As part of the Open House Europe 2025 programme, the festival this year is held under the continent-wide theme of “Future Heritage“, which encourages us to see today’s architecture as tomorrow’s history. According to project leader Solveiga Buoželytė, the theme invites a critical exploration of how we define the value and uniqueness of buildings, public spaces, and even infrastructure.

“The Future Heritage theme urges us to reflect on which contemporary architectural decisions will become the heritage of future generations and how our values, lifestyles, and challenges shape the urban environment. While existing heritage is often considered fixed, each generation must rediscover what elements are most meaningful to them. It’s fascinating to think how the works we create and speak about today for future generations will reflect our perspectives on value, global challenges, and what will ultimately endure,” says Buoželytė.

This year’s visual identity, reflecting the festival’s theme, was created by graphic designer and animator Liudas Barkauskas.

Visitors will have access to 50 locations this year, including 12 newcomers. Following last year’s success, the festival will once again open the doors of the city’s creators—architects, urbanists, and city planners—enabling direct conversations about the ideas and approaches behind their projects.

For the first time, the festival programme will also include green urban areas—green zones that are becoming a key part of contemporary urban architecture.

According to programme coordinators Emilija Deksnytė and Rūta Gaškauskaitė, while green spaces are publicly accessible, guided tours will offer a deeper understanding of why they were designed the way they are and reveal fascinating details we often overlook when simply passing them by.

“Today, cities are no longer made up solely of buildings—green spaces are playing an increasingly important role. When we talk about public spaces, we’re also talking about community, health, and a climate-resilient city. So it’s only natural that the architecture festival expands into natural architecture,” says Deksnytė.

During the festival weekend, tours of green urban spaces will take place in Bernardinai Garden, the Japanese garden Sei Shin En, the Business Garden Vilnius complex, and in Naujamiestis, where the transformation of the district’s streets will be presented.

Tours will be led by volunteer guides—a vital part of the festival’s success. This year, nearly 500 volunteers will participate.

In May, Open House Vilnius visitors will be able to meet 12 city creators, experience architecture through various artistic activities and performances, and choose from tours of more than 50 sites. Tours will be conducted in Lithuanian, English, and Ukrainian. All tours are free of charge and operate on a first-come, first-served basis.

The event is partially funded by the Vilnius City Municipality.

We invite all visitors of Open House Vilnius to participate in the Open Call for Visual Stories—an opportunity to creatively interpret the festival experience and this year’s Open House Europe theme, “Future Heritage”. Submissions can take any visual form, including photography, short film, drawing, or other artistic expressions.

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The theme of this year’s Open House Vilnius event is “People Creating the City.” By discovering and exploring architecture, the organisers invite you to think about how each one of us contributes to the face of the city. “People Creating the City. Who are they? They’re you, me, and all of us. Architects drafting building projects, people living and working in those buildings—we’re all creating the city. Architecture isn’t just about facades and spaces, but also about the people who shape their own and, in turn, the city’s history,” explain festival organisers.

This year, 60 buildings will be open to visitors, 12 of which are new to the programme. The selection of buildings presents outstanding examples of quality architecture that reveal the character of Vilnius. Visitors will also have the opportunity to visit two private residential buildings, as well as the first-time featured buildings in more remote districts of the capital city. New to the programme is an exclusive opportunity to meet and converse with the city’s creators—architects, urbanists, designers, and other decision makers—including Vilnius City Municipality and nine renowned architecture and urban design practices. Visitors will be able to learn about the results and process of their work. Additionally, the programme also offers artistic performances, an exhibition, and an interactive installation. 

As part of the Open House Europe 2024 programme, which focuses on accessible and inclusive built environments, Open House Vilnius will pay special attention to accessibility for people with various mobility needs, highlighting accessible guided tours in the programme, and language barriers, offering tours in English as well as Ukrainian—for a community that, in the face of war in Ukraine, found its home-away-from-home in Vilnius, fostering a sense of connection and cultural inclusivity. 

The guided tours are free and do not require registration. For the detailed programme of the festival, visit openhousevilnius.lt/en/.

We invite visitors of Open House Vilnius to participate in the Open Call for Visual Stories. It is an opportunity for everyone to interpret their experiences of the festival and the annual theme of Open House Europe—Accessibility and Inclusion—in any art form they wish—a series of photographs, a short film, a drawing, or any other medium for a visual narrative.

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