1 YEAR HAS PASSED!!! What the Next Year Will Bring?

Let me be honest – I didn’t believe that I’m able to do something for so long time, but - it’s birthday of this blog today! One whole year has passed since the first post!!!  I know it’s not so long time, but still – here we are. 

What makes me happy in doing this: there are people reading it, enjoying it and finding it useful. THANK YOU!

Here is a little help for planning your trip to Latvia  in 2012 – dates of some  events  you can enjoy if you are in Latvia: 

10.02 – 12.02 14th International Festival of Ice Sculptures in Jelgava

10.02 – 12.02 „Balttour” in Riga - the biggest travel tradeshow in the Baltics annually opening the new tourist season

23.04 – 30.04 International Baltic Ballet festival in Riga - from classical to avant-garde

19.05 – International Museum Night – everywhere in Latvia (and behind)

26.05 – „Go Blonde” festival in Riga Read about it here

02.06 – „Sigulda Jazz 2012” – smooth jazz, funk and big band outdoors in Sigulda

15.06 – 17.06 – Riga Opera Festival

16.06 – 22.06 waiting for the magical Midsummer’s night streets of Riga will be filled with before-solstice events with traditional dances, folklore and markets

23.06 – 24.06 – Midsummer’s night all around Latvia. (Have you seen the movie „Midsummer’s Madness”? This is where you can get some impression of what the Midsummer’s night in Latvia is) Read about Midsummer’s night here

06.07 – Music festival „Summer Sound Liepāja” – 4 stages right at the beach – rock, hip hop, ambient, electronic and pop music in Liepāja

06.07 – 10.07 International Folklore festival „Baltica” ir Riga, Ikšķile, Madona, Ērgļi

09.07 – 15.07 6th International sand sculpture festival „Summer Signs” in Jelgava

11.07 – 14.07 Ancient Music festival in churches at the Riga Old Town and the most impressive baroque palace in Latvia – Rundāle: back to medieval, renaissance and baroque music

13.07 - 14.07 “Positivus” festival – definitely the biggest rock and pop music festival in Latvia, one of the top 10 summer festivals in Europe

14.08 – 15.08 – Catholic festival in Aglona which brings together pilgrims of all confessions from all around the world. Read about it here

17.08 – 19.08 – Riga festival: Riga city birthday party everywhere around the city

08.09. – Contemporary Arts forum "White Night"   Read about it here

15.11 – 18.11 – “Beaming Riga” – festival of lights Pictures from Beaming Riga 2010, Pictures from Beaming Riga2011

01.12 – 15.01.2013 – Festival of Christmas trees Read about it here 

02.12 – 10.01.2013 – Christmas markets and events

"Path of Christmas Trees" - Find Your Avant-garde Christmas Tree!

Last year there was 500 years celebration since the first tree in Christmas was decorated in Riga in 1510, but this year Riga is full with traditional and absolutely avant-garde trees - the festival „Path of Christmas Trees” is in Riga – one of these artistic festivals in Riga turning the urban environment in the miraculous place of wonders. Of course, the best time to see these objects is dark hours of the day.

42 different objects in the urban environment – free to see, enjoy and get inspired until 15th of January. 14 of these objects are made by new artists of Latvian Academy of Art. All objects are copyrighted and unique created for this festival-competition. The first festival „Path of Christmas Trees” was the last year and there is a promise that it will be in Riga every year. 

About first Christmas Tree

To find your favorite tree use this - Map of „Path of Christmas Trees” 2011 

What else you can do in Riga at this season? See previous posts: Winter in Riga: What to do? & Christmas Markets & the Nutcracker

You might also enjoy these pictures of "Beaming Riga" festival which changes the urban environment in November

Winter in Riga: What to Do?

Winter is not just about Christmas, although that’s what we all think starting from November till first weeks of December. Till the middle of December majority of us  is already tired of Christmas on every corner. For those, coming to catch Christmas mood in Riga, see previous post about Christmas Markets and the Nutcracker.

But!

What  about other winter activities in Riga? Ok, it’s cold here, so you walk around get into some cafe to warm up, walk again and get again in some random cafe. Nope, it doesn’t have to be like this. Here are some options  for you to enjoy winter in Riga:

Day of Museums! The best time to visit museums is winter, for sure! Art lovers, you have a lot to see here – huge collection of Latvian Art history in a permanent exposition you will find at the  Latvian National Museum of Art (K.Valdemāra Street 10a) and walking through the Old Town, you will find a lot of small art galleries. History lovers, check the Occupation Museum at the Town Hall square and War Museum at Torņa street with impressive medieval Powder Tower or huge Museum of the History of Riga and Navigation at Palasta street 4 (Old Town). The sunniest place in Riga is Sun Museum at the Old Town – different Sun items from different places in the world, the most playful place – Doll Museum,  the hottest museum (just opened in Riga) – Museum of Erotic. Maybe Art Nouveau museum?

