Christmas tree in Vilnius lit up with 70 thousand bulbs!

The time has finally come for the public to see one of Europe’s brightest Christmas trees lit up with 70 thousand bulbs. Accompanied by his family, Mayor of Vilnius Remigijus Šimašius addressed the huge crowd that gathered at the Cathedral Square for the announcement of the start of the holiday season. The Mayor invited everyone to come to Vilnius for the festive period.

It seems that Vilnius will never stop surprising us with its exclusive and spectacular Christmas trees, this time with a 27-meter-high tree lit with an incredible 70 thousand bulbs, decorated with almost 900 toys, and covering the total surface of more than 2500 sq. m.  All this, i.e. the Vilnius Christmas tree, its decoration and preparations for the festivities is featured in an interview with Dominykas Koncevičius, the designer of the Christmas tree in Vilnius.

How did you come up with this year’s idea of decorating Vilnius Christmas tree?

Last year, it was spontaneous and easy, not this year, however, as I had to give some thinking to it. What I was determined to keep from the last year as the decoration baseline was the composition itself, thus leaving the shiny mantle but adding also something unexpected. I was working on the core idea myself in consultations with the team. The decoration ideas tend to pop up spontaneously and in different ways, i.e. when chatting over a cup of coffee, walking around the city, or just at home before going to bed. I think that I have succeeded to fulfil the idea at the Cathedral Square.

Why is the purple colour and a snowflake motif?

We have chosen the light purple as a new aspect of the project, as it is not usual in our country to have it in Christmas decorations. We wanted to take a bold step. The idea of the snowflake was dictated by the mantel of the last year’s Christmas tree as well as the possibilities of technical variations of garlands.

Do you get worries before the lighting?

Actually, I worry most at the beginning of the process. Time and again, I go over the calculations, rethink the entire installation process, as the time will be limited.

My worries are practically gone before the actual action, as everything has already been done and tested, and my head turns to other projects still pending this year. Our creative team always thinks whether it will be interesting for us to implement the project.

When do actual preparations for Christmas start?

In fact, this starts immediately with the undressing of the Christmas tree, or rather in the process of decorating the tree, as we see what could be done better next year.

What makes Christmas tree appealing to almost everyone?

In fact, I have no formula for success. It’s hard to predict if the idea will appeal to everyone. Perhaps you simply have to love what you do and do your best at all times. What is also important is the first Christmas tree photos, as most Christmas trees are first spotted on smartphones or computer screens. It’s very nice that most people like what we do and this motivates us to move forward. For me the greatest joy after a long working day is to take a stroll among the crowd at the Cathedral Square.

Rumor has it that you should also be credited for Riga Christmas tree?

Correct. The Šventųjų studija has been contributing to the decor of the city of Riga for many years now. Each project is equally important for us, and we give as much time and effort for each of them to look their best regardless of the size of the city. Still, the decoration in Vilnius is the most demanding, as it represents my country, it is the national Christmas visiting card. Besides, it is the largest and most technically complex project.

What are the Christmas decoration trends in the world?

Well, I do not follow the trends on purpose. But it happens that I notice some interesting projects accidentally, or someone shows them to me. Anyway, Lithuania is among those setting the trend in this field. I would particularly note the 2015 project at the Cathedral Square, which obviously served for some other countries as an “inspiration” in 2016 so to speak.

An independent energy supplier Enefit will feed the tree free of charge this year in Vilnius. This is a holiday gift for the residents and guests of the city.
For more information about festive events in the capital, please visit: http://kaledossostineje.lt