Thousands of people participated in Independence Day parade

On Tuesday, 11 March, thousands of people took part in a parade in Vilnius city centre celebrating the 35th anniversary of restoration of Lithuania’s independence.

The participants walked from Independence Square to Cathedral Square carrying large Lithuanian and Ukrainian flags. People waved Lithuanian tricolour and historic flags, as well as Ukrainian flags.

Orchestra of the Honour Guard Company of the Lithuanian Armed Forces, and orchestras from Latvia and Estonia took part in the event. Around 500 new members of the Lithuanian Riflemen’s Union who took oaths on 11 March joined the procession, too.

Before the parade, flags of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia were raised in Independence Square. After the parade, Holy Mass was celebrated in Vilnius Cathedral.

In the evening, a concert to mark the Independence Day was held in Cathedral Square.