Palanga residents and city guests notice that even when the weather is cold, the streets of this resort are full of vacationers, and hotel reservations for weekends are made well in advance. People from all over Lithuania come to the seaside not only to relax, walk along the winter beach, and admire the sea. They also actively attend events and concerts held at the Palanga Concert Hall, which are offered throughout the year.
From a summer stage to a full-season hall
Palanga, famous for many years as the summer capital, is today becoming increasingly prominent on the Lithuanian and European cultural map. There is no question that this process was greatly influenced by the Palanga Concert Hall, which opened its doors a little over a decade ago and became one of the largest new cultural objects in Lithuania, characterized by unique possibilities for transforming spaces. It was a very ambitious project that allowed the transformation of the old summer stage into a modern multifunctional center.
The emergence of the Palanga Concert Hall also allowed to solve the problem of seasonality of events in the city, but this required significant investments, careful planning and many years of work. One of the biggest challenges was to change the public opinion about Palanga as just a summer resort, gain the trust of the public and performers, and prove that cultural life here can be uninterrupted all year round.
To Palanga – from all regions of Lithuania
This seaside resort, famous not only for its beautiful landscape but also for its intense cultural life, is being chosen by more and more visitors from all over Lithuania. Ticket distributors' data show that tickets for events are purchased by residents from all regions of the country, especially from the major cities: Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipėda, Šiauliai. Customers from these cities account for about 70 percent of the visitor flow. About 39 percent of all guests came to events at the Palanga Concert Hall from the capital alone.
Other tickets are purchased not only in the Klaipėda region, but also in other Lithuanian cities: Tauragė, Panevėžys, Plungė, Alytus, Marijampolė, Vievis, Ignalina, Elektrėnai, Molėtai, Druskininkai and other cities. Guests from abroad also actively visited the events: Riga, Oslo, Copenhagen, Dublin, Manchester, Amsterdam, Helsinki, Luxembourg, Zakopane, Paris, Milan, Liverpool, New York, Dallas and others.
In 2024, the number of events organized at the Palanga Concert Hall increased significantly compared to previous years. During the year, 132 events were organized here, which were visited by just over 123 thousand guests. As many as 78 events took place outside the summer season. As many as 90 entire weekends were reserved for concerts, performances, conferences and events.
This year, even greater interest is expected, as the repertoire of events of various genres is no less colorful. Palanga residents joke that the Palanga Concert Hall could be boldly renamed the Lithuanian Concert Hall.
Risen to a higher level
According to Palanga City Mayor Šarūnas Vaitkus, the Palanga Concert Hall has a very significant influence on the cultural life of the resort, significantly enriching it and raising it to a much higher level.
“One of the priorities of the city of Palanga is culture, so this indoor hall was built primarily so that concerts and other events could be held in the city not only in the summer. The high-quality concert hall was probably the main reason that allowed Palanga to host a prestigious wind music event in 2024 – the European Brass Band Championship. It is also important that this modern hall, which can accommodate over 2 thousand spectators, hosts not only concerts or ceremonial city events, but also high-level republican or even international conferences, such as “Breaking Point”, which invite true professionals in their field to Palanga,” says the Mayor of Palanga. Š. Vaitkus also revealed that the cultural life of this resort will soon expand even further, as a construction permit for the planned Music and Art House has already been received. An impressive Music and Art House will be built behind the Palanga Concert Hall. These buildings will form a common music complex.
Cultural life is in full swing: world-famous music legends will perform
Modern equipment, excellent acoustics, and precisely planned spaces have attracted both local and international performers and events. The hall has become a center of attraction for various music genres, theater, conferences, and other events.
On January 31, the charity event "Star of Hope" will be held at the Palanga Concert Hall, where songs by Kastytis Kerbedis will be played and invited to share kindness. In early February, Česlovas Gabalis will invite you to embark on a journey through the sounds of music in February, together with the instrumental ensemble "Vilniaus divertismas". Soon, well-known music creators Rokas Yan and Vidas Bareikis will also delight their fans with performances. On Valentine's Day, the group "The Roop" will invite lonely and in love hearts to meet together.
Also, for the first time in Lithuania, the premiere of a musical show from Italy is eagerly awaited: an official event in tribute to Toto Cutugno. The most beloved and famous songs of the Maestro will be played live from the stage. Fans of the classical music genre should be truly delighted, as Matteo Bocelli, the son of the talented Italian singer Andrea Bocelli, will also perform at the Palanga Concert Hall. The famous pop music group "Laid Back", jazz and soul artist, Grammy winner Gregory Porter, dreamy performer from Great Britain Katie Melua with her orchestra and many other great music creators will also give their concerts. Theater lovers should not be disappointed either, as a wide repertoire of performances awaits them.
Representatives of businesses, various enterprises, companies, and companies from all over Lithuania also like to organize closed festive evenings and conferences at the Palanga Concert Hall. Occupancy increases especially during the festive period, therefore reservations are recommended in advance.
Promotes tourism and accommodation
"Different events held at the Palanga Concert Hall create added value for people who miss meaningful leisure and cultural entertainment. Business events and international conferences, which attract a large flow of participants, also positively influence the occupancy of accommodation and catering establishments, and contribute to the formation of a positive image of the resort. Guests have the opportunity to organize large-scale events and combine leisure with work or business," says Ingrida Valaitienė, member of the Palanga Council and director of the Grand Baltic Dunes hotel.
This view was supported by Laura Taučiūtė, president of the Palanga Hotel Association. She is deeply convinced that both cultural and artistic events and conferences are a very important component of tourism.
L. Taučiūtė also notes that the segment of Palanga's guests and tourists has changed and expanded significantly over the past five years.
"Every year we receive more and more guests whose purchasing power is higher than average. I think this is due to many factors: the city's infrastructure, the growth of cultural life services, and the development of the accommodation and catering sector," says the president of the Palanga Hotel Association.
