Vilnius Pink Soup Fest Draws 100,000 Visitors as City Serves 3 Tons of Kefir
Updated
Updated · PBS NewsHour · May 30
Vilnius Pink Soup Fest Draws 100,000 Visitors as City Serves 3 Tons of Kefir
7 articles · Updated · PBS NewsHour · May 30
Tens of thousands filled Vilnius on Saturday for the three-day Pink Soup Fest, with revelers joining a synchronized lunch centered on Lithuania’s cold beet soup, šaltibarščiai.
Organizers expect more than 100,000 attendees over the festival and consumption of over three metric tons of kefir, a key ingredient in the soup alongside beets, potatoes, eggs, cucumbers and dill.
Pink-clad locals and tourists turned the capital into a themed playground, with parades on streets and along the Neris River and costumes inspired by beets, cucumbers and eggs.
The event drew growing numbers of foreign visitors, reflecting Vilnius’ broader push to use the quirky food festival to boost tourism to Lithuania.
Beyond the pink parades, can Vilnius sustain the logistical challenge of its massive cold soup festival?
When a soup festival goes viral, does its cultural soul get lost in the marketing?