Skating! (Skating rinks are not opened yet, but will surely be there as soon as real winter is here). It’s a great  option to warm up in winter! You will find one skating-rink at the Old Town, one in the last stop of the Tram nr. 11 – Mežaparks (with natural ice) and many more. The most pompous shopping centre in Riga  - Galleria Riga - invites to the skating-rink on the top of the building! On the 7th floor above the roofs of Riga city center you can skate while enjoying panorama of Riga! /I’ll let you know as soon as winter is here and open-air skating-rinks open/

Some other winter sports? Take a day trip out of Riga - to Sigulda (around 1 hour drive from Riga) and get to know bobsleigh! Get to know it closer – not just watching, but also putting yourself into the place of a  bobsleigh sportsman! Bobsleigh season has already started! You can go there on your own, with your friends or join organized tours – almost all travel agencies are oranizing  tours to Sigulda, or ask at your hotel or hostel – a lot of them are really keen on it and glad to take Riga’s visitors to bobsleigh in Sigulda. By the way, Sigulda is also famous with its' beautiful nature and castles.

Nightlife in Riga? No changes there: Riga’s nightlife in winter is as active as in summer. Some cozy places for dancing and getting to know local people see here:  Where Locals Have Fun I, Where Locals Have Fun II

Picture:  The Entrance of the  Latvian National Museum of Art

Festival of Lights, Riga, 2011

Holiday in Latvia with Independence Day and Festival of Lights "Staro Rīga" (Beaming Riga) is over. Now Latvia too will switch to Christmas mood.  Festival of Lights is growing every year bigger and bigger. This year there were 85 objects around the city. In these 4 days of festival (17. - 20. November) I didn't manage to see all of it.  Lights and sounds these days have been making people dizzy. You know  - it's not possible to put in  a picture live light, video projection and feelings, also - this is just a simple camera which in dark makes wonders :) Beaming Riga/ Staro Rīga  - festival of lights which changes the streets, parks, gardens of Riga in darkness with lights - from small candles till big installations and projections changing the appearance  of buildings.  

This object looked calm and quite in the urban environment. Like other people I was smiling seeing how nice this object looks and attached to discovering how it has been made, but thanks to a small child who was explaining his vision to his parents I also was able to see what it is - these are not lamps, but that's how a city with its blockhouses looks at night!

Riga channel is always surprising with light & water games in the city center, but I have never been able to make a good picture of it, well - I guess you just have to see it with your own eyes.

Public toilet! It was standing there like any other day - quiet and simple. Then it started to whisper: "Please,  look at me!" And then it turned into the Coliseum!

 The Bastion hill was filled with candles and flying ships:

Door to imaginary reality:

And at the end enjoy some fireworks from Independence Day - 18th of November right after singing national anthem  - thousands of people together at the river Daugava.

Here you can find some pictures from Beaming Riga 2010

That Surrealist Place - Beaming Riga

I guess I've told you about this event already twice. "Beaming Riga" (Staro Rīga). This year the event will take place  form 17th to 21st on November. You just need to get to Riga and the lights and sounds will guide you through the city which will surprise you with colors, lights, music, technology and CREATIVITY.

So I found some pictures I took at Beaming Riga last year. Well, these are definitely not the best pictures because of darkness, bad camera, snow etc., but anyway might give you some insight of this event.

If you have attended Beaming Riga and have some great pics, I would be glad if you share them with me! You can post the link on comments, tweet (@friendinriga) on Twitter or send me the mail. While I don't see your beaming pictures, enjoy these ones from 2010!

18th of November: Through National Songs and Lights of Beaming Riga

When that dark season is already arrvied here – empty trees, dark streets, no colors of golden autumn  and no snow yet, Riga gets into celebrations. 18th of november – the national holiday – birthday of Latvia – proclomation day. What we do on this day in Riga? 

1) We go to watch National Armed Forces parade on the first part of the day at the river Daugava with the orchestra of Latvian armed forces. (11:00)

2) We go to concerts, church, make family dinner, put flowers at our freedom monument – it depends on family traditions

3) Evening part comes with the celebration event at the freedom monument with Latvian folk and choir songs and the most important – the President’s speech

4) We all are hedding back to the riverside (where we started our day with the parade) to watch fireworks over the River of destiny – Daugava.

