Kaunas will light its main Christmas tree on Town Hall Square (Rotušės aikštė) in the Old Town on Friday, 27 November 2026, at 18:00. The city announced the date in September 2026. As of late October 2026, the event programme, the Christmas market's opening hours and its closing date had not been published. This guide sets out what is confirmed for 2026 and how the 2025 season worked, clearly labelled as last year's pattern, plus practical tips for a winter visit.
Key dates at a glance
| Event | 2026 (status in October) | Last season (2025–26) | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christmas tree lighting | Fri 27 Nov, 18:00 (confirmed) | Sat 22 Nov 2025, 18:00 | Town Hall Square |
| Christmas village (market) | Not yet announced | Opened after the lighting, ran through the holidays | Town Hall Square |
| Ice rink and second village | Not yet announced | Opened 28 Nov 2025, 19:00; rink open until 31 Jan 2026 | Vienybės Square |
| Free Christmas train | Not yet announced | Selected evenings, 27 Nov–29 Dec | Cathedral – Vilniaus g. loop |
| Christmas Eve (public holiday) | Thu 24 Dec | Village open 10:00–18:00 | Town Hall Square |
| New Year's Eve party | Not yet announced | From 23:00, fireworks at midnight | Town Hall Square |
| Three Kings procession | Not yet announced | 6 Jan 2026, 18:00 | Laisvės alėja → Vilniaus g. → Town Hall Square |
| Tree taken down | Not yet announced | After 12 Jan 2026 | Town Hall Square |
The 2026 tree lighting on Town Hall Square
The municipality asked residents to note 27 November, 18:00 and meet on Town Hall Square; the programme was "being prepared" when the date was announced. Kaunas traditionally lights the first main tree in Lithuania; in 2025 it was again the first city to do so, on 22 November.
This will be the first Christmas season on the fully renovated square. The reconstruction was completed in spring 2026: the square now has level granite paving without kerbs, a fountain with water jets rising from the pavement, ring-shaped benches around green islands, and a central area designed for festivals, pavilions and markets.
The city usually keeps the tree's design a surprise until close to the lighting. Six city tenders published in September 2026 give an idea of the scale (maximum values, not yet awarded at the time): a tree on Town Hall Square (up to €100,000), a second tree on Vienybės Square (up to €80,000), and the lighting event itself (up to €160,000). Street decorations are planned for Laisvės alėja, Vilniaus gatvė, Town Hall Square, Kaunas Castle, Santaka Park, several bridges, and K. Donelaičio, E. Ožeškienės and S. Daukanto streets, with installation due by 24 November.
For reference, the 2025 tree was a real tree over 17 metres tall. It was 65 years old, grew in the Petrašiūnai district and was donated by a local resident. Its gold decorations followed an Art Deco theme, a nod to the city's interwar architecture. Kaunas trees have a record of unusual designs: in 2011 the city built a 16-metre tree from more than 32,000 plastic bottles, which entered Guinness World Records.
The Christmas market: what to expect
The 2026 market details are not public yet, so here is how it worked in the 2025 season. After the lighting, Town Hall Square turned into a Christmas village with glass domes for workshops, a Christmas post office and Santa's residence. On weekdays, museums, libraries and NGOs ran activities. On weekends there were free creative workshops for children and families, concerts and carol singing.
- Opening hours (2025): weekdays 11:00–22:00; weekends and public holidays 10:00–22:00; 24 December 10:00–18:00; 31 December from 11:00 until the end of the New Year event.
- Food and drink: the city's tourism office describes the Town Hall Square market stands of earlier seasons as selling mulled wine and curd doughnuts. Gingerbread from Old Town bakeries is another local Christmas buy. For a sit-down meal, see our guide to where to eat in Kaunas Old Town.
- Free postcards: you write a card at the village, address it and drop it into the festive mailbox on Town Hall Square. Cards can go to any address in Lithuania.
- Hidden-object game: bingo cards were handed out at the Old Town Hall ticket booth; the objects were hidden on Town Hall Square, Vienybės Square and along Laisvės alėja between them. Cards and prizes were limited.
Santa's residence on Town Hall Square opened on 15 dates between 28 November and 26 December, mostly Thursday to Sunday: in the evening on weekdays and in the afternoon at weekends. A free Christmas train made a 15-minute loop from Kaunas Archcathedral Basilica to the Vilniaus gatvė underpass and back on selected days between 27 November and 29 December.
More about the square itself, its buildings and cafés, is in our guide to things to do around Town Hall Square.
Vienybės Square: ice rink and a second village
In the 2025 season, the open-air ice rink and a smaller Christmas village opened on Vienybės (Unity) Square on Friday, 28 November, at 19:00, with a show by professional skaters, light, laser and fire effects, and a DJ. The square is in the New Town, a short walk from Laisvės alėja and next to the Vytautas the Great War Museum, one of the stops on our modernist Kaunas walk.
- Rink hours (2025–26): Monday–Wednesday 14:00–22:00; Thursday–Friday 14:00–23:15; Saturday 12:00–24:00; Sunday 12:00–21:15. Hours changed during school holidays.
- Prices (2025–26): €5 per 45-minute session, skate rental €3, helmet or skating aid €2. The first weekday session at 14:00 was free.
- Rules: children under 14 skate only with an adult, at most two children per adult.
- Season: the rink stayed open until 31 January 2026.
New Year's Eve and early January
The 2026 New Year programme has not been announced. Last year's pattern:
- 31 December 2025: an open-air party on Town Hall Square from 23:00 with DJ and producer Jovani and an aerial dance show. Fireworks went up at midnight; Kaunas and Klaipėda were the only major Lithuanian cities to hold fireworks that year.
- Traffic and transport: traffic was restricted in part of the Old Town from 21:00 on 31 December to 02:00 on 1 January. Extra night routes ran, including bus 31P and trolleybus 10P from Kaunas Castle (Kauno pilis).
- 6 January 2026: the Three Kings procession left the City Municipality at 18:00, walked along Laisvės alėja and Vilniaus gatvė to Town Hall Square and stopped at the nativity scene at the Archcathedral Basilica.
- After the holidays: the main tree was not taken down at Three Kings; the city extended its stay by a week, to 12 January 2026.
Public holidays in Lithuania over the season are 24, 25 and 26 December and 1 January. Expect shorter hours on 24 December: last year the Christmas village closed at 18:00 that day.
Practical tips
- Dress for frost. 1991–2020 averages for Kaunas are 0.7 °C by day and −3.3 °C at night in December, and −0.8 °C and −6.1 °C in January. December has about 11 days with precipitation, so waterproof shoes help on the stone streets of the Old Town.
- Plan around the dark. The earliest sunset of 2026 is on 14 December, at 15:56. On 21 December the day lasts 7 hours 11 minutes. The upside: the decorations are lit for most of the afternoon.
- Arrive early on lighting night. The lighting is the busiest evening of the season. Be on the square before 18:00 if you want to see the stage.
- Walk rather than drive. Laisvės alėja is pedestrian, and the Old Town is compact. Parking around Town Hall Square is in the Old Town paid zone at €2 per hour. From the airport, see our guide Kaunas Airport to the Old Town.
- Combine with a concert. Žalgiris Arena has a busy December; see our list of arena concerts in November–December 2026. On big event weekends, central rooms sell out early.
- Check the official site. The city publishes the season's programme and opening hours at kaledos.kaunas.lt.
For more ideas for a winter weekend, see Kaunas Old Town in 48 hours and Kaunas through the seasons.
Dates for 2026 are as announced by Kaunas City Municipality by October 2026. Everything marked 2025 is last season's pattern and may change; check kaledos.kaunas.lt before you travel.
Frequently asked questions
When is the Kaunas Christmas tree lighting in 2026?
The city has announced the lighting for Friday, 27 November 2026, at 18:00 on Town Hall Square (Rotušės aikštė) in the Old Town. The programme was still being prepared when the date was announced in September. In 2025 the tree was lit on 22 November, and Kaunas was the first Lithuanian city to light its tree.
Where is the Christmas market in Kaunas?
In the 2025 season the main Christmas village was on Town Hall Square, with a second village and an open-air ice rink on Vienybės (Unity) Square, near Laisvės alėja. The decorated Laisvės alėja connected the two. The 2026 locations, opening hours and closing date had not been published by late October 2026.
What are the Christmas market opening hours?
The 2026 hours have not been announced yet. In the 2025 season the Town Hall Square village opened 11:00–22:00 on weekdays and 10:00–22:00 on weekends and public holidays. On 24 December it closed at 18:00, and on 31 December it stayed open until the end of the New Year event.
How much does the Kaunas ice rink cost?
In the 2025–26 season, a 45-minute session at the Vienybės Square rink cost €5 and skate rental cost €3. Helmets and skating aids could be rented for €2. The first session on weekdays at 14:00 was free. Children under 14 had to skate with an adult. Prices for 2026 are not yet published.
Is there a New Year party on Town Hall Square?
Last year, yes. On 31 December 2025 the party on Town Hall Square started at 23:00 with a DJ, and fireworks went up at midnight. Traffic was restricted in part of the Old Town from 21:00 to 02:00, and extra night buses ran. The 2026 New Year programme has not been announced yet.
How cold is Kaunas in December?
Based on 1991–2020 averages, December days in Kaunas reach about 0.7 °C and nights fall to about −3.3 °C. January is colder, from −0.8 °C to −6.1 °C. Daylight is short: on 21 December 2026 the day lasts 7 hours 11 minutes, so the lights are on from mid-afternoon.
