Travellers passing through Rīga International Airport Friday morning witnessed more take-offs than usual with a special celebratory dance performed on the tarmac to mark the 30th anniversary of the Baltic Way.
For the third year in a row, Baltic Film Days are returning to Riga, this time in honor of the 30th anniversary of the Baltic Way. On Aug. 22-23, movie theater Splendid Palace in Riga will be screening the best of recent Estonian and Lithuanian movies as well as offering moviegoers a chance to meet with the filmmakers.
If you happen to be in the Latvian capital from August 16th to 18th you have timed your visit well, as it coincides with the annual city festival.
If June's Lampa festival of conversation failed to sate your appetite for lively discussion, help is at hand this week in the form of the Kņada (Hubbub) festival to be held in Mālpils district on August 16-18.
The sixth festival of alternative chamber music Sansusī took place in the territory of the “susēja” holiday house on the outskirts of Aknīste from 9 to 11 August. The festival “combines academic music with a rock festival ambiance in a bucolic environment.”
The program has been revealed for this year's Baltic Sea Docs (BSD) forum, which showcases the best documentary films from the region and beyond.
President of Latvia Egils Levits met with students and staff of the European Summer Schools in Riga Castle August 7, thanking them for taking on an important role in preserving Latvian identity.
As part of a joint two-year project, Latvian and Lithuanian rural tourism organisations and horticulturalists have created seven routes tracing the historical gardens of the two countries, according to Asnate Ziemele, president of the Latvian Rural Tourism Association, reported LSM.lv on August 5.
Traffic and travel disruption are expected in the Latvian capital August 6 with German rock band Rammstein due to perform a huge concert on Lucavsala island in the middle of the River Daugava.
The winner of the Eurovision Choir competition this year is Denmark's “Vocal Line”, while Latvia's “Maska” secured second place and Slovenia's “Jazzva” third place.
The art nouveau building on Raņķa dambis 14 in Pārdaugava, which happens to be part of the same ensemble of houses as the property that perished in a fire last year, has recently been included in the list of cultural heritage monuments. The owner has opposed this administrative decision and is taking the case to court, reported LSM.lv on July 29.
The Positivus 2019 music and arts festival, which ran for two days from July 26 to 27, ended with a performance by the British electronic band Underworld.
On July 25, a new culture, art and education space was unveiled in Ventspils – the Latvija Concert Hall.
Police will be on high alert maintaining order during this weekend's Positivus Music Festival in Salacgrīva, LETA was informed by the State Police.
This weekend, July 26 – 28, the fourth Komēta festival is taking place on the island of the Daugavgrīva fortress in Rīga.
The Latvian Post, in cooperation with the BlindArt social enterprise, have issued a new postage stamp and envelope featuring tactile drawings by people with visual impairments, reported LSM.lv on July 23.
A new symphony orchestra festival “Rīga Jūrmala” is being held in Rīga and Jūrmala from July 19 to September 1. Last weekend, July 19 to 21, the festival opened with five concerts, at the center of which was the Bavarian Symphony Orchestra.
Since July 1, there has been a change of leadership at the Latvian Institute, a government agency designed to publicize the country overseas. Career diplomat Vita Timermane-Moora is taking over and now says it the time could be ripe to give an official cultural role to the institution.
The Latvian choir Maska was laureled three golden medals at the 35th Takarazuka International Chamber Chorus Competition – in the Renaissance and Baroque category, the Contemporary category, and the overall “Grand Prix!” competition, the choir said July 20.
Rundale Palace could be submitted to be included on UNESCO's World Heritage list in September of 2020, the palace museum's spokeswoman Ilze Kusiņa told LETA.
A few more ideas for things to do in this green and pleasant land this weekend.
On Friday 26 July at Daugavpils Mark Rothko Art Center, the 7th international ceramic art symposium “Ceramic Laboratory” will conclude with the opening of an exhibition by symposium participants.
Don't just sit there this weekend, go and experience Latvia via food, art and dance.
On July 10, the opening concert of the 9th International Folk Dance Festival “Sudmaliņas” titled “Beyond Nine Seas, Beyond Nine Hills” took place on Dzegužkalns, reported LSM's Latvian service.
The Latvian calendar has never been a mere catalog of days, but also an encyclopedia and a compendium of advice on various matters of living, the specialists of the National Library of Latvia (LNB) told Latvian Radio on July 2. For example, the “Household Calendar of 1923” mentions six rules for Latvian tourists among its list of advice.
Juris Kursietis' film “Oleg” continues to conquer the admiration of European viewers and critics alike. In June, the film won award at two major international film festivals: “National Grand Prix” at the Brussels international Film Festival and the "Best Narrative Feature Film Award" at the Valletta Film Festival in Malta.
The Latvian National Symphony Orchestra (LNSO) is raising the alarm about the state of the Great Guild, one of the oldest concert halls in Rīga, in which the orchestra has been based since the 1990's. The members of the orchestra say that a tragedy does not have to happen to find funding for a complete reconstruction. At present, the only solution the orchestra sees is to invest the five million euros reserved for the construction of a new concert hall into rebuilding the Great Guild, reported LSM's Latvian service on July 5.
Our northern neighbors are staging their song and dance festival over the next few days and in far from the first show of Baltic unity, you can watch a lot of the action live from Tallinn thanks to a tie-up between LTV and the Estonian national broadcaster ERR.
More than 2000 choristers and dancers from Latvia and the rest of the world gathered at the XV Latvian Song and Dance Festival in Canada, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reported LSM's Latvian Service on July 5.
Because of its location and prohibited status, only a lucky few have the opportunity to see the Kolka Lighthouse Island. Favorable weather conditions allowed 30 people to get to the island and explore the Kolka Lighthouse, which turned 135 years old on July 1.