If you are in Riga on 18th of November, you might be surprised seeing that partriotism and national consciousness which is in the air these days in November. You are welcome to join on this celebration!  

Another big and worth seeing event  - Beaming Riga. The city has been changed through colors, lights and music, technology and creativity every year around 18th on November.  This year Beaming Riga is form 17th to 21st on November – in different places  all over the city.

Let me find some pictures I made at the last years Beaming Riga and I’ll share them with you in my next post.

Red, Yellow, Gold - Must See in Latvia.

Your friend in Riga has been silent for some time. It doesn't mean that there was nothing happening in Riga. First and the most important things - Golden Autumn is here with all it's colors and cold. And yesterday finally even my house got central heating on. If we talk about enjoying colors of autumn I can not keep this secret - there is a must-visit place in Latvia to enjoy this season - and this place is called Sigulda.

53 kms away from Riga is "outdoor activity capital of Latvia and home to a Olympic standard bobsleigh track". As soon as people see first yellow/red/orange leaves on trees they are hedding to Sigulda. If you check the map, you will see that we have no mountains here and our highest point in the country is so "high" that I'm even afraid to mention it here, but it's located in Sigulda: the main reason for going to Sigulda is it's picturesque landscpes. Every step there can become a picture: medieval castles, river Gauja, nature paths, caves and hills - this place has inspired a lot of painters and makes you to take marvelous photos.

Why Sigulda is in my heart? Actually not because of autumn, but spring: I stayed a night at the river Gauja some years ago first days of June. And the early morning: was amazing: first sunlight,  fog, birds flying low over the water, roes on the other side of the river and these landscapes... It felt like in a fairytale. These really are fairytale views. And autumn makes this all to shine in gold.

This video will let you to see pictures of autumn in different places in Latvia: Riga, Sigulda and more. Song by Latvian band "Brainstorm", language  - Latvian.

 Start your trip here with 360 degrees virtual tours in Sigulda

Previously on blog about Sigulda: The Dream of Flying

Two River Banks - The Panorama Of Riga

Other pictures of Riga: Old Town I, Old Town II, Magic Sand festival, Cemetery With the Soul

Riga is going to take you away to the magical world of arts and dreams this autumn!

Riga is sparkling form cultural events, arts and parties. All summer it has been like a one big festival here. The summer is over, but the life doesn’t stop here. Here start new life: students are back to universities, workers back from vacations – that’s a reason for culture, arts and nightlife to get into new level. From lazy summer to autumn full with colors and new energy. Here it comes:

„WHITE NIGHT 2011” (BALTĀ NAKTS) /10th of September/ – The contemporary arts forum White Night presents art, theatre, music, movement and other art projects and performances. Every year White Night is organized all over the city at the end of August/beginning of Spetember. This year White Night will be here on 10th of September. More than 25 art, music, theater, survival, performance events in former factory VEF, Spikeri, Miera street, Old Town, and the centre of Riga. Enjoy the beauty of arts all night long for free, heading form one place to another! („White Night” is part of the joint “European White Nights” project by Brussels, Madrid, Paris, Riga and Rome. This idea is also adopted by Amsterdam, Bucharest, Porto and Valletta (Malta), as well as Toronto, Tokyo, Montreal, Chicago and other cities)

 

Riga International Film Forum ARSENĀLS 10th – 18th of September 

Adventurous Music and Film Festival SKAŅU MEŽS (SOUND FOREST) /15^th – 17^th of September/ 

International Festival of Film Actors BALTIJAS PĒRLE (BALTIC PEARL) 15^th – 27th of September 

„BEAMING RIGA” (STARO RĪGA) – /17th – 20st of November/ this is the festival of lights which transforms the panorama of Riga in dark evenings of November. 18th of November is also a birthday of a country called Latvia, so coming to Riga on these dates are  „2 rabbits with 1 shot’. ‘Beaming Riga’ is a festival all around the city which transforms the city using light, video and other technologies  - buildings, squares, monuments, streets are live and talking thorugh technologies and creativity. 'Beaming Riga' really takes you away from reality to some mystical world, sirreal dreamland.

„White Night” and „Beaming Riga” is what I advice you not to miss this autumn. Pictures from „Beaming Riga 2010”. Riga is going to blow your mind with these events.

