Kernavė, 35 km north-west of Vilnius, was a seat of Lithuania’s grand dukes in the 13th and 14th centuries, and its five hill-forts and the town site below them form a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Since 1999 the State Cultural Reserve of Kernavė has hosted the Days of Live Archaeology there; the 26th festival took place on 4–6 July 2026 with the theme ‘Colourful Past’. The dates are chosen to fall around 6 July, Lithuania’s Statehood Day.
The festival is an experimental-archaeology event rather than a pure medieval fair. Craftspeople from Lithuania and abroad reconstruct techniques from prehistory to the Middle Ages: bronze and iron working, pottery, amber and bone carving, weaving, dyeing and ancient cooking, most of which visitors can try. Warrior groups stage battles and weapon demonstrations, there is archery and horse riding, and folk and early-music groups perform on the meadow below the hill-forts. The archaeological site museum is open alongside.
Tickets are sold online through Bilietai.lt; in 2026 single-day tickets ranged from about €13 to €16 and three-day passes from €25 to €44, while visitors under 18 enter free. There are buses from Vilnius bus station to Kernavė, and parking is arranged in fields near the village. The site is open ground with little shade; the hill-fort climbs are steep but worth it for the view over the Neris.
