SEA CELEBRATION is like a feature-length film, started back in 1934, when Klaipėda first invited Lithuania to explore and discover the sea. From that moment on, every year, the film has been re-written, inspired by historical changes, the pulse of the city, the experiences of seafarers and the Baltic waves. Each celebration is a NEW EPISODE, and each era is a HISTORICAL LEGACY FOR THE FUTURE.
In 2026, the Festival of the Sea invites the viewer to look at Klaipėda as if it were an authentic cinema pavilion, a film set, where real heroes have been filming since the very beginning: captains, fishermen, sea rescuers, shipbuilders, artists, travellers.
This year’s theme, HOW TO KINE, will inspire you to try out the celebration of becoming the protagonist of a film without the possibility of a supporting role. The Festival of the Sea is like a feature-length film that has been in the making for almost a century. Every summer becomes another episode or series from the series that premieres all over Lithuania. What started as a black-and-white documentary – the first regattas, the marshals’ formation, the small fishing boats – has gradually turned into a colour film, with carnivals, parades, concerts, modern installations and contemporary narratives of maritime culture.Each decade has added a new style, a new genre and a new character. Celebration of the Sea 2026 is about this continuous creative process – about a city that is constantly changing, but remains true to its central theme: the sea. 
Detailed programme coming soon.
