Šiauliai Welcomes the Jubilee Year with the Audiovisual Installation “Aušra. The Awakening Bull”

On January 30–31, 2026, Šiauliai, celebrating its 790th anniversary, invites residents and visitors to the first festive events of the jubilee year. A light initiative will be born in the city’s public spaces – the audiovisual installation “Aušra. The Awakening Bull” – serving as the introduction to the entire anniversary program. Four historically significant city buildings – Šiaulių Šv. apaštalų Petro ir Pauliaus katedra, Zubovų rūmai, the Water Tower, and Venclauskių namai – will illuminate the night with stories told through light, lasers, 3D projections, and sound effects. Each site will embody a fundamental state of the city: earth and the power of beginnings, fire and the light of culture, water and the flow of time, air and spiritual memory.
To ensure that the beginning of the jubilee year becomes a celebration for the entire city, Šiauliai’s institutions, organizations, businesses, and communities were actively invited to join the light initiative “Along the Path of Dawn” by illuminating their own buildings, courtyards, or selected urban spaces.
The organizer of the jubilee year is the Šiauliai City Municipality, and the event organizer is the Šiauliai Cultural Center. The event is free of charge.

The audiovisual installation “Aušra. The Awakening Bull” will mark the first highlight of the 790th anniversary year and serve as a symbolic opening of the full jubilee program. On January 30–31 from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., residents and guests will be invited to experience Šiauliai not as an ordinary daily environment, but as a living narrative unfolding through light and sound. The projection is conceived as a unified artistic story in which architecture becomes the stage and city buildings become active participants in the narrative.

The artistic concept will be realized through contemporary audiovisual technologies: architectural video projections precisely adapted to building forms, spatial sound design, synchronized light choreography, and laser projections. These elements will create an immersive, multilayered experience in which light, sound, and architecture merge into one cohesive whole. Each installation will run in cycles lasting approximately five minutes, allowing visitors to engage freely and experience the narrative at their own pace.

According to the Director of the Šiauliai Cultural Center, this artistic choice was a deliberate decision for the start of the jubilee year. “We wanted the beginning of the 790th anniversary not to be a loud firework, but a meaningful experience inviting people to pause and rediscover the city. ‘Aušra. The Awakening Bull’ speaks about Šiauliai through light, architecture, and emotion – in a way that allows everyone to find their personal connection to the city. It is an invitation to awaken together with Šiauliai and to enter the jubilee year with respect for the past and an open взгляд toward the future,” says D. Bačiulė.

The narrative incorporates four historically significant sites – Šiaulių Šv. apaštalų Petro ir Pauliaus katedra, Zubovų rūmai, the Water Tower, and Venclauskių namai. Each will symbolize a different element and state of the city: the Cathedral – earth and the force of beginnings; Zubovų Palace – fire and the light of culture; the Water Tower – water and the passage of time; Venclauskiai House – air and spiritual memory. Together, these buildings will form a unified portrait of Šiauliai’s spirit – from myth to the pulse of the contemporary city.

On January 30–31, a light and dance performance will take place at Resurrection Square, created by the public institution “Ugnies teatras.” Performances are scheduled at 8:00 p.m., 9:00 p.m., and 10:00 p.m., each lasting approximately 5–10 minutes. Audiences will be able to experience several dynamic performances and join the festive rhythm of the city at a time convenient for them. Light radiating from the very heart of the city will transform the square into a living stage, where every detail of the dance will captivate – from illuminated costume design and advanced LED technologies to striking choreography and a cohesive, emotionally powerful spectacle.

The artistic field of exploration will not be limited to the four main audiovisual objects. Through the initiative “Along the Path of Dawn,” city institutions and communities are encouraged to illuminate their own spaces, creating a collective route of light that symbolically accompanies the main event and spreads across various parts of the city. This shared glow will create a unified, vibrant, and community-driven festive atmosphere.

Please note that traffic restrictions will apply during the event. On January 30–31 from 6:00 p.m. to midnight, traffic will be prohibited on Vasario 16-osios Street (from Trakų Street to Vytauto Street) and on Vytauto Street (from Tilžės Street to Rūdės Street).

Illuminated locations will be included in a light route map published on www.siauliaisvencia.lt, as well as through the communication channels of the Šiauliai Cultural Center and Šiauliai City Municipality. Visitors will be able to plan their route and explore the glowing city, discovering places that are both artistic and symbolic.

The organizers hope that the city awakening in the light of dawn will enter its 790th year consciously – strong in its roots, open to change, and ready for the light of the future.

For more information, please contact the Director of the Šiauliai Cultural Center, Deimantė Bačiulė, tel. +370 671 42 889, e-mail deimante.baciule@siauliukc.lt.