For the sixth summer in a row, Arts Printing House invites to meet different forms of street art at the international street arts festival SPOT. Until this year, the festival traditionally took place in the second week of July, but this year the public is invited to enjoy the festival earlier – from June 29 to July 2!

“More than six years ago, the idea of starting a new contemporary street arts festival in the city was a real challenge to us. Does Vilnius really need another festival when the city is simply overcrowded with an abundance of cultural events? Will we be able to leave the space where we have been working for over a decade and transfer the events to public spaces of the capital? Is the Lithuanian climate suitable for outdoor events? These are only a few of the many questions we did not have answers to at the time. However, after the first SPOT festival, where we adapted the most unexpected spaces of the city for the performances, it became obvious that this is exactly the kind of festival the city needs! The festival naturally blended into the life of Vilnius and diversified the everyday life of the city with its events. The festival allowed its visitor to discover something new every time or see the spaces of Vilnius in a slightly different way. At the same time, the details of the surroundings, such as the noise of the city or a random passer-by become an unexpected part of the festival!” says Jolita Balandytė, the director of the Arts Printing House.

Each year, the international street arts festival SPOT turns Vilnius into a playground, inviting to discover various performances of foreign street artists and works of Lithuanian creators. It introduces the audience to a diverse artistic program and invites to educational workshops that allow to see the city in a different way –as a space for experiments that cultivate imagination, and to discover the city’s colours that have never been seen before.

“After celebrating a small but for us very important five-year anniversary, we started to think, what kind of festival should be next. Looking back, we could reflect that the first SPOT festivals did not include Lithuanian performances: we started timidly but with great enthusiasm – we educated the audience, brought street art projects from Catalonia, Belgium, France and other countries. We created educational programs, creative workshops, and this year, during the sixth festival, more than half of the program will consist of Lithuanian creations! It is a great achievement and joy that we can finally present the works of Lithuanian artists that are created for public spaces of the city. SPOT is noticed by the foreign producers and festival organizers, we have an immense group of festival ambassadors – artists who spread the message about the festival happening in Vilnius and our wonderful city!“ says Judita Strumilaitė, creator of the SPOT program.

This year, the SPOT festival will introduce not only the works of Lithuanian creators but also a contemporary circus performance by Swedish artists, taking place in the forest, which talks about the connection between people and their relationship with nature. The Spanish artist will invite to an exclusive walk with mythical, ancient and nowadays stories about life, transformation and acceptance of change, and the Swiss artists, together with the elderly citizens of Vilnius, will create and present a comic project to the public that will make the audience rethink the image of superhero’s eternal youth.