Lithuanians Are So Obsessed With Their Cold Pink Soup, They Kick Off Summer With A Beetroot-Themed Festival

If you’ve spotted your social media feed being extra pink recently, it’s not a coincidence. The legendary Pink Soup Fest is back, and it is looking more delicious than ever. The annual food festival, held in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, celebrates the iconic pink soup, šaltibarščiai (try saying that quickly 10 times), and there’s a whole lineup of fun activities to keep you busy.

This year, the festival kicks off this Friday, May 29, and runs all the way through Sunday, May 31. Our team at Bored Panda has collected some of the most iconic pics from the run-up to the Vilnius Pink Soup Fest 2026 so far, and we invite you to grab a spoon and feast your eyes. And, yes, this is your excuse to embrace the glorious color that is pink and dress up like Barbie and Ken.

The annual Pink Soup Fest, celebrating šaltibarščiai in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius, is back, and it is more delicious-looking than ever

Image credits: govilnius

This year, the festival is running for three days between May 29 and May 31

Image credits: govilnius

Here are some fantastic shots from the festival in previous years. Yes, it is a ton of fun!

Image credits: makaliauslietuva

Image credits: makaliauslietuva

Image credits: makaliauslietuva

Image credits: makaliauslietuva

Image credits: makaliauslietuva

Image credits: makaliauslietuva

Image credits: Lithuania.lt

Image credits: Lithuania.lt

Image credits: Lithuania.lt

Image credits: Lithuania.lt

Image credits: ltglink

Image credits: ltglink

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Image credits: adventure

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This year, in 2026, Vilnius airport temporarily rebranded as Vilnius Pinkternational Beetport

Image credits: ltou

Image credits: ltou

If you have never tried šaltibarščiai before, you owe it to yourself to taste it at least once in your life

Šaltibarščiai, literally ‘cold beet soup,’ also known as pink soup, is one of the most iconic dishes served in Lithuania. If you’re visiting the country as a tourist or business professional from abroad, it is one of the dishes that the locals will insist you try.

Many love it. Some hate it. But most can’t help but at least try the soup and snap a pic because of its neon-pink vibe. The Pink Soup Fest is a great way to taste the dish and all the different variations that restaurants, bars, cafes, and chefs are spinning up to entertain people.

Many people you speak to will have their own ideas of how šaltibarščiai should be made. They have their family recipes and personal traditions that they believe are the right way to make the soup. So, variations in the ingredients and proportions are expected.

However, typically, the soup is made by boiling, cooling, peeling, and grating beetroots, adding cucumbers and green onions, and mixing it with kefir (fermented milk similar to ayran or yogurt). Some people add a dash of vinegar. Boiled eggs are often added, too, alongside dill and sour cream. Most often, you serve boiled potatoes with the dish.

Speaking of potatoes, the locals tend to disagree whether you should throw them into the cold soup bowl and mix everything together, or eat them separately. No matter how you choose to enjoy the soup, you’ll have fans and critics alike.

Šaltibarčiai is most often enjoyed during the warmer seasons, and it is almost inseparable from late spring and summer.

Image credits: govilnius

Lithuania is going all out and embracing the color pink everywhere

The organizers of the Vilnius Pink Soup Fest call the “bright, fresh, recognizable at first glance” šaltibarščiai “a way of life.” This year, in 2026, the festival is marking its 4th year. Last year, the celebration attracted a whopping 93,000 soup fans.

The festival program is chock-full of fun and tasty activities for you, your friends, and your family, all across the Lithuanian capital, including musical performances, cultural entertainment, stand-up shows, a communal lunch, a pink soup parade on the river Neris, a waiters’ run, an eating contest, a costume contest, a fun walking competition, etc.

The main festival entertainment area this year is near the White Bridge, and everyone is welcome. While the festival itself is free, food and beverages are paid for, and some attractions may require an additional fee.

Lithuania is embracing the color pink beyond the festival itself, too. For example, Vilnius Airport has temporarily rebranded itself as Vilnius Pinkternational Beetport and been decorated in pink.

“The city of Vilnius has already turned pink and is waiting for thousands of fans of cold beetroot soup, some of whom will fly in from abroad. We are the gateway to Vilnius – the capital of ‘šaltibarščiai’, so this year we are not only welcoming travellers with a special pink mood, but also with an appropriate name. We invite everyone to start and continue the festival at the airport, where we will create a pink soup mood for passengers together with our partners,” said Nerilė Mažeikienė, Director of Passenger Experience and Digitalization at Lithuanian Airports.

Meanwhile, travelers between Poland and Lithuania can board the colorfully decorated Pink Soup Train from May 15 to August 30. Train trips are fun enough as it is, but this is an even more vibrant and entertaining way to travel.

Moreover, many restaurants and cafes are running pink soup-themed food and drink crossovers and promotions, while various content creators are doing videos where they make the soup or taste and rate different versions of it in Lithuania and abroad.

We’d love to hear your thoughts, Pandas! What do you think about the Pink Soup Fest? Is this your first time hearing about it, or have you been a fan for longer? What’s your relationship with beetroot and the color pink like? How do you prefer to make šaltibarščiai?

If you’re currently in or near Vilnius, will you be attending the festival? If so, what parts of the celebration are you looking forward to the most? How are you planning to dress up, and what do you want to taste the most? Let us know in the comments! And if you happen to spot us at the festival, don’t be shy and come up and say ‘hi.’

Image credits: luxuriousmagazine

Lithuania goes all out with pink soup-related foods, snacks, and drinks

Image credits: Fionos cukrainė

Image credits: Kursenieks

Image credits: Kursenieks

Image credits: Kursenieks

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The annual festival has a ton of funky merch, too

Image credits: govilnius

Image credits: govilnius

Image credits: govilnius

Image credits: govilnius

Image credits: govilnius

Some content creators are sharing their pink soup recipes online

 

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People online love the festival. Here are some of their reactions

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