Beat the Calendar

Holidays Come Early to Vilnius, the European Christmas Capital

A new festive tradition is taking over the Lithuanian capital on December 13. The magical one-day pre-Christmas celebration is designed for everyone who has ever felt impatient for the holidays to arrive and aims to awaken the Christmas spirit experienced by a five-year-old.

This year, Christmas is coming early to Vilnius. On December 13, the official European Christmas Capital 2025 is launching a brand-new festive tradition: “Vilnius Christmas Before Christmas.” This city-wide, one-day celebration is designed to help both locals and visitors experience the holiday season with the same joy and wonder as if they were five years old again.

“Vilnius Christmas Before Christmas” festivities were unveiled in true seasonal style during an international gathering of 13 Santas – 11 Mr Clauses and 2 Mrs Clauses – from Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland in Vilnius, who signed an official Christmas Declaration.

Packed with activities but not crowds

Vilnius’ new festive tradition will be a unique and magical day for those who can’t wait for Christmas to come. Highlights include a special Christmas currency that can be spent on tasty treats across the city, a free Christmas card postal service to anywhere in the world, a 200-strong choir singing Christmas carols, a square featuring 144 uniquely decorated fir trees, and free guided tours with a festive theme. These experiences aim to help visitors reconnect with their magical childhood experiences of Christmas.

One significant advantage Vilnius offers travellers is time and space to enjoy the festivities. In Europe, 80% of travellers are concentrated in just 10% of destinations, meaning major cities are affected by overtourism. This problem is especially pronounced over Christmas, where well-known destinations suffer from overcrowding. Vilnius offers a refreshing alternative. In total, 1.2 million tourists visited the Lithuanian capital last year, compared to the over 20 million visitors cities like London and Paris received. This guarantees a calm, authentic Christmas experience, where locals outnumber tourists and guests can discover living local traditions that date back to the country’s pagan times.

For those who can’t wait for Christmas

“Christmas is something many of us eagerly await. With this new tradition, “Vilnius Christmas Before Christmas,” this magical time of year is coming early to Lithuania’s capital. What’s more, the festive spirit will be felt not just within our families, but across the whole city. We want  tourists and residents alike to feel like a child who has woken up on Christmas morning, whether it is arriving on a specially themed Christmas train, spending special Christmas currency across the city, sending a Christmas card for free, or joining in with a seasonal sing-a-long. Vilnius will turn into a winter wonderland, bringing back a childlike sense of joy and discovery, and it will all be happening two weeks before the actual day,” said Eglė Girdzijauskaitė, Head of Communications at Go Vilnius.

Get ready to soak up the magic. Here is what awaits visitors during the enchanting “Vilnius Christmas Before Christmas” celebration:

Shop with joy – use Christmas tokens

Inspired by the way children collect tiny treasures that feel priceless, for one day only, Vilnius will introduce a unique festive currency. These tokens will be available at several special Christmas Currency Banks located throughout the city. You will be able to exchange them for all manner of treats – from cups of hot chocolate or coffee through to tasty pastries and pizzas – at selected cafes, shops, and other marked venues across the city.

Drop some Christmas magic into a festive mailbox

According to Research and Markets, the global market for Christmas and New Years cards will decline by 4.5% annually between now and 2030. Vilnius is offering a unique and convenient way to reinvigorate the beautiful tradition of sending a card at Christmas. During the “Vilnius Christmas Before Christmas” celebration, you will be able to ​​send greetings from the European Christmas Capital to anywhere in the world for free. Simply write your message, add the recipient’s address, and drop the postcard into one of the special Christmas mailboxes scattered around the Old Town. Vilnius’ Christmas elves will take care of the rest.

Walk into Christmas on a free guided tour 

Explore Vilnius’ enchanting Old Town and learn about local festive traditions with guided tours around the city’s merriest and most historic places – completely free of charge. Topics covered on the tours include the legends and secrets of Vilnius, how the nobility celebrated Christmas, and different holiday traditions.

Join a Christmas choir on ice

Vilnius residents and guests are invited to join the first-ever mass choir in Town Hall Square to rehearse and perform a Christmas song together. More than 200 people are expected to perform on the outdoor ice rink in an event symbolising the unity that accompanies the Christmas spirit.

Celebrate diversity with a Christmas tree spectacle

144 uniquely decorated fir trees will be on display at the new International Christmas Square in Konstantinas Sirvydas Square in the heart of the Old Town. Each tree will represent one of the international communities living in Vilnius, in a tribute to the city’s diversity and festive spirit.

An easily accessible Christmas Capital

Vilnius is easily accessible by direct flights from Frankfurt, Copenhagen, Helsinki, and other major cities across Europe, making it a perfect Christmas stop off.

For those wishing to explore further, Vilnius also serves as a perfect base for regional holiday adventures, especially with Christmas-themed trains running throughout the festive period. Travellers can experience fairytale-inspired carriages on Lithuanian railways trains to popular destinations in Lithuania, including Kaunas, Klaipėda, and Trakai. Festive trains will also be available to Mockava, from where visitors can continue their journey by rail to Warsaw and Krakow. Vilnius also has convenient rail links to Riga and Tallinn.

An extended Christmas in Vilnius

“Christmas isn’t just a date – it’s a feeling. In Vilnius, this feeling starts early, and I invite everyone to rediscover that sense of wonder and curiosity, as if you were five years old again. It will also be a wonderful opportunity to learn about Lithuanian holiday traditions and sample some seasonal delicacies, including curd doughnuts, sea buckthorn tea, and hot beer,” said Audrius Vainonis, the Lithuanian Santa Claus at the gathering of Santas in Vilnius.

The festivities in the European Christmas Capital won’t end with “Vilnius Christmas Before Christmas.” The official holiday season in Vilnius begins on November 29 with the lighting of the city’s main Christmas Tree in Cathedral Square. Christmas markets, a sparkling Old Town, and even more festive events will keep the Christmas spirit alive. The holiday season will close on January 6 with the Three Kings procession from the Gates of Dawn to Cathedral Square.