The first Song Festival was called the Day of Songs and took place on August 23 and 25, 1924, in Kaunas, at the Exhibition Square. The festival was opened by President Aleksandras Stulginskis, who invited the crowd to sing the Lithuanian national anthem, which was performed by a choir of 3,500 singers, supported by a crowd of tens of thousands of spectators.

 

The participants prepared for the festival at their own expense—not only did they rehearse, but they also took care of their clothing. They had to pay for everything themselves, with only the railway fare being reduced. The desire to sing was stronger than any challenges—choristers traveled to the festival not only by train and steamboat but also on foot. On Saturday, after the first part of the festival, it started to rain, but the rain did not silence the songs—those who could, took Monday off work and performed the second part of the program. Over the two days, 43 original and harmonized folk songs by Lithuanian composers were performed, with a joint brass band accompanying the national anthem. The chief conductors of the festival were Juozas Naujalis, Stasys Šimkus, and Julius Štarka, and the organizing committee was led by the mayor of Kaunas, Jonas Vileišis.

 

In 1994, the festival saw the first participation of so many Lithuanians from around the world—over 1,200 singers, dancers, and musicians from the United States, Canada, Australia, Argentina, Germany, Poland, Latvia, Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus.

 

To mark the 70th anniversary of the Song Festivals and honor the organizers of the first Song Festival, one of the Day of Songs programs was held at the Kaunas Song Valley. The Dance Day was called "We were, we are, we will be," and the Ensemble Evening was named "The Circle of the Sun."

 

On the reverse side, the kanklės (traditional Lithuanian string instrument) are symmetrically arranged. Above them is a sun, a traditional ornament adorning the kanklės. Surrounding the image is the inscription "PASAULIO LIETUVIŲ DAINŲ ŠVENTĖ, 1994" ("World Lithuanian Song Festival, 1994"). On the obverse side is the Coat of Arms of the Republic of Lithuania, with the inscription "10 LITŲ, LIETUVA" ("10 Litas, Lithuania") beneath it.