From the historical game kvirkatas to the largest Barbie collection and a movie casting call – an educational weekend for children in Vilnius

Different studies show that we remember about 10% of the knowledge we read, about 20% of the information we hear, and almost 80% of what we acquire through different activities and experiences. To effectively educate the little ones and broaden their horizons, a special Family Space will be set up in Vilnius this weekend. It will feature modern and historical games and even a real movie casting call.

From May 24-26, the capital will host the seventh largest pop culture event in the Baltic States – “Comic Con Baltics 2024 powered by Samsung” at “LITEXPO”. The event organizers focus on educational, engaging, and interactive activities for young visitors.

“Popular culture brings positivity to all of us, inspires, encourages creativity, and versatility. We like to say that we invite young visitors to the largest and most fun informal lesson, where they can learn through interactive experiences and activities. Equally important for us is to involve parents. After all, it is important for children to understand that adults also like to play, be interested, experience, and discover,” says one of the family event organizers, Justina Kvedaraitė.

From the museum to programming class

During the weekend, families in Vilnius will be greeted by dozens of engaging activities and activations offered under one roof by representatives of various museums, universities, technology manufacturers, and games.

The Kaunas City Museum will invite visitors to learn about the history of Kaunas: try out the historical game kvirkatas, hear about the famous Lithuanian performer Kipras Petrauskas from the lips of the event’s participant Adakris, or even make a traditional musical instrument skudutis.

After interactive history lessons, visitors will be invited to get acquainted with the Python programming language, whose learning opportunities will be presented by one of the world’s best platforms, “Angis”.

Legendary games – for both children and parents

“The fact is that one of the most interesting educational formats for children is games. There will certainly be no shortage of them over the weekend. The creators of the legendary “Nintendo” games will invite children and their parents to have fun in an exclusive interactive space of over 200 square meters. There will also be “Brain Games” board game tournaments, with winners qualifying for the world board game championship. Lithuanian Lego enthusiasts (LitLug) will invite you to a builder’s paradise, which this year will be dominated by the “Super Mario” theme,” says the organizer.

The event will also feature the largest Barbie doll collection in Lithuania, and the smallest guests will enjoy an interactive, colorful, and cheerful bear “Barni” play area.

Learning to balance fun and responsibilities will be facilitated by the “Šiaulių Bankas” team, offering Responsibility Boards to help young visitors plan their daily chores at home.

“Mom, Dad, look, I’m in a movie!”

From robotics to Asian studies, engaging activations for families will be offered by major national universities. Teams from Vilnius, Vytautas Magnus, and Klaipėda universities will introduce various professions.

“The creative team of the soon-to-be-released animated film “BFF” will offer a unique opportunity. Throughout the weekend, a casting call for two character voice actors will be held at the film’s stand. All interested children can participate. There will also be a chance to see the film’s creation process and behind-the-scenes,” says J. Kvedaraitė.

“BFF” is an animated film for children being created in Lithuania about the adventures of different animals and best friends. It will be released in Lithuanian cinemas in April 2025.

With the Culture Pass – for free

The largest pop culture event in the Baltic States, “Comic Con Baltics 2024 powered by Samsung Galaxy S24”, will take place this weekend – May 24-26, in Vilnius, at “LITEXPO”. In addition to the Family Space, visitors will also be drawn to the largest “Baltics Gaming Expo” area dedicated to games and technology.

Visitors will also have a unique opportunity to meet stars from iconic Hollywood projects. Among them are Natalia Tena and Devon Murray from the “Harry Potter” films, Sean Gunn from “Marvel” films, Adrian Paul from “Highlander”, actress Natasha Halevi, internet comic stars Rob DenBleyker from “Cyanide&Happiness”, “Natural Habitat Shorts”, “Nobody Sausage” and Nathan W. Pyle, creator of the “Strange Planet” comics.

Visitors will be able to participate in discussions where actors will present behind-the-scenes stories of well-known projects, subtleties of the actor’s work, and memorable stories. They will also be invited to take photos together or even get autographs from the actors and creators.

There will also be the largest cosplay contest in the Baltic States, presentations of the latest films, lectures and discussions, the “Meet Lithuanian Film Industry” platform inviting participation in conversations with the brightest representatives of the Lithuanian film industry known worldwide, the “Artists’ Alley” uniting almost a hundred pop culture artists every year, an intriguing trading area, impressive decorations from famous films and TV series, and many other attractions.

The first day of the event, May 24, Friday, is dedicated to schools. With the Culture Pass, entry is free.

The project is partially funded by the Vilnius City Municipality.