As Craft Tourism Aims to Shape 2026 Travel Trends, Vilnius Hosts
Europe’s Largest Artisan Fair
With craft tourism emerging as one of 2026’s defining travel trends, Vilnius invites
visitors to Europe’s largest celebration of craftsmanship – a five-kilometer open-air
marketplace where 1,200 artisans keep traditions alive.
Kaziukas Fair (March 6–8, 2026) is one of the oldest annual artisan fairs in Europe and the largest celebration of traditional crafts in the Baltics. This year, more than 1,200 certified artisans and food producers will turn five kilometers of city-center streets into an open-air handmade goods market.
A market where experiences come first
According to a paper published in the Environmental and Sustainability Indicators journal, creative tourism has gained prominence as a way to attract visitors while also supporting community development by actively involving them in creating cultural, artistic, and craft-based experiences. For those interested in authentic artisan traditions, the annual Kaziukas Fair offers plenty of hands-on opportunities.
Walking through the sprawling market this spring, visitors will be faced with an array of colourful and intricate wares, encompassing glassware, ceramics, jewellery, leatherware, and even painting and sculpture. Accompanying these sights will be the sounds of ironmongers plying their trade, or potters’ wheels spinning, all against a backdrop of traditional musicians adorned in national dress playing local folk tunes.
Added to this are the aromas of the many local delicacies on offer, from baked goods to locally produced sausage, smoked fish, as well as the al fresco eateries offering filling local fare like cepelinai – the famous Lithuanian potato dumplings.
Visitors can even, in many cases, try their hand at these crafts, from weaving to ceramics to even baking a traditional Lithuanian tree cake.
A celebration of arts, crafts, and flavours
This year, the fair introduces two new focal points. Dzyvų Alėja (Alley of Life), located in Cathedral Square, will bring together celebrated artisans and food producers from all five of Lithuania’s ethnographic regions – Aukštaitija, Samogitia, Sudovia, Suvalkija, and Lithuania Minor – in one symbolic gathering.
The nearby Šventaragio Valley will be taken over by the Avilys creative collective, turning into a space where visitors can watch artisans work and get a hands-on experience of traditional techniques used by woodcarvers, blacksmiths, jewellers and other craftspeople.
According to 2025 Hilton Travel Trends Report, 73% of global travelers are on the lookout for more authentic, local experiences to fully immerse themselves in a new culture.
Three traditional crafts you’ll find in Vilnius
Among the hundreds of crafts represented at Kaziukas Fair, three stand out as distinctly Lithuanian – each rooted in centuries of tradition.
1. Sodai or straw gardens are intricate three-dimensional ornaments with deep ties to Lithuanian folklore and cosmology. Traditionally, they represent the World Tree, and are hung above dinner tables and baby cribs. The art of sodai making is experiencing a resurgence, with the tradition recently added to the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2023. While sodai are difficult to transport, DIY kits are becoming more popular, making it easier for people to recreate the meditative experience of building their own at home.
2. Verbos. As Kaziukas Fair is held a few weeks before Easter, brightly colored verbos (or Easter palms) dominate the stalls. As palm trees don’t grow in Lithuania, artisans get creative with willow branches, dried flowers, juniper twigs, and other plants native to the region. Verbos are a celebration of spring, and Kaziukas Fair visitors have the unique opportunity to not just see these Easter palms come to life, but to create one on their own.
3. Šakotis (also known as tree cake) is one of the most iconic dishes of Lithuanian cuisine. Shaped like a pine tree, it’s a staple dessert typically served at weddings or other large celebrations. The preparation process takes a lot of time and effort, as the cake is baked by slowly dripping egg-rich batter onto a rotating metal cylinder over an open flame.
Getting to Kaziukas Fair
Vilnius International Airport (VNO) is served by 16 airlines with direct connections to over 60 destinations, including London, Amsterdam, Paris, Milan, Barcelona, Munich, and Oslo. The airport is just a 20-minute drive from the Old Town.
ABOUT GO VILNIUS
Go Vilnius is the official tourism and business development agency of the City of Vilnius. The agency provides visitors, investors, and businesses with all the essential information about the Lithuanian capital.