Vilnius Airport becomes Vilnius Pinkternational Beetport for annual Pink Soup Fest

Lithuanian Airports (LTOU) have announced that Vilnius Airport is joining the annual Vilnius Pink Soup Fest and temporarily rebranding as Vilnius Pinkternational Beetport. With its new name and decorated in pink, the airport has become the gateway to the festival, which is being organized for the fourth time and will run for three days.

Cold beetroot soup, pink soup, or “šaltibarščiai” in Lithuanian, is a traditional Lithuanian cold soup made mainly from kefir, cooked grated beets, cucumbers, dill, hard-boiled eggs, and green onions. It’s famous for its bright pink colour and is usually served chilled with hot boiled potatoes on the side. It’s especially popular in summer because it’s refreshing, tangy, and light.

The façade of the Departures terminal of Vilnius Airport has been decorated with the new name, Vilnius Pinkternational Beetport, in the check-in hall and in the Arrivals terminal, travellers are greeted by the main ingredients of cold beetroot soup, and in the corridor connecting the terminals stretches the river of cold beetroot soup, which flows towards the cafes, restaurants and shops all united for this pink festival. In addition, the sign VILNIUS, located on the façade of the Arrivals terminal, glows in pink day and night, thus greeting all fans of the dish. 

“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,” says Nerilė Mažeikienė, Director of Passenger Experience and Digitalization at Lithuanian Airports.

For the fourth edition of the festival, which will for the first time last three days, Vilnius Airport welcomes passengers with an updated name, pink decorations and installations inviting passengers to take pictures, join and celebrate the most unique festival in the region. Cafes and restaurants located at Vilnius Airport will serve cold beetroot soup on their menus, tastings and special offers will take place, and pink soup merchandise, clothes and souvenirs will be available in stores. The festively decorated airport will remain so until the end of Vilnius Pink Soup Fest on May 31.

In the first four months of this year, Vilnius Airport reached a new record and served just over one and a half million pink soup fans, or on average a tenth more than in the same period last year.