A frequent restaurant and hotel in Palanga offered programs for the newlyweds. The prices were very diverse – a celebratory dinner with a program from 150 euros per person to dinner and an overnight stay at a hotel for 1200 euros per couple. It seemed that all the operating restaurants and hotels did not complain about the lack of customers. There was no shortage of customers for the kiosks, eateries, cafes and kebab shops operating on J. Basanavičiaus street.
It should be noted that an exceptionally cultured audience came to Palanga to welcome the new arrivals, almost every other person carrying a bottle of sparkling wine in a turban by the sea. And they themselves felt very uncomfortable, because they were a small minority. Most of those who came to Palanga were families with children, specially prepared to watch and show the little ones the midnight fireworks.
Waiting for midnight, a crowd of ten thousand people was drawn to the sea in a continuous flow from eleven o’clock in the evening. Well before midnight, the access to the bridge and the seafront were crowded. The most impatient began to set off the firecrackers they had brought fifteen minutes before midnight. As the real fireworks sputtered, everyone rushed to film and photograph the flashes of fire, to congratulate each other on the New Year.
“We come to see the fireworks every year. Since they are no longer shot in Klaipėda. It is true that they were in Klaipėda this year, but we are already used to coming to Palanga,” admitted the family of Jurga and Tomas with their children who came from the port city.
The fireworks in Palanga lasted about seven minutes. After them, the same crowd streamed back simultaneously. Although there were a lot of people, all of them were sober and well-intentioned, so no misunderstandings or clashes were recorded.
Instead, when it was necessary to leave, a huge flow of cars blocked all the narrow streets of Palanga until they left the city.
For one hour, the resort resembled the summer capital. After the crowd left, the flow of life in Palanga calmed down.
