendar celebration of the summer solstice has, as it were, pushed the festival into a new space of ethnic cultural treasures. The solstice, which has a special significance in different cultures, is traditionally celebrated all over the world. The fact that the essential moments and old key elements of this festival can be combined with contemporary art is, dare we say, quite unexpected.
We love creative intrigue and we understand that when people first hear the festival's generalisation of "ethnic culture and heavy music", many people find this idea incredible. It is only after attending this dual festival, which brings together different eras, that one is truly convinced that such a seemingly impossible combination of themes is nevertheless a perfect match. Neither we nor the audience know where the boundaries of the chosen themes lie. If you're surprised, we think we've succeeded.
The festival has an extensive programme every year and has brought in such famous acts as Sepultura, Amon Amarth, Venom, Abbath, Sodom, Wardruna, etc. KILKIM ŽAIBU exclusively patronizes Baltic heavy music artists and provides quality conditions for their performances. Most of the Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian heavy and alternative musicians have participated in the event. We film the bands' performances, so the bands that played at the festival can enjoy high quality videos. KILKIM ŽAIBU is already known as the "Metal Christmas" by heavy music lovers, who look forward to the event all year round and plan holidays and trips from abroad for it.
The festival brings together a variety of contemporary visual art volunteers who decorate the event's surroundings, construct fire sculptures, create installations, and design the festival's graphics.
This was the first festival in Lithuania to introduce a deposit system for plastic containers. We are introducing ecological ideas for the audience. Representatives of Telšiai and Ukmergė authorities mention the festival as one of the cleanest mass events in the districts.
KILKIM ŽAIBU is probably the only event in Lithuania, where 40-50% of the audience is made up of guests from abroad. The festival is open to audiences of all ages and social groups. The event space is comfortable for those who are hungry for an active discharge, as well as for those who prefer a more relaxing environment. The event is attended by between 3000 and 5000 spectators each year. The majority of the audience is made up of curious, niche culture connoisseurs and artistic audiences whose expectations are not met by the consumer masses. As we strive to make the event as attractive and accessible as possible to a wider audience, we stress that although the festival is not a family event, it is certainly possible to bring children to the event.
For the future, we have a variety of ideas, determination, desire and we hope that every year, we will be able to raise the bar of the event higher and higher. We are obsessed with Lightning Mania: before one event is over, we are already looking forward to the next. And of course, all this would not be possible without you. Thank you for believing in us and supporting us all these long years. It is very important to us! We raise our horns and wish that our meetings with you will become more and more thunderous!
