By Kerry Kubilius
Eastern Europe Travel Expert, about.coom
Festivals occur throughout Latvia and around the year, providing unique opportunities for visitors to observe and get involved with Latvian culture and traditions.
January
Riga International Saxophone Festival:
This celebration of the saxophone draws both professionals and
students, who serenade listeners with music from a variety of musical
genres.
February
Meteni Day Celebrations: Meteni Day, the Latvian equivalent of Maslenitsa or Uzgavenes,
is a pagan ritual that ushers out winter and welcomes spring. Some of
the largest Meteni Day festivities are held at Riga’s Open Air
Ethnographic Museum and the Turaida Castle complex in Sigulda.
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Sigulda Winter Festival:
This festival of snow and ice focuses on recreational activities and
sports, taking advantage of the expansive natural landscape around
Sigulda.
March
Riga Windstream Spring Music Festival: A brass instrument festival, Windstream runs through until Easter.
Easter and the Spring Equinox: Various events are arranged for Easter and the celebration of the spring equinox, which is associated with pagan traditions.
These events occur throughout Latvia.
April
Riga Baltic Ballet Festival: This festival is already two decades old and throws a spotlight on some of the region’s best ballet performers and performances.
May
Restoration of Independence Day: The
Restoration of the Independence of Latvia is a holiday observed in May
and is accompanied by various patriotic and state-sponsored events.
Museum Night: Like other countries in Europe, Latvia hosts Museum Night, offering free admission to museums in Riga and beyond.
Riga Marathon: Thousands of runners fill Riga’s streets for the annual Riga Marathon.
June
Applied Arts Fair: The
Latvian Ethnographic Open-Air Museum hosts an annual festival
highlighting the talent of traditional craftspeople from across the
country. Exhibitions, demonstrations, and performances are a part of the
festival’s repertoire.
Riga Opera Festival: This celebration of opera was established in 1998. Each annual festival focuses on a particular composer.
Riga Festival: This festival of music, performing arts, and visual arts come together to for three weeks of cultural events.
Cesis Arts Festival: Travel
to Cesis, with its incredible medieval castle, for a three-week-long
cultural festival featuring visual art and performing arts.
July
Riga International Organ Festival: This July festival, held in Riga’s Dome Church, attracts organists from all over the world.
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International Festival of Early Music: Music from the Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque periods rings out in various venues.
Sea and Fisherman’s Festival:
This festival honors Riga’s strong connection to the sea and the
fishermen whose livelihood have lent Riga traditions, stories, and
songs, and provided food and work for Latvians. This festival occurs in
coastal towns and villages and coincides with the annual summertime
flock to the seashore.
August
Venstpils City Festival: Ventspils, with its Livonian Knights’ castle, recognizes its long history and current relevance to the Latvia of today.
Jurmala International Summertime Music Festival:
This music festival takes place in Jurmala, Latvia’s top resort town,
with many well-known Latvian vocalists and musicians taking part.
Cesis Livonian Festival:
Cesis is famous for its Livonian heritage, and this festival brings
Medieval times to life in this town and the neighboring village of
Airasi.
Riga City Festival: Events throughout Riga’s
parks, museums, churches, squares, and other concert venues creates
plenty of opportunities for visitors to get a taste of Riga’s cultural
wealth.
September
Riga Autumn Chamber Festival: Chamber music comes to Riga during this annual autumn festival.
Mikelis Day Fair:
Mikelis Day is the autumn solstice, and in Riga and other cities
throughout Latvia, special events, including fairs of farm-fresh food,
mark this historically important time of year.
October
Riga
International Festival of New Media Culture: This festival presents
exhibitions, workshops, and lectures to promote awareness of and
appreciation for new media.
November
Riga Festival of Light: The Festival of Light brings a bring spot to the already short, dark winter days in the Latvian capital.
Independence Day: Latvia’s Independence Day is celebrated on November 18, and is accompanied by concerts, parades, and ceremonies.
Christmas Markets:
Already in November, Riga’s Christmas market is put up in the old town,
attracting passersby with the smell of mulled wine and other tempting
treats, as well as handicrafts and decorations appropriate to the
season.
Winterfest: This music festival, held since 1999,
celebrates the winter holidays and runs from November through February.
Concerts are hosted in honor of Christmas (both Western and Eastern
Orthodox holidays) and New Year’s Eve and Day.
December
Riga European Christmas Festival: The Advent period is full of traditional music concerts that take place in various venues throughout Riga.
Riga Christmas Tree Festival:
This December-through-January festival showcases Christmas trees
bedecked by students from the Latvian Academy of Art, who enter their
trees into competitions.