One Strong Reason to Visit Riga in August – 810.

You already know that there are thousands of  reasons to visit Riga. Here is one more reason – very big and strong reason to be in Riga this year on August – Riga is celebrating it’s birthday 810! When travelling I guess you want to get from every place as much as possible – Riga 810 festival will give you all: 19th – 21st of August this city will take you into vibrant life of culture, arts, sports and traditions! Diffrent places in the Capital of  Latvia, events for every taste! Ok, this is what you can get:

19.08. on Cinema Festival at the Kalnciema Quarter you will be introduced to the 45 years of Latvian animation – from Latvia’s Walt Disney to contemporary stars. In The Old Town at the Dome Square you will have chance to hear beautifull music – Old Towns towers will resound to the sounds of music. Interested in active recreation? Riga Festival Night Race is for you – and it’s inseparable parf of the festival: ayone is invited to take part in the event! But in the sky above the Daugava waterway between the Salu and Dienvidu bridges you will see air acrobatic competition, in which the best professional pilots will take part!

20.08. is the central day of the festival. Canal Regatta – Freeport of Riga Cup, Salsa Marathon will bring here a lot of positive energy and everyone will be able to dance to Latino rhythms, whether or not they've ever learnt salsa steps. Vērmanes Garden will be home for the festival of traditional culture – music, dances, crafts and workshops. But by the Latvian National Opera you will be able to watch 24 hour basketball tournament „Match of The Riverbanks”. Even Riga Central Market these days is inviting you to performances, but on the Street of Theatre in The Old Town you will have a chance to be a witness of the Proclamation of the City: right up till the last moment, neither those developing the "Proclamation of the city" performance, nor those acting in it will know what it will look like – there are rumors that they will play music on the rocks and saws… Aldaru Street invites you to food festival – you will enter the authentic atmosphere of 1930's Rīga. But Mežaparks which holds the best Latvian song and dance festivals traditions on evening will charm your ears and eyes with 7000 choir singers and 400 dancers and brass band memebers at the main concert „Master. Song. Legend.”

21.08. at Vērmanes Master Garden will be Folk Festival and Annual Market of Decorative Arts Goods, Rowing Festival in Riga city Canal, creative workshops for children on Jāņa Street, Museum of the History of Rīga and of Navigation invites to Riga’s Stories from The Centuries – see, learn, dance, inquire and find out...

It’s a great time to be in Riga! And a lot of offers to choose what fits the best for you!  Don’t miss this chance – 810 is just once!

Creative Sand Sculpture Park „Magic Sand Riga 2011”

Cross the river Daugava, take a walk on the Stone Bridge - the view to Riga from there is wide and beautiful. On the other side of the river this summer till September is creative sand sculpture park. It's not big, but worth seeing it.

"Magic Sand" is an international festival. In Riga you will see artwork by 12 professional world class sand masters. Entrance fee - 2Ls, for additional fee you can create your own sand sculpture. Sand sculpture park also offers other activites - like "Game Station" for children, workshops and early morning yoga classes. Working hours: every day 10AM - 9PM.

 I went there today. There are less sculptures than I was expecting, but - real masterpieces, the view to Riga is wonderfull and the atmosphere there today was really meditative & peacefull. Artists working, and not only kids playing in a big sandbox. I also enjoyed playing with the sand! This place will calm you down and inspire.

From Zeppelins to Food - Riga Central Market

This is definitely a very special place - located betwean The Old Town and Riga’s own ‘Moscow suburbs’, right next to the Central train terminal and bus station. Even if you are not planning to shop, there are a lot of reasons to visit this market.

 

The buildings here, today used as market pavilions, were initially built as hangars for the German army’s zeppelins. Now next to the imported food you will find here delicious, fresh, ecological food from the countryside of Latvia, and it’s cheaper than in any shop. The meat pavilion, grocery, greengrocery and fish pavilions, the open air market area. And there  are a lot of opportunities to taste the food before buying it! If you look at clothes/shoes – it’s „Made in China” paradise, but betwean that all you can find here also high quality stuff. It is the second biggest market–place in Europe.

 

On my free weekends I take my shopping bag and go to the Central Market to get the best (fresh & cheap) food in the city. It’s not only market-place, it also holds cultural events and shows a little different face of Riga than you will see in The Old Town.

Get to the Central Market to feel the sell & buy atmosphere! 

You might also like:  

Riga Central Market on Travellers blog

The Old Town - Heart of Riga

What to do when it's too hot in Riga?

Riga which you don't find in tourist guides