Here are three cultural ideas for this weekend in Latvia. Fingers crossed for fine weather…
The Latvian National Museum of Literature and Music is celebrating its centenary this year, so inspired by the museum’s founder, Jānis Greste, who was an avid cyclist, a special cycling route has been created through Riga, where you can complete tasks and learn about the museum’s history.
Katrīna Kūkoja, project manager at the Latvian National Museum of Literature and Music, says: “As it happens, our museum has changed its addresses several times, and we wanted to highlight these various locations where we have been during this centenary, and the best way, of course, is by bike. It would be difficult to walk this route, it would be a really long hike, but by bike it is much, much easier to do and you can get to know these different locations.”
More details: https://rmm.lv/muzejam-pa-pedam/
Abgunste Manor Festival
The tenth Abgunste Manor Festival opens on August 8 with a wide-ranging programme. This time, the event will take place as a ten-day journey around the world with music, art, master classes, dance, cuisine and clothing styles from different countries. The estival runs until August 17th.
Photo: Jānis Romanovskis
Asnāte Avotniece, the owner of Abgunste Manor, reveals more about this year’s estival, saying: “People like to immerse themselves in a different environment and feel like they’re in another country without leaving Latvia. Then for those few hours, you’re transported in time and space.”
More details: https://www.abgunste.lv/muizassvetki/
Dikļi Actors’ Festival
A completely different festival awaits you this weekend on August 8 and 9 in Dikļi, Valmiera region, where the amateur theater Actors’ Festival will take place for the 29th time, this year bringing together amateur theaters from Strenči, Rūjiena, Krimulda, Vijciems, Liepa, Matīši, Dikļi, Zilākalns and Kocēni.
Dikļi is where the first play in Latvian was performed more than 200 years ago. On July 16, 1818, in the Zundu manor, the manor servant, at that time a 17-year-old coachman Jānis Peitāns, performed Friedrich Schiller’s play “The Robbers”, which he had translated from German into Latvian by himself, and the servants of the Dikļi manor acted as actors in the performance.
The “Players’ Festival” will begin on the evening of August 8 at At 18:30 in the Dikļi Culture Center hall with the comedy “Uncontrollable Girl” by Kārlis Ieviņš (directed by Andris Liepiņš) staged by the Valmiera County Jānis Ziemeļnieks Strenči Folk Theater.
More details: https://www.valmierasnovