On the 6th of September, when European men’s basketball championship was picking up pace, a press conference took place in Žalgiris Arena, where talks were held about the goals and objectives of the arena, its importance to Kaunas city, and preparations for the championship. The Spokeswoman of the Company, Angelė Dementavičiūtė, representing UAB Kauno Arena, which manages the arena, Kaunas Mayor Rimantas Mikaitis, the Lithuanian Basketball Federation Secretary General Mindaugas Balčiūnas, Kaunas Žalgiris CEO Paulius Motiejūnas, and Žalgiris Arena events manager Renatas Načajus attended the meeting.

Uniqueness and importance of the arena

Žalgiris Arena is the largest, most modern and most spacious venue in the Baltic countries, equipped with technology that rivals even some Scandinavian countries. Designed with flexibility in mind, space and structures of the arena can relatively quickly and easily be adapted to various sizes and different types of events: sports competitions, ice rink, concerts, performances, film festivals, exhibitions and even private events.

“The arena is equipped with modern unique solutions that provide exceptional quality acoustics, lighting and good visibility through various events,” A. Dementavičiūtė said at the meeting. “Two-layer suspended ceiling is installed to prevent sound reflections, the roof is lined with acoustic and glass wool, and acoustic curtains are fitted – it is a unique solution which will allow visitors to enjoy arena’s exceptional quality. The arena is also equipped with energy-saving elements – transparent windows, which trap heat and save energy, that were specially made in Germany.”

New Kaunas arena meets the highest standards of quality: both rock concerts, and chamber orchestra will sound equally as good, watching basketball competitions and theatrical performances will feel equally comfortable. The size is also unique to the arena – it can accommodate events of any level, from small chamber concert, for several thousands of people, to concerts of highest level, for more than 17,500 spectators. There is no doubt that during the EuroBasket 2011Finals the arena will receive the largest possible number of fans.

“After moving to a new home, Žalgiris Arena, the legendary Kaunas Žalgiris club will open a new page of history, accompanied by a larger crowd of fans and more torrid and memorable basketball victories,” said P. Motiejūnas. “Arena is ready to accommodate all the Žalgiris fans and accept basketball teams of any level. We can provide basketball players with up to six fully-equipped locker rooms at one time.”

One of the Kaunas city highlights, the new Žalgiris Arena, is located in an exclusive part of the city – the Nemunas Island. It is expected that the arena will contribute to rejuvenation of the old town of Kaunas and the Liberty Alley – arena visitors will reach the old town at once by going over a bridge across the Nemunas. Visitors of the arena will be able to enjoy beautiful nature of the island and amazing views of city as well as sports or cultural events. The arena will become the undisputed center of attraction for the city of Kaunas and for the central part of Lithuania, which will help develop tourism in the former capital of Lithuania, and will enable the development of cultural, recreational and sports activities by organizing high-level events in Kaunas.

Future plans

Žalgiris Arena stands out for its versatility and variety of services. Companies or individuals will be able to rent exclusive luxury suites inside the arena not only for watching concerts and sports events, but also for their own events and presentations, where they will be able to invite their business partners, or personal guests. Arena will attract citizens and visitors not only for its big and convenient space for events, there will also be offices available for rent, a space for arts will be opened, a permanent restaurant will offer its services, and cafes and bars will be opened two hours before an event.

“Under the concession agreement we have been committed to investment of 12.5 million Lt into infrastructure of the arena, but it almost doubled already: 262 meters of running information LED displays, the largest information cube in Scandinavian and Baltic countries, each plane of it is 21.5 m2 wide, a restaurant, terraces, extra chairs for concerts – all this is the concern and investment of the concessionaires. How much more we will invest in the coming 25 years will depend on many things – how many events will take place, the level of stars that will arrive and what additional requirements they will bring” A. Dementavičiūtė shared her future plans.

Upcoming Events

Žalgiris Arena aims to become the most prominent attraction in Eastern Europe, welcoming spectators to sports and cultural events. There are plans to hold more than 75 events each year. “A lot has been accomplished already and agreements have been signed with the agencies that organize concerts. Along with 12 EuroBasket 2011 matches, 14 events are announced already, inviting to come to the largest venue in the country this as well as next year. We estimate to accommodate more than 300,000 visitors a year,” said the Žalgiris Arena events manager Renatas Načajus.

Arena awaits spectators on September 14th till 18th for the EuroBasket 2011 finals, European men’s basketball championship returns to Lithuania after 72 years. For the first time as many as 24 teams will participate in the 2011 European Championship. As many as 12 championship games will be held at the arena, where champions of EuroBasket 2011 will be determined.

In October, viewers will see shows performed by the world famous performer James Blunt (01 10), British electronic music duo The Hurts (12 10), French artist Jean Michel Jarre (16 10) and the legendary singer Mireille Mathieu and Orchestra (28 10).

In November, one of the world’s best vocal artist Alexander Malinin (04 11), the legendary "electricians" The Orchestra (11 11), the famous American singer Lenny Kravitz (12 11), and one of the best Russian opera tenors and pop singer Nikolai Baskov (20 11) will hold their concerts at the arena.

In December, the arena’s visitors will see the Italian pop legend Toto Cutugno with Symphony Orchestra (20 12) and the classic festive Tchaikovsky ballet The Nutcracker, staged by the Moscow Ballet masters (25 12). Also in December the arena ice will melt as the most famous Lithuanian skating couple of all time, Margarita Drobiazko and Povilas Vanagas will perform their tenth “Christmas Ice Flames” program (29 12). The Rock queen Suzi Quatro will be visiting Lithuania and will hold a New Year concert on 30th of December. On December 31st, two legends, Bonnie Tyler and Chris Norman together with Kaunas City Symphony Orchestra, will invite their audience to say goodbye to the old year and to welcome a brand new year at their joint festive concert.

On February 6th, 2012, Rammstein, the most famous German band in the World, will rock Žalgiris Arena.