Vilnius turned into a pink playground over the weekend as thousands of locals and tourists took part in a three-day festival built around Lithuania’s famous cold beet soup, šaltibarščiai. The city mixed food, music and street events, with pink foam slides and river-side races adding to the atmosphere.
At the centre of the celebration was a shared lunch known as the “Pink Break”, where long tables filled with people from around the world ate the bright soup together. Organisers said more than 100,000 visitors were expected, with tonnes of kefir used in the soup across the event.
The festival has grown quickly since it began four years ago and is now part of Vilnius’ push to attract more tourists while celebrating a dish rooted in wider regional tradition.
