Kaunas has an annual celebration in May for the city's birthday - "Kaunas City Day". The history behind this event dates back to 15th century when Kazimieras Jogailaitis renewed and expanded the privileges of the city. The oldest original privilege is kept in St. Petersburg's archives with a copy kept in Kaunas City Hall. Luckily for people here, the event is actually a three-day celebration bringing together people from across all of the regions in Kaunas County. Activities include the promotion and selling of each regions individual traditions, crafts, handi-work, and farm-produce. There are of course plenty of opportunities to taste the wares and to wash it all down with glasses of beer - or something a little stronger!! Over the course of three days, the main pedestrian street in the city centre leading all the way through the old town to the majestic Rotuses Square is alight with fancy dress, street stalls, theatre processions, concerts, fairs and other exciting eye catching attractions.

Every spring and autumn, the international Kaunas Jazz Festival invites you to jazz with famous performers in a mix of familiar and non-familiar, large and small venues around the city.
No doubt that Kaunas festival according to its range and stylistic content is on the world level" (Anastasya Kostiukovich - Jazz kvadrat", 1998, No 11-12)

During fourteen years of its existence Kaunas Jazz has deserved confidence of its performers, audience supporters, has justified the status of the international festival, gained its prestige. Polystylistic, democratic festival has become a holiday for Kaunas, the lead "importer" of jazz stars in Lithuania, the creative center of different international jazz styles. Every year Kaunas Jazz presents a wide and rich spectrum of modern jazz. Participants from more than 20 countries of the world have taken part in the festival. Kaunas Jazz doesn't forget Lithuanian musicians as well, which get excellent possibilities to improve themselves and to make Lithuanian jazz known in the world.

Modern and traditional annual musical events play a key role in enticing visitors to Kaunas. The Pazaislis Classical Music Festival is recognised internationally and during the three months of the festival, one can hear concerts in different halls, churches, and museums around the city. For jazz lovers in particular, the annual international jazz festival "Kaunas Jazz" attracts renowned performers from around the word to a selection of large and small venues around the city. Kaunas also regularly plays host to events such as the International Youth Festival of Music, the International Grand Piano Ensembles Festival; International Festival of Sacral Music ("Cantate Domino"); and the Traditional Festival of Countryside Orchestras ("Grok, Jurgeli!").