Why there are no city fireworks
Vilnius welcomed 2026 without fireworks for the sixth year in a row. The city named safety in a crowd of thousands, the environment and animal welfare. Tallinn has chosen music over fireworks for several years, and Riga has not organised a city display in recent years either.
That does not make midnight quiet. Private fireworks are legal on New Year's Eve in all three countries, within local rules, and in Riga and Tallinn the sky over the suburbs fills up at midnight. If you want an official display, Lithuania's second and third cities, Kaunas and Klaipėda, both held one last year. Kaunas is about an hour from Vilnius by train.
All three countries are on Eastern European Time, one hour ahead of Berlin, Warsaw and Paris and two ahead of London. Midnight in Riga is 23:00 in Germany.
Riga: six squares in the Old Town
Riga has the biggest party of the three. For 2026 the city spread it over six spots in the Old Town: Town Hall Square in front of the House of the Blackheads, Līvu Square, Pils Square by the castle, the square at the Powder Tower, Kaļķu iela, and the street along the river embankment. Each had a DJ and a VJ projecting onto the façades, from 21:00 on 31 December to 2:00 on 1 January.
The Christmas market on Dome Square stays open through it: this season until 2:00 on New Year's Eve, opening again at 12:00 on 1 January. It is the warmest place in the Old Town to wait for midnight, with mulled wine and Black Balsam in hand.
Public transport in Riga was free for everyone on 31 December and 1 January, with extra night trips to get people home. Parts of the Old Town close to traffic from 28 December, so a taxi will drop you at the edge and you walk in.
Tallinn: a concert on Freedom Square
Tallinn's party is on Freedom Square, Vabaduse väljak, just outside the Old Town walls. Last year it was a free concert with a light show set to the music: the first band at 22:00, a second at 23:00 and the headliner, the rock band Terminaator, playing through midnight. The organisers asked people not to bring fireworks, glass bottles or pets.
The Christmas market on Town Hall Square, five minutes' walk away, runs until 6 January, so the evening works as dinner in the Old Town, a glögg on the square and then down to Freedom Square for the countdown.
Private fireworks are common in Tallinn at midnight. The best views are from the Toompea platforms at Kohtuotsa and Patkuli, over the roofs of the lower town, but they fill up early and the steps ice over.
Vilnius: a light show on Cathedral Square
Vilnius keeps it calmer. Last year the city projected video onto the Cathedral bell tower from 22:00, and at midnight a light show filled Cathedral Square around the Christmas tree. Extra police patrolled the square and the streets around it.
Lithuanian law bans fireworks near churches, schools and hospitals, and the Vilnius Old Town is full of churches, so the centre is much quieter at midnight than Riga or Tallinn. For a couple or a family that is a reason to choose it.
The city's Christmas tree on Cathedral Square stays up into January, and the restaurants of the Old Town do some of the best-value New Year's dinners in the region.
Dinner, hotels and 1 January
Book New Year's Eve dinner early. Most good restaurants in all three capitals switch to a set menu with a fixed price for the night, and the popular ones are full by early December. Ask whether the price includes drinks, and whether the table is yours until midnight or for one sitting.
Hotels in the Old Towns fill up for 30 and 31 December, and some ask for a two or three night minimum. A room inside the Old Town means you can walk home after midnight, which matters, because taxis and ride apps are scarce and expensive for the first hour of the year.
1 January is a public holiday in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Many shops and most museums are closed, and restaurants open late if at all. Plan it as a slow day: a late breakfast, a walk through the Old Town in the snow, and a day trip on the 2nd.
Weather and what to wear
Expect a few degrees below zero at midnight, and colder in a cold snap. You will stand outside for two or three hours, so dress for that, not for the walk from dinner: thermal layers, a hat over your ears, gloves and warm socks.
The Old Towns are cobbled and the cobbles ice over. Shoes with a real grip are the single best thing to pack. Daylight lasts six to seven hours around New Year, so the sightseeing belongs between about 10:00 and 15:00.
Seeing it with us
Our Christmas trips to Riga, Tallinn and Vilnius run into early January, so any of them can be booked over New Year: an Old Town hotel within walking distance of the party, a local guide by day and a driver for the 1 January airport run or the day trip on the 2nd.
If you want to see in the New Year in one capital and spend the first days of January in another, tell us the dates and we will plan the route around the holiday.
| Riga | 21:00 to 2:00, six Old Town squares | DJs and projections, free public transport |
|---|---|---|
| Tallinn | From 22:00, Freedom Square | Free concert and light show |
| Vilnius | From 22:00, Cathedral Square | Projections, light show at midnight |
| City fireworks | None in any of the three | Kaunas and Klaipėda held one |
| Time zone | UTC+2 | Midnight here is 23:00 in Berlin |
| 1 January | Public holiday | Many shops and museums closed |
- Are there fireworks in Riga on New Year's Eve?
- Not from the city: Riga has not organised a display in recent years and holds a DJ party on six Old Town squares instead. Private fireworks still go off across the city at midnight.
- Where do people celebrate New Year's Eve in Tallinn?
- On Freedom Square, Vabaduse väljak, just outside the Old Town walls, where the city holds a free concert and light show from about 22:00. There is no city fireworks display.
- Does Vilnius have fireworks on New Year's Eve?
- No. Vilnius welcomed 2026 without fireworks for the sixth year running, with projections on the Cathedral bell tower and a light show at midnight. Kaunas and Klaipėda did hold official displays.
- Which Baltic capital is best for New Year's Eve?
- Riga for the biggest street party, Tallinn for a concert next to a medieval Old Town and a Christmas market that runs to 6 January, Vilnius for a quieter, cheaper night with a good dinner.
- Is anything open on 1 January?
- Not much. It is a public holiday in all three countries: most museums and many shops are closed. Riga's Christmas market opens at 12:00, and hotel restaurants keep serving.
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