The Advent or Christmas season starts in the capital city with the lighting of Riga’s main Christmas trees in Town Hall Square (Rātslaukums) and Doma Square, the Dwarf Parade and various concerts.
This Friday, 29 November, the traditional Christmas Market will open in the heart of Riga – Doms Square – and run daily until 2 January 2025. On 30 November, at 17.00, an event will be held to light the Christmas trees in Town Hall Square and Doms Square.
Dwarf procession and Christmas tree lighting
On 1 December, the First Advent Sunday, the Dwarfs will go on a parade in Iļģuciems. From 15.00 to 17.00, creative workshops are scheduled at the culture centre Iļģuciems. At 17.00, the dwarves and their helpers will go to Nordeķi Park to light the Christmas tree and continue the celebrations with games, tea and gingerbread. Musical performances will be given by the Christmas Dwarf Orchestra under the direction of Lauris Amantovs and the children’s vocal ensemble Karameles directed by Eva Leimane.
During the First Advent Sunday, the Christmas tree will likewise be lit facing the culture palace Ziemeļblāzma. At 18.00, a musical toy programme will entertain visitors with big fairy tale characters who act out an attractive musical story of Latvia’s biggest Christmas tree forgetting to light its lights.
Concert programmes at the Ave Sol Concert Hall, Mazā ģilde and elsewhere
In December, the Ave Sol Concert Hall will present the concert series “Colours of the Seasons. Winter Chiaroscuro”. During the First Advent Sunday at 16.00, we will hear the senior women’s choir Amadeus and the mixed choir Senais kalns during the concert “It Snows Tomorrow”. On 6 December at 19.00, the women’s choir Sapnis and the male vocal ensemble of VEF Culture Palace will hold the concert “Gift”. On 7 December at 17.00, the women’s choir Rīgas kamerkoris, the girls’ choir Rīga and the youth choir Mīts will participate in the concert “Star Cup”.
Meanwhile, on the Second Advent Sunday, 8 December at 19.00, the concert “Light. Birth” will feature the Emīls Dārziņš’ mixed choir, mixed choir Anima Mea and VNĪ mixed choir.
On 13 December at 19.00, the concert “Heart is Waiting” with mixed choir Medera and the Pāvuls Jurjāns’ Music School Symphony Orchestra will take place.
On 14 December at 18.00, the concert “Christmas Star” will feature the chamber choir Motus, youth choir Impulss and mixed choir Pie upes. On 15 December, the Third Advent Sunday, the concert “Peace Meditation” will be given by the mixed choirs Laudate and Skaņupe and the chamber choir Konvents.
The Riga Doma will host the First Advent Concert, featuring the orchestra Rīga, conductor Māris Kuģis, and soloist Gunta Gelgote (soprano), Artūrs Noviks (accordion), and Jekaterina Suvorova (harp).
The concert programme will include impressive classical works by Johann Sebastian Bach, Antonio Vivaldi and Claude Debussy, as well as compositions by contemporary composers Frank Ticheli, Franco Cesarini and local composer Gundega Šmite, specially selected for the peaceful and beautiful season of Christmas anticipation. The concert starts at 19.00. Free invitations are available at Biļešu paradīze box offices.
Likewise, at 19.00, the Great Hall of the Riga Culture and Folk Art Centre Mazā ģilde will host the First Advent Sunday concert with Aija Vītoliņa (voice), Romāns Vendiņš (piano) and Jānis Stafeckis (double bass). At the concert, we will hear evocative musical landscapes, not only in Latvian but also in the languages of other countries, indulging in a hushed mood and dreams of a beautiful, white winter. Tickets will be available at the box offices of Mazā ģilde and Biļešu paradīze.
On 3 December at 19.00, the concert “In December” will take place at the Mazā ģilde with the participation of the mixed choir Mūza, soloists Ieva Kerēvica and Normunds Rutulis, the instrumental group led by Madars Kalniņš, as well as artist Anda Poikāne.
On the Second Advent Sunday, Mazā ģilde will hold a concert at 19.00 with the participation of songwriter Goran Gora and pianist Toms Mikāls. The concert will feature songs with lyrics written by Imants Ziedonis, Knuts Skujenieks and Goran Gora, which will be performed in a never-before-heard sound – in a duet with pianist Toms Mikāls. Tickets will be available at the box offices of Mazā ģilde and Biļešu paradīze.
