During a kite festival in Klaipėda Ignitis Renewables introduced visitors to wind energy

The beachside kite festival Vėjų vėjai, organized by the Klaipėda City Municipality, took place in Klaipėda. The event brought together families, communities, and holidaymakers to celebrate creativity, sustainability, and active leisure. In addition to the kite displays, visitors engaged in educational, creative, and exploratory activities. One of the highlights was a hands-on session about offshore wind, presented by the festival’s partner – international green energy company Ignitis Renewables. 

“Events like this are more than just celebration, they are meeting points where people come together to share experiences, knowledge and to socialise. It’s inspiring to see families, creators, communities and partners united by a shared desire to participate, understand, and connect,” said Vaiva Rutkauskaitė, Head of Educational Programmes at #EnergySmartSTART. 

As every year, this year's festival program was tailored to a wide audience – from families with young children to kite enthusiasts. Visitors admired over 50 artistic kites, including one that stretched 44 meters long, and created hundreds of personal kites in dedicated workshops. A 52-square-meter collaborative kite-flag titled “Catching the Wind”, gifted by Ignitis Renewables, became a vibrant symbol of the day. 

A key focus of this year’s Vėjų vėjai festival was children’s education on offshore wind and renewable energy. The Ignitis Renewables team led interactive sessions where children learned how wind turbines work, their purpose, and how wind becomes a source of renewable energy. Through play-based learning, children built small turbine models, observed their operation, and completed various tasks, while educators helped them understand why it is important to produce energy sustainably. The activities were tailored to children of different ages and encouraged not only an interest in engineering and sustainability, but also simple curiosity—where does electricity come from and how can it be produced without polluting the environment? 

These sessions are part of the #EnergySmartSTART educational programme by Ignitis Renewables, which aims to help children and youth better understand the evolving energy sector and the opportunities it offers. The programme focuses on Lithuania’s coastal region, with educational visits already held in several seaside schools, where both students and teachers are actively involved, and the festival provides an opportunity to share this knowledge with a wider audience. 

“Schools are eager to invite us to lessons, career days, and events. Teachers also want to bring students to our offices for a change of environment. We welcome them when possible. During our sessions, students learn about wind turbine principles, construction processes, and the benefits they bring. They also participate in hands-on activities, building small turbine models and exploring how electricity is generated at sea,” said V. Rutkauskaitė. 

The offshore wind education initiative primarily targets schools in Lithuania’s coastal region, which receive the most attention. Visits have already been made to Klaipėda Gedminai, Taurakalnis, Pranas Mašiotas progymnasiums, and Klaipėda Litorina School. As a partner of Vilnius Gediminas Technical University Engineering Lyceum, Ignitis Group also involves students from this institution. 

The sessions are led by Ignitis Group employees who volunteer their time, often outside of work hours. This approach makes complex technologies accessible and engaging, turning learning into a meaningful and enjoyable experience. The educational initiative also raises public awareness about the Curonian Nord offshore wind farm project, which will contribute to Lithuania’s energy independence and foster stronger dialogue with local communities.