Riga’s summer of courage and joy 2022 has been named among the finalists of the international best events awards competition “BEA World Best Events Awards” which is the most prestigious competition of its kind in the world. The summer culture programme was organised by the municipality in cooperation with various sectoral organisations and associations for two months, i.e. from 7 July to 31 August.
Riga in the same category as Expo and FIFA organisers
“We are truly honoured that Riga’s summer culture programme has been announced among the finalists of BEA – Best Event Awards. This confirms that the City of Riga and its cultural sector are internationally relevant and competitive players. The pandemic and other global issues have led to an increasingly urgent debate on the role of culture in improving urban and public lives. Riga’s summer of courage and joy being nominated among the finalists confirms that the newly introduced celebration strategy is of high quality, world-class and therefore definitely sustainable,” says Renāte Lagzdiņa, Curator of the Riga Summer Culture Programme.
Riga, together with such countries as Belgium, Germany, Serbia, Qatar, and Italy, will compete for the best project in the world in the category “Public Institution Event”. Competitors include the European Commission, the organisers of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the designers of the Italian Expo Pavilion, the Serbian government, the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture and other public sector representatives, proving that Riga’s nomination is equally prestigious and competitive on an international scale.
Riga’s summer of courage and joy
Courage and joy were the theme of Riga’s summer culture programme this year. More than 150 events took place for a period of over two months in the centre of the capital and in 10 neighbourhoods. From July to the end of August, in four city parks – Vērmanes Garden, Viesturdārzs, Nordeķi Park and Mazjumprava Manor Garden – every city resident and visitor could enjoy concerts, lectures, creative workshops, activities for families with children, and also open-air dance parties and story evenings.
This year, the culture programme was also organised in six neighbourhood festivals. From 9 July to 20 August, colourful neighbourhood festivities took place in Vecmīlgrāvis, Bolderāja, Āgenskalns, Maskavas Forštate, Imanta, and also Purvciems and Pļavnieki.
This year, Riga’s 821st birthday, the culmination of the summer, was celebrated with a grand picnic in the Old Town. The celebration programme not only included concerts, but also a delicious cake and laughter contest, and also other fun events that invited guests to dare and enjoy the joy of being together.
More than 123,000 people attended the events of the Riga summer culture programme.
About BEA World Best Events Awards
The BEA World Best Event Awards resemble the Oscars ceremony in the respective industry and after a two-year pause it will be organised on site. On 24 November, all shortlisted events will have the chance to be presented to an international jury and the winner of the prestigious award will be announced at a ceremony in Rome on 25 November.
Several projects from Latvia have been nominated and won awards in the international competition in recent years. This year, the campaign Light Coast (Gaismas krasts) by the agency Luka and also the project Nature Gallery and the gastronomic project Winter Food Art Gallery by the creative association Skudras metropole and the design solutions company Don`t Panic are also nominated and will compete in different categories.
Information was prepared by: Rita Plūme, Project Coordinator at Strategic Communication Division of Riga City Council Communication Department, e-mail: rita.plume@riga.lv