On Saturday, 29 July, the Neighbourhood festival will be celebrated with a variety of concerts, creative workshops and theatre performances for children in Zolitūde and Čiekurkalns. Prieka mirkļi Park in Vērmanes Garden, Nordeķi Park and the Hive Cultural Space will host various events, concerts, cinema evenings and exhibitions throughout the week.
This year, Riga's Summer of Courage and Joy highlights the uniqueness of each neighbourhood. The graphic design symbolically incorporates the characteristic signs of each neighbourhood, such as the former Zolitūde Hippodrome or the Čiekurkalns water tower. Why these particular symbols? Because in the early 20th century, until the First World War, there was a hippodrome in the Zolitūde neighbourhood. That is why the horse and the elements of the hippodrome buildings have been chosen as the symbols of Zolitūde. Whereas the water tower, which was designed in 1912 by the outstanding architect Vilhelm Bokslaf, located at 21 Gaujas Street, has become a landmark of Čiekurkalns. It is Riga's largest water tower, designed in Art Nouveau style. Near it can be found one of the majestic pines of Čiekurkalns. The characteristic cone-rich pine trees also named the neighbourhood.
The neighbourhood symbols have been selected in cooperation with the Neighbourhood Residents' Centres, and they have been designed by artist Valters Kalsers.
Events in Zolitūde
Zolitūde Neighbourhood festivals, in the vicinity of the Northern State Gymnasium, are planned to be an ambitious event in this neighbourhood, especially noting that the pleasure of the summer of Riga is finally with the residents of this neighbourhood.
From 12:00 up to 22:00 a variety of events are expected on stage – shows for families and children, concerts that will include both French music and rock 'n' roll, Latvian and world hits, Country music, while at the end residents will be delighted by a dance night.
There will be a power and agility attraction area in the festive area, there will be a plenary, as well as themed creative workshops, the content of which will be linked to various legends about the history of the Zolitūde neighbourhood. A neighbourhood tent will also be open in parallel, with discussions and conversations planned about the neighbourhood's highlights and visions of the future.
The stage programme includes a children's theatre performance "Where seagulls stay in winter" at 12:00, a children's theatre performance "Cartonstories" at 13:00, followed by a concert of the band "Kopā reti esošo draugu organizācija jeb K.R.E.D.O." at 14:00, followed by a concert of Andris Ērglis at 15:00. The band "Klaidonis" will perform at around 16:00.
At 17:00 there will be a concert of Laimis Rācenājs, Diana Pīrāgs and "Le Petit Paris" and at 18:00 a concert of singer Elza Rozentāle. The evening concert programme will continue at 19:00 with the concert of the band "Tirkiz band" and at 20:00 with a concert of Ivars Pētersons. The stage cultural programme will be concluded with a performance by Katrīna Dimanta and the band"Folk kardio" at 21:00.
Events in Čiekurkalns
Everyone is invited to experience joyful moments and enjoy a variety of concerts in the Čiekurkalns neighbourhood – at the Čiekurkalns crossroads, where starting from 12:00 festival visitors will have the opportunity to meet friends and get to know their neighbours, as well as enjoy time together with their family. The event visitors will also be able to attend concerts of bands “Carnival Youth” and “Pērkons”, sing and dance with Riga Dance Club, participate in activities throughout the day – turn around in a carousel, participate in creative and cognitive workshops and art plenary.
During this festival, everyone is invited to visit the tent of Riga neighbourhood residents centre, get acquainted and talk to neighbourhood coordinators, who devote their efforts to making the neighbourhood a better, safer and more pleasant place to live. Neighbours will have the opportunity to judge in joint talks what has changed in Čiekurkalns in the recent years and what can be changed with their own forces.
At the peak of the festivities, the concert will be given by the rock band “Pērkons,” whose creativity now fits so much with the brave Čiekurkalns! The best songs of the band “Pērkons” have become Latvian folk songs, so everyone will be invited to sing along in the chorus of festival participants and visitors.
People from near and further neighbourhoods of Riga are invited to Čiekurkalns Neighbourhood festival, from all over Latvia — let courage and joy be born when we meet!
Other events of the Riga Summer Culture Programme this week
This week, there will also be several events in the Prieka mirkļi parks and the Hive Cultural Space, an open air dance party in Āgenskalns, the Porta world music festival, guided tours, a chess day in Kalnciems Quarter and various concerts.
On 27 July, Vērmanes Garden will present a concert programme especially created for children, based on the music of the most popular Latvian animated and full-length films. It will feature the songs by Imants Kalniņš from such animated films as "Zaķīšu pirtiņa", "Zelta sietiņš" and "Kabata", music by Zigmars Liepiņš from the cycle "Pasaciņas" and music by Imants Zemzars from the animated film "Fantadroms", which has already become a classic. There will also be music from the children's film "Sprīdītis".
The concert programme has been created and will be performed by the well-known musicians — Kristīne Pāže, Didzis Bardo, Rinalds Maksimovs and Krists Krūzkops. The musicians themselves will be playing various characters from the animated films. The programme is created to be fun for the whole family. The concert will be a great opportunity to discover the 20th century Latvian animated film music classics.
The Nordeķi Park programme on 29 July will focus on the neighbourhood's residents' stories and how to capture them through documentary films. A new exhibition, created by the new photographers, featuring portraits of the residents of the neighbourhood by showing the neighbourhood in the present, day will be opened. Artist Ieva Putniņa will invite everyone to create a new environmental art object from things that have decorated Riga's urban environment in the past years.
In order to promote the exchange of knowledge and experience, as well as to get to know each other, discussions will take place in a relaxed atmosphere with local neighbourhood experts. In the evening, a concert will be performed by the Kristīne Prauliņa jazz trio, and later a film programme will portray the history and the present day of Iļģuciems. The evening in Nordeķi Park will be concluded with the documentary film "Iļģuciems Sisters" directed by Elita Kļaviņa, New Riga Theatre actress and director, which is a collaboration between the actors of the New Riga Theatre and the inmates of Iļģuciema prison, as well as Katrīna Tomašicka's documentary film " Ladies are Inviting" which tells about the search for love among seniors.
All the summer cultural events in Riga, organised by the local government, are available on the website summer.riga.lv, and followed on the social network page “What’s on in Riga”.
Information was prepared by: Sindija Grāvere, Project Coordinator External Communication Division of Riga City Council, e-mail: sindija.gravere@riga.lv
