Emma is a community centre in central Kaunas, run by the people who use it rather than as a business. It is named after the anarchist Emma Goldman, who was born in the city, and it has been going since 2016. In 2026 it moved into its current rooms on I. Kanto. The entrance is through the gate from J. Gruodžio street.
Inside there is a library covering social movements, critical theory and LGBTQ+ subjects, a kitchen that puts on communal dinners, and a hall used for film screenings, reading groups, talks and parties. The association that runs it states that Emma is a safe space for queer people and for racial and ethnic minorities. The Kreivės queer festival has been held here, and the same association organises Kaunas Pride.
This is a community space, not a bar, and it does not keep regular hours. It opens around whatever is on. Membership is open from the age of 16 and is paid by a monthly contribution, reduced or waived for students and for anyone who cannot manage it.
Kaunas has no permanent gay bar or club, so for queer visitors this is the nearest thing the city has to a fixed meeting point.
The people in this picture are AI-generated.
