# Darius and Girėnas Stadium

Darius and Girėnas stadium (Lithuanian: Dariaus ir Girėno stadionas) is a multi-use stadium in Kaunas, Lithuania. With a seating capacity of 15,026, it is the largest stadium in Lithuania and the Baltic states. Located in the Ąžuolynas park in Žaliakalnis district, it serves as a venue for football matches, athletic competitions, and other events. In 1998, the stadium was renovated according to UEFA regulations, and in 2005, it was modernised with the installation of the biggest stadium television screen in the Baltic states. The latest renovation started in 2018 and ended in 2022. During the sporting season, at least 50 events are held here annually.

## History

The first stadium in this place was designed and established by Steponas Darius and Kęstutis Bulota in 1923, and completed in 1925. In 1935–1936, the stadium was renovated and named the State Stadium (Lithuanian: Valstybinis stadionas). Starting in 1969 the stadium underwent another reconstruction that lasted for 10 years until August 1979. Wooden tribunes were replaced with reinforced concrete structures and placed in a half circle.
After Lithuania regained independence, in 1993 the stadium was named after the Lithuanian pilots Steponas Darius and Stasys Girėnas, who perished in a crash near the end of an attempted non-stop flight from New York to Lithuania. The site is currently the home ground of the football club FK Kauno Žalgiris. It is a part of the S. Darius and S. Girėnas sport center, which also includes the nearby Kaunas Sports Hall, built in 1939.
On 23 November 2021, the informal shortening Darius and Girėnas Stadium officially replaced the former name, eliminating the pilots' first names from the label.

## Reconstruction and reopening

In July 2010, talks began that modernizing the stadium is the cheapest option for Lithuania to develop a football stadium that could host international matches. Two thirds of the renovation costs were proposed to be provided by Lithuanian Football Federation. Despite many initiatives to launch the renovation from various groups no actual actions were started, as an agreement for funding and project specifications could not be achieved.
Another attempt to revitalize the stadium was started in February 2016 by the newly elected Kaunas City Municipality which adopted a plan to revamp major sport infrastructure in Kaunas. Early proposals suggested that the seating capacity should be expanded to 12,500–20,000 roof-covered seats, under-soil heating installed, and stadium should reach Category 4 of UEFA stadium classification.
On 18 August 2017, the reconstruction project was officially presented to the public. After the reconstruction, the stadium will have seating capacity of 15,026 for sport events and up to 55,000 for concerts and other events. On 15 June 2018, Kayı Construction and Kaunas City Municipality signed the reconstruction contract. The stadium was re-opened with the 2022 Lithuanian Football Cup final on 16 October 2022. The reconstruction cost 43 million euros. After reconstruction, the stadium had Desso GrassMaster surface and is completely covered with a roof over the stands.
In January 2025, new construction for the pitch surface bagan. During the first year of operation under Žalgiris Arena management, it was found out that that there was too much black soil and clay in the layers below it. This prevented the grass from taking root more firmly in depth and interfered with high-quality drainage - water stagnated on the surface. Also, the top layer of the coating became too soft, slippery and easily damaged. A new "Mixto" hybrid grass "Lay&Play" technology surface was chosen to be used instead of Desso GrassMaster surface. On 12 March 2025, the new surface installation was finished. In accordance with UEFA recommendations, before the new pitch surface was installed, the automatic irrigation system was also upgraded to 24 nozzles.

## Sporting events
### Athletics
#### Lithuanian Athletics Championships

Lithuanian Athletics Championships is the national Lithuanian championship in athletics, organized by the Athletic Federation of Lithuania. The first competition was held in 1921 at the location where Darius and Girėnas Stadium was built. It is the oldest sporting event in Lithuania. The competition was held in Kaunas a total of 36 times. The 89th 2014 Lithuanian Athletics Championships was the last time competition was held in Kaunas.

#### IX European Athletics U23 Championships
### Football
#### Lithuanian national football team games (since 2022)

The following is a list of Lithuanian national football team matches since 2022.
Win  Draw  Loss  Fixture

#### 2024 UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship
##### Final

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#### Lithuanian Football Cup Finals (since 2022)

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#### UEFA Europa League / UEFA Conference League qualifications games (since 2022)
## Concerts (since 2022)

The grand opening show "Welcome Back!" (Lithuanian: „Sveiki sugrįžę!“) took place at the stadium's opening event on October 16, 2022 (during the Lithuanian Football Cup final). It was attended by the most famous Lithuanian music performers, such as Saulius Prūsaitis, Iglė, Jonas Nainys-Jovani, Marijonas Mikutavičius, Justinas Jarutis, Jessica Shy and others. This event is not treated as a full-fledged concert, therefore it is not listed. The opening match and the show were officially watched by attendance of 13,589 spectators.
In August 2024, British singer Ed Sheeran held two concerts at the stadium that attracted more than 80,000 spectators, while the first date set record attendance of about 50,000 spectators.
List of concerts at Darius and Girėnas Stadium, showing date, artist, tour and attendance :
| Date | Artist(s) | Tour | Attendance | Notes |
| 26 August 2023 | Sel | SEL | Kaunas | 30,000+ | The first concert in the stadium after reconstruction |
| 3 August 2024 | Ed Sheeran | +–=÷× Tour | 80,000+ | The first concert of a foreign artist in the stadium; The first 360-degree stage concert; A record stadium event - the concert was watched by about 50,000 spectators; The second most attended concert of all time in Lithuania; All tickets for the first show were sold out. |
| 4 August 2024 | Ed Sheeran | +–=÷× Tour | 80,000+ | Extra date added due to demand. |
| 30 August 2024 | Jessica Shy | Jessica Shy Kaunas | 40,000+ | The Lithuanian music concert that sold the most tickets in 2024; The second most visited concert of Lithuanian music in the country's history. |
| 6 June 2025 | Justin Timberlake | The Forget Tomorrow World Tour | — | Justin Timberlake's first concert in Lithuania; All tickets were sold out within 40 minutes on the day of general onsale. |
| 10 July 2025 | Guns N' Roses | Because What You Want & What You Get Are Two Completely Different Things Tour | — | The band's first concert in Lithuania. |
| 1 August 2025 | Robbie Williams | Robbie Williams Live 2025 | — | The artist's fourth concert in Lithuania and third in Kaunas. |
| 21 August 2025 | Post Malone | Big Ass Stadium Tour | — | The artist's first concert in Lithuania and the artist's only concert in the Baltic States. |