Lithuania’s National Day “EXPO 2025” will showcase co-creation and creativity

On July 6th, Lithuanian National Day will be the main focus at the “Expo 2025 Osaka”, it will become a vibrant cultural highlight starting in the morning with an official flag raising ceremony accompanied by music performance, throughout the day pavilion mascot Barabi-chan will be welcoming visitors to the buzzing Baltic Pavilion and the evening will be crowned by unique experience – the „MKČ Lab” concert at the EXPO National Day Hall, Ray Garden. As July 6th is the actual National Day of the Republic of Lithuania, the day will end with the Lithuanian delegation and expats singing the anthem on the Grand Ring at 20:00, as a symbol of unity and national pride.

National day cultural program will be dedicated to the 150th anniversary of Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis’ — Lithuania’s foremost cultural icon, painter, composer. M.K. Čiurlionis developed a unique artistic language closely aligned with Symbolism, creating around 300 works of painting and graphic art, along with 400 musical compositions that trace a journey from romantic imagery to early explorations of the era’s boldest innovations.

“The artistic program for the National day was created with the idea of vision as a continuous process, and M. K. Čiurlionis’ vision will guide the concert audience by empowering it to feel a consistent change and an extraordinary flow between Lithuania and Japan, music and art, text and voice. M. K. Čiurlionis’ s vision will speak as an essential cultural connection, linking classical and modern sound, different forms of expression, man and the world of his inner laboratory”, – says Lina Antanavičienė, Ambassador and Lithuania’s Commissioner General at the EXPO 2025 Osaka.

The “MKČ Lab” collaboration will showcase famous Lithuanian artists who have gained recognition on the world’s largest stages: saxophonist Petras Vyšniauskas, pianist Petras Geniušas, traditional Lithuanian instrument kanklės player Aistė Bružaitė, cellist and electronic music creator Justas Kulikauskas.

Artistic co-creation by Organist Karolina Juodelytė and carillonist from Japan (Himeji), Toru Takao will create a special connection between the two countries, different cultures, and a common world.

The concert viewers and listeners will be able to enjoy M. K. Čiurlionis, Faustas Latėnas, Nijolė Sinkevičiūtė, Kipras Mašanauskas, Justas Kulikauskas and Japanese creator Michio Miyagi musical pieces which will combine into an intertwined musical fabric. 

These musicians, coming to Lithuania’s National day stage at the “Expo 2025 Osaka“ from different genres, are precisely united by the “MKČ Lab” vision – to present Lithuania as a vibrant and creative country, whose most famous artist’s works are an effort to see and think about the immeasurable universe, the future of the World and society.

The National Day Ceremony will be attended by an official governmental delegation from Lithuania, led by Chancellor of the Government Laimonas Rudys, and H. E. Ambassador of the Republic of Lithuania to Japan, Aurelijus Zykas.

The Official National Day Ceremony at the Expo National day hall, Ray Garden will start at 11:00. Evening concert „MKČ Lab” will be held at the same venue, National day hall, Ray Garden, and will start at 16:00. National anthem singing will take place at 20:00.

Lithuania and Japan are like-minded strategic partners, sharing a commitment to democratic values, the rule of law, and human rights. In recent years, bilateral relations have been strengthened through the establishment of a Strategic Partnership Action Plan for 2023-2025, encompassing political and economic cooperation, security dialogue, science, technology, innovation, culture, and people-to-people relations. Japan is Lithuania’s key partner in Asia, with the Lithuanian Government adopting its first Indo-Pacific strategy to foster cooperation with countries in the region.

Lithuania has been participating in world fairs since 1937, and has not missed a single exhibition since restoration of its independence. In total, Lithuania has taken part in 14 world exhibitions.