Vilnius and Kaunas are ready to light up their Christmas trees, and despite the austerity measures and fewer lights, hopes for a cheerful holiday season are high, writes LRT.
In Kaunas, residents and guests will see fewer decorations and festive lights. For example, lights will be turned off from midnight till morning. Also, the districts outside of the city center will have fewer decorations. However, the budget for the festive appearance of Vilnius is around half a million euros, and the city says that it makes sense economically to decorate. The city’s artist Jolanta Šmidtienė told that the central Christmas tree will be more modest this year since they have to adjust to circumstances and terms.
Agnė Augonė, head of the Culture Department of Kaunas Municipality, said that savings are symbolic, around 18 000 euros, but it could change according to energy prices day by day.
Other cities in Lithuania are on their way to saving up as well. There will be fewer decorations, and some places won’t have the same design as in previous years. Vilnius is ready to light up the squares, but bridges this year will remain without decorations. Klaipeda decided to have decorations up for a shorter period of time, from the 10th of December till the 9th of January.
Despite all of this, big cities of Lithuania are waiting for a rush of tourists. Experts said that the hotels in Kaunas are all booked for Christmas weekends, and Vilnius expects around 100 000 guests, both local and foreign. Inga Romanovskienė, the head of Go Vilnius, said to the media that tourists could spend around 20 million euros that could go to the city and the country.