How a Simple Sharing Hack is Quietly Turning Tourism Into a Billion-Dollar Pink Goldmine—Are You Missing Out?

Ever witnessed a beetroot boogying like it’s got zero cares while a happy little hard-boiled egg throws down some moves? Sounds like the start of a quirky dream, right? But no, this vibrant dance-off actually took place in the heart of Vilnius, at the Pink Soup Fest—a festival that’s not only making waves with its eye-popping fuchsia hue but also shaking up how cities market themselves. This isn’t just about food; it’s a masterclass in crafting an event that’s as shareable as it is sensational. Imagine a city awash in pink, with a 50-meter pink waterslide ending in a colossal foam-filled soup bowl, and streets buzzing with energy and selfie ops galore. It’s a reminder that in today’s hyper-connected world, it’s not just about building attractions—it’s about making them downright irresistible online. So, what if the secret to boosting tourism and business growth lies in the art of ‘Instagrammability’? Let’s dive into how Vilnius has turned a traditional cold beetroot soup into a magnetic, millennial-approved phenomenon and what that means for savvy marketers everywhere. LEARN MORE

A giant beetroot gyrates its hips before waving its arms in the air and challenging a smiling hard-boiled egg to a dance-off.

They take turns in showing off their best moves to the delight of the watching crowd, most of whom are recording the spectacle on their phones.

This is not some LSD induced hallucination. It is the Vilnius Pink Soup Fest, which attracted almost 100,000 people to the Lithuanian capital for its annual festival of fuchsia this summer.

The star of the show is šaltibaršciai, a cold bright pink soup made with beetroots, kefir, cucumbers, dill, spring onions and a hard-boiled egg.

The centuries-old dish, similar to a cold borscht, has become an emblem of Lithuanian identity and is incredibly popular in the summer.

So popular that Go Vilnius, the city’s tourist board, decided to create a festival around it in 2023, and it has been growing ever since.

Lacking a staple festival like St Patrick’s Day, organisers wanted to create a yearly event that would put their city on the tourism map.

And from the very outset, they decided it must be ‘Instagrammable’.

By that metric, they succeeded. For a weekend in May the entire city is a sea of pink.

Over 100 restaurants, cafes and bars offer special pink cocktails and drinks.

A 50-metre pink waterslide is built down the city’s biggest hill, plopping users into a massive inflatable soup bowl filled with fluffy white foam at the end.

A hot-pink carpet is laid through the ancient streets of the city’s old town, leading to a pink stage in the main square for open-air concerts in the evening.

Wherever you look, there are photo opportunities.

Egle Maciulyte, of the Go Vilnius communications team, is open about the fact that they set out to create something Instagrammable.

After all, why spend a fortune on marketing when your attendees will happily spread the word for you?

Of course, the Instagram factor at events is nothing new.

In the first study of its kind in 2017, researchers at the King’s Business School in the University of San Diego, found that environments that use more interactive props, colour and brightness were much more likely to be photographed and shared.

It also found that spaces that were styled in an “over-the-top” fashion were more likely to be shared online.

Dr Matteo Montecchi, a senior lecturer in marketing at the school, said: “Some studies suggest that up to 40 per cent of millennials choose a travel spot based on its Instagrammability.

“The findings in this research have direct influence on approaches to retail, tourism and beyond.”

While Irish bars and clubs have happily provided colourful swings and other photo opportunities at their venues, it could be argued that Ireland has never fully taken advantage of the marketing potential provided by the Instagram effect.

If marketers want their guests to promote their event on Instagram, or indeed TikTok, they need to bake it into plans from the beginning.

In Dublin, for example, there are several market projects at various stages of planning and construction.

In Smithfield, the Victorian fruit and vegetable market is expected to reopen in 2027 with 80 stalls as part of a €44m project.

And work is also underway to convert St Andrew’s Church on Suffolk Street into an indoor food hall.

While some may baulk at the idea of creating gaudy photo opportunities in buildings of such heritage, Dublin City Council and Fáilte Ireland should be working to create shareable moments in both.

Food tourism generates €2bn for the Irish economy every year — and visitor numbers are down 10 per cent this year.

If we want to continue attracting tourists and also younger people like Generation Z, who experience and share the world through their phones, then shareable moments are a must.

“Build it and they will come,” is no longer sufficient. “Make it shareable and they will come,” seems more true of the world today.

Photo: The Vilnius Pink Soup Fest was created with social media in mind