Ukrainians throw huge rave in Lithuania to celebrate Independence Day
The rave went ahead in Vilnius to mark 31 years of independence from the Soviet Union
On August 24, Ukrainians marked 31 years of independence from the Soviet Union with a huge rave in the neighbouring Lithuanian capital Vilnius.
The rave took place near the River Neris in Vilnius last week, VICE reports, with organisers fearing for the safety of attendees if it went ahead in Kyiv as Russian troops continue to occupy the surrounding areas.
The rave marked the official Ukrainian Independence Day, which also coincided last week with six months since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
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Some of the country’s biggest DJs grouped together to perform the all-day rave including Ukraine’s ARTBAT, Miss Monique, and 8Kays who performed sets for thousands of revellers.
Though the party was free, attendees were asked to donate to Ukrainian humanitarian support funds through Music Saves UA while the Russian-Ukrainian war is ongoing. As it stands, around 62,000 Ukrainians are currently housed in Lithuania after migrating across the border, with a further 15,000 already living in the country.
Thousands flocked to the all-day rave last week, which garnered support from Lithuanian officials including Oleksandr Tkachenko, Ukraine’s Minister for Culture.
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Speaking to VICE, Ukrainian MP and head of the youth wing for Zalenskyy’s party, Oleksandr Sanchenko, said: “Ukrainian Independence Day is especially important and symbolic to celebrate in such difficult and challenging times.
“But since organising it here in Ukraine is not an option, we started looking for an alternative location in Eastern Europe. And we’re blessed to have a lot of friends and supporters in Lithuania, who agreed to help us with this. Vilnius, as the capital of Lithuania, is the most obvious choice.”
“Rave is a synonym for youth, as we see it. We want to celebrate our Independence Day in modern fashion and to make it especially exciting for the people that will attend it,” he added.
Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Editorial Assistant, follow her on Twitter
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