On 9 December at 19.00, Mazā ģilde will hold a concert for families with children “Waiting for Christmas” with the participation of the children and youth vocal ensemble Podziņas and the musician Lauris Valters. On the Third Advent Sunday, at 19.00, a concert “With the Silent Light of the Stars” will be held, featuring Trio Angelicus – Elīna Šimkus (voice), Ieva Šablovska (harp) and Sondra Lejmalniece (flute). In the programme: music by Jānis Lūsēns. Tickets will be available at the box offices of Mazā ģilde and Biļešu paradīze.
The concert “Christmas Oratorio” is scheduled for the Second Advent Sunday at 18.00 in the Riga Jesus Ev. Lutheran Church, with performances by the chamber choir Ave Sol, organist Vita Kalnciema, string quartet Sponte: violinists Marta Spārniņa and Liene Neija-Kalniņa, violist Ivars Brīnums and cellist Ēriks Kiršfelds, as well as double bassist Toms Timofejevs and harpist Elizabeta Lāce. The programme includes a première by Andrejs Selickis, music by Andris Dzenītis and Lūcija Garūta, and a performance of Camille Saint-Saëns’ Christmas Oratorio.
Meanwhile, Santa Clauses will be cheering up the neighbourhoods of Riga. On 15 December, the Third Advent Sunday, at 16.00, the Santa Claus Quintet will perform at Bastejkalns: Raivis Māgurs (tuba), Māris Zondaks (trombone), Artūrs Bērziņš (trombone), Aldis Siņicins (trombone), Edgars Vaivods (percussion). On 22 December, the Fourth Advent Sunday, the Santa Claus Quintet will play at Jaunā Teika from 11.30 to 12.05. In Zemitāns Square, you can meet the Santa Clauses from 16.00 to 16.35.
Christmas activities for families with children
The Riga Art Nouveau Centre has arranged an educational walk through the museum with various activities. On 14 December at 11.00, 14.00 and 16.00, the museum personnel will allow you to enter and visit the world of fairy tales, to play an attractive game based on the motifs of the poem “Dwarfs and the Woodcutter” by Vilis Plūdons. The exhibition Christmas Joy will create a special atmosphere. Families with children aged 3 to 10 years are welcome. Participation is free of charge. To apply, call +37167181465 or write to jugendstils@riga.lv.
On 15 December, the Liepāja Puppet Theatre will present a concert performance for children "Olaf's Christmas" in the cultural centre "Ilguciems" at 11.00 and in the cultural centre "Imanta" at 16.00, to which families with children up to 12 years of age are invited to attend. Free invitations will become available at Biļešu paradīze box offices starting from 2 December.
On 16 December, VEF Culture Palace will host the Advent concert “Where the Winter Light Sounds...”. This concert programme is designed for people with various functional disabilities focusing on children and young people. Free invitations will be available at Biļešu paradīze box offices from 1 December.
In addition, the great hall of the VEF Culture Palace will hold a concert performance for the whole family “Want Some Rascal Fun” with the participation of the Riga Doms girls’ choir Tiara (artistic director and conductor Aira Birziņa) and the instrumental group – Rihards Plešanovs (keyboard), Andis Klučnieks (flute), Viktors Veļičko (double bass) and Aivars Krastiņš (percussion). The performance will feature music from cartoons loved by children of many generations: Pocket, the Bear of Happiness, the Golden Sieve, the Fairy Sits on the Doorstep, the Bunny Bathhouse and others. Tickets are available at Biļešu paradīze box offices.
On 19 December, the concert “How Christmas Begins?” will take place at the Culture Palace Ziemeļblāzma, where the children’s vocal studio Knīpas un Knauķi in collaboration with the Čučumuiža dwarves will perform songs by Atvars Sirmais with lyrics by Kristīne Dina Bitēna.
You can find out more about Advent, Christmas and New Year’s Eve events in Riga on the website www.kultura.riga.lv and by following the information on the Riga City Council’s social media pages “Rīga” and“Rīgā notiek”..
Information was prepared by: Ineta Miglāne, project coordinator, Riga City Council Communication Administration External Communications Department, e-mail: ineta.miglane@riga.lv.