Let us remember the historical traditions of Shrovetide in the residence of the Lithuanian Grand Dukes and joyfully celebrate the Shrovetide festival in the Palace of the Grand Dukes with the whole family! Stilters and a joker, maids in waiting and a herald await you, you will be able to make your own mask, virtually take a photograph in the carnival commotion, play historical board games, learn historical dances, learn about the dishes eaten in the palace in historical times and even take part in a feast!
PROGRAM OF THE FESTIVITIES
The visitors’ vestibule
11.00-16.00 | Artistic studio “Make Your Own Mask”. For the whole family. Activities are free.
12.00, 14.00, 16.00 | Themed excursion “The Glass of Bacchus: the Culture of Banquets in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania” (for adults, in Lithuanian)
During the excursion through the halls of the palace you will find out when and where in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania vine culture began, how it expanded in the estates of dukes and noblemen, the countries form which our grand dukes valued wine the most, how much money they spent to buy it, what dishes were served in the Renaissance and Baroque epochs’ banquets and how the delights were served. The museum tour-guide Elena as well as the famous wine connoisseur with long-term experience Domininkas Velička will talk about the path of wine to the Palace of the Lithuanian Grand Duke and the estates of the noblemen, and will invite to taste a glass of wine recommended by the expert.
Price of the excursion per person – 12 €. Registration in advance is mandatory by pressing the link on the desired visiting time.
Registration to the 12.00 excursion is closed.
Registration to the 14.00 excursion is closed.
Registration to the 16.00 excursion is closed.
14.00–17.00 | An interactive photo-wall will transport you to the centre of the Shrovetide carnival, about which you can tell your friends in photos! The entertainment is free.
Educational space in the surroundings of authentic stonework
13.00, 15.00 | Educational activities “The Kitchen of the Palace – the Everyday and Festivals.” We invite families with school age children to an educational activity about the culinary history of the Lithuanian Grand Duchy! Having had a look around the archaeological findings to do with the kitchen, we will play and guess where various food products came to Lithuania from, we will find out what the dukes and their guests liked to eat during their feasts, and we will create our dream lunch menu. In Lithuanian.
Prices of the activities:
Adult ticket – 2,50 €
Student or senior ticket – 0,80 €
Small family (1 adult + minor children) ticket – 3,00 €
Big families (2 adults + minor children) ticket – 5, 50 €
Registration in advance is mandatory by pressing the link on the desired visiting time.
Registration to the 13.00 excursion is closed.
Registration to the 15.00 excursion is closed.
Educational space in the gothic halls on the 1st floor
11.00–17.00 | A corner of historical board games awaits you in which you will find out what was the predecessor of modern checkers, how Vikings and the citizens of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania wracked their brains and, of course, you will be able to try these games out!
Participation with a museum visitor’s ticket.
Gothic sentry-box on the 2nd floor
11.00–17.00 | A historical weapons exposition will be installed alongside the permanently exhibited spears, swords, armour and other armament, in which you will be able to touch the exhibits and a professional squire will talk about each one of them and will answer any questions (in Lithuanian).
Participation with a museum visitor’s ticket.
Renaissance antechambers on the 3rd floor
11.00–17.00 | Do you know that the game of chess can be played by more than two players? We invite you to feel like in a land of giants and try out a team chess game!
13.00, 14.00, 15.00, 16.00 | What festival of Shrovetide in the palace can there be without music and dance? The ladies and courtiers of the palace will teach you historical dances as well as courtly behaviour in the festivities.
18.00–21.00 | The Shrovetide Feast
Experience in the Great Renaissance Hall of the Palace of the Grand Dukes that in Lithuania there have been not only folk festival traditions, which we all know well, but also aristocratic Shrovetide traditions. And they are related to the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania in Vilnius!
Let us pry into how Žygimantas Augustas used to celebrate Shrovetide and let’s travel to Vladislavas Vaza’s epoch to plunge into Baroque festivities full of rich emotions, various tastes, music, performances and dance! Let’s taste dishes made especially for this evening, restored according to historical knowledge, and let’s enjoy the performance of historical music and dance ensemble “Šv. Genezijaus trupė“.
Ticket price – 59.50 €
Tickets are available at www.tiketa.lt.
The Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania opening hours.
The event is in part financed by
