Rokiškis Events: A Year-Round Calendar
Rokiškis is small, but it holds more events than some larger towns. Some draw lovers of classical music, some theatre-goers, and some those who like the roar of an engine.
If you can plan your trip in advance it is worth timing it around one of them – just remember that on event weekends the beds in town go early. We have listed them through the year.
In summer the classical music concerts are held in the open air in the manor park
Spring: Playing for the Farmers
March or April · Rokiškis Culture Centre
One of the oldest theatre festivals in Lithuania and the most important cultural event in Rokiškis. The national professional theatre festival Vaidiname žemdirbiams, or Playing for the Farmers, is now into its fifth decade: the fortieth edition was held in 2025.
For a few weeks the best theatres in Lithuania bring premieres and award-winning productions that compete for the festival prizes. It is a chance to see serious theatre without travelling to Vilnius or Kaunas.
The festival traces its roots to 1893, when the first secret Lithuanian-language play was staged in the Panemunėlis parish. In 1959 the Rokiškis theatre became the first in Lithuania to be given the title of People’s Theatre.
In practice
Tickets at the Rokiškis Culture Centre box office and online. The programme is published a few weeks beforehand on the centre’s website.
Summer: the classical music festival
July · the manor park and nearby churches
The Rokiškis classical music festival is run by the Zajančauskaitė sisters, musicians from the area. Over the years it has built a loyal audience, and in 2026 it ran for the nineteenth time, from 23 to 26 July.
Concerts take place in striking settings: the park of the Rokiškis Regional Museum, St Matthew’s Church, and the churches at Obeliai and Salos. The programme mixes classical, chamber and jazz music, and some concerts are aimed at the whole family. A good number of the events are free.
Some concerts are held in St Matthew’s Church, where the acoustics are part of the experience
In practice
Tickets at the Rokiškis Regional Museum box office, the tourist information centre and ticketmarket.lt. No ticket is needed for the free concerts in the park.
Late summer: the organ music festival
August · St Matthew’s Church
The international organ music festival is dedicated to the Czech musician and teacher Rudolf Lyman, who served as organist at St Matthew’s Church in Rokiškis at the end of the 19th century. Running for more than two decades, it has become a significant part of the region’s cultural life.
The festival usually opens with a concert in St Matthew’s Church, played on the very organ Lyman worked at. Concerts are also held in churches around the district. In 2026 the festival ran from 15 to 30 August.
In practice
The acoustics of the church are part of the experience, so this is an event worth hearing live rather than on a recording.
Rally Rokiškis
Dates announced each year · district roads and the town
A car rally that draws competitors and spectators from several countries. Unlike the other events it happens not in a hall but on the district’s roads, and one special stage is traditionally driven in the town itself.
The organisers often lay on concerts for residents and visitors. It is one of the events that has done most to put Rokiškis on the map, so if you like motorsport it is worth watching for the dates.
One special stage is traditionally driven in the town itself
In practice
Stage locations and timings are on the official rally website. The stage held in town is the easiest one for spectators to reach.
Autumn: the town’s birthday
September · the old town
Rokiškis celebrates its birthday in September: in 2026 it was the 527th, from 18 to 20 September. For a few days the town fills with concerts, markets and other activities, and the old town fills with people.
It is the chance to see Rokiškis at its liveliest, with the whole town celebrating.
How to time it
If you are choosing by what is on: theatre in spring, classical music under open sky in summer, the bustle of the town in autumn. The warm months carry the most events, so July and August are the busiest.
For any of these weekends it is worth booking a bed well in advance. That goes double for a group coming for a festival or the rally, because there are not that many places in town.
