Riga City Festival Best Guide 2022

What is the Riga City Festival?

This is a massive event that is celebrated each year in Riga, Latvia on the third weekend of August. This is a free festival hosting numerous outdoor concerts and games in Riga’s central halls, parks and gardens. There are many entertainment and sporting activities available here which makes it convenient for everyone to have a great time. This main annual event in Latvia takes place between 15th to 17th August. Through this you can have a wonderful impression of the Riga city and tourist attractions. The exceptional architecture and newly opened bars and restaurants appeal to people attending the celebrations at Riga. The festival offers musical, artistic, dance and theatrical performances to keep the spectators engaged. The event takes place over a period of 3 days and the venues include all major locations in the capital city of Latvia. Both local and international visitors are welcomed warmly on this occasion to join in the festivities at the Riga City Festival. 

Happenings at the Festival

Particularly, the Riga City Festival of 2014 was held on Friday, 14th August. A special concert was performed by the professional symphony band RIGA and the world famous composer Raimonds Pauls in Vermane Garden. On the following day a theater performance by school children, percussionists and guests from Taiwan or Netherlands took place. Visitors even enjoyed shows displaying retro cars and motorcycles on the November 11 Embankment. Moreover the magicians present did flaunt their skills by creating huge soap bubbles in the evening air on Saturday.  Musical performances with diverse genres catered to the tastes and interests of all those attending. More importantly, the highlight of the festival was a group of acrobats from Australia who called themselves ‘Strange Fruits.’ Their flexibility was lauded as they bent and performed in the sky above everyone’s heads. On Dome Square you could even find a market with street musicians performing energetically. Their ancient music played at Saint Peter’s Church and in the Dome Garden. Everyone enjoyed the festival at locales like Kalnciema Street, Kengarags, Imanta and Ziemelblazma. At the Riga Port Festival people also got to enjoy a competitive 24-hour basketball match. There was a paddle boat contest and even performances by many street artists to satisfy your music demands. Saturday evening made the sky look beautiful with large flowers of lighting filling up the horizon.  Finally Sunday was named as a family day and creative workshops enabled you to follow the untiring adventures of Spriditis. This is a favorite character amongst children. Riga’s schoolchildren are even excited and full of determination to deliver musical performances. 

Getting familiar with the Riga City

The location where the Riga City festival is in the central city of Riga where its town halls, parks and grounds host entertaining activities and concerts. These involve people of all age groups whether they are young or old. This is a great way to get familiar with the Riga vicinity and suburban area. Every year it has become a tradition to hold a Riga Retro international antique car convention. Here entry is allowed to foreigners as well as natives. Riga has remained as the cultural hub of the Baltic Sea region. It has been influenced by various nations like the Germans, Russians and Swedes. The Riga City festival venue is very aptly considered as the gem of the Art Nouveau architecture. This old town has also been included in the rich cultural heritage sites enlisted by UNESCO. 

Gourmands and food connoisseurs are especially attracted to the Riga city. This happened when Riga became a member of the Hanseatic League in 1282. Trade developed quickly and people soon exotic products reached the city. Although they imported the best items from the rest of the world, they stayed loyal to their local farmer’s produce. Now the modern city of Riga is known for its unique gustatory cuisines and tastes. It invites people to implore the handiwork and creativity of its chefs. Restaurants offer common food options like peas, gooseberries or honey. However they even offer items which are not part of the typical menu like red-cap boletus mushrooms, chokeberries and veal liver. All these food combinations are not only enticing to your taste buds but their unique presentations appeal to your eyes too. The fresh produce that contributes to each meal can be found easily in the central market in Riga. Even the pavilion architecture is a great sight which was built during the first world war. 

How to reach Riga City?

The arrival of guests at the Riga City Festival is made convenient by flights from all across the world. This accessibility of air travel is assisted by airBaltic, Ryanair and Wizzair among many other airlines. International visitors can take part in the celebrations via a simple air route. In most cases regardless of what your country of origin is. Once you secure an entry into the compact city center of Riga, you will witness many attractions and events. Many places are at a walking distance so you won’t have to worry about public transport much. The Riga City Festival mostly takes place in good weather conditions which is why you can even cycle around the area. There are numerous bike rental services around the city which you can take advantage of. Moreover, if you wish to travel further ahead, you can take a bus or any other metro service. The nominal fee for a few hours or even 24 hours will suffice and be easily affordable.  Tickets are also available at common locations. Such as on board new trams or at Narvesen newspaper kiosks spread all around the city. Taxis serve a good purpose of airport transfer for travels less than 10 km. A journey to the city center may cost 0.70 EUR per km. There is also useful advice for tourists who do not wish to have a bad experience. When embarking a taxi, they must make sure to insist that the meter is always turned on.