Pakrojas Manor's autumn festival creates giant ornaments from 80 tonnes of vegetables
Starting October 3, Pakrojas Manor in Lithuania hosts the "Baroque Autumn" art festival every weekend, featuring massive baroque-style ornaments made from over 80 tonnes of regionally grown vegetables and fruit. The event also offers craft workshops, a market, and family activities.
Beginning October 3, Pakrojas Manor in Lithuania will host a weekend art festival called "Baroque Autumn." The manor's gardens, known in spring and summer for their colorful flowers, have this autumn been transformed into massive baroque-style ornament carpets, created using more than 80 tonnes of vegetables and fruit grown in the region.
The festival's concept draws on one theory that the word "baroque" originates from the Portuguese term for an irregularly shaped pearl. At the festival, each vegetable becomes such a pearl, and thousands of them combined form striking patterns. Festival concept creator Kristina Ivančenko explained that the goal was to view autumn differently — not merely as harvest time, but as a rich source of creative material, since each vegetable has its own color, texture, and shape.
Precision work monitored by drone
Each ornament is first designed on a computer screen, then scaled up to match the vast size of the manor garden without losing any detail. The manor's gardeners create the ornaments by hand, a task requiring great precision, patience, and concentration. A drone monitors the entire process from above, spotting even the smallest deviation from the intended pattern so symmetry can be corrected until the design nears perfection.
Activities for the whole family
Alongside the giant ornaments, the manor grounds will feature arches and sculptures made of harvest fruit, a lively baroque-era fair, and opportunities to experience manor life. Changeable autumn weather won't spoil the festival, since many activities take place indoors. Visitors can meet a beekeeper and a wool felter in the craftsmen's workshops, have their portrait taken in vintage photography style, or visit the Panopticon. Braver guests can tour the Punishment Cellar, while the curious can explore the historic spirit distillery. A separate room awaits younger visitors with games and creative activities, and afterward the manor kitchen will warm everyone with the scents of pumpkin and cinnamon along with hot drinks.
