Opening Ceremony of the IBO 2026

Vilnius rolled out the welcome mat today as the IBO 2026 community from around the globe arrived for the 37th International Biology Olympiad.

Jury members settled into the Radisson BLU hotel while students checked into the Panorama and Comfort hotels. At 19:30 EEST, everyone gathered at Congress Hall, for the official Opening Ceremony, held under this year"s theme, Culture–Nature, marking the formal start of IBO 2026.

Guests arrived along a green carpet lined with a photo wall bearing the flags of all 82 participating countries, before being escorted to their seats by volunteers. The ceremony opened with a specially composed musical piece, performed by cellist Justas Kulikauskas ("Future Cello"), joined on stage by a beatboxer and young performers representing different corners of Lithuania — from hillforts and forests to the seaside dunes, rivers, castles, and university courtyards — building into a joint performance of "Pūski vėjeli" alongside singer Lukrecija Vasiliauskaitė, who also hosted the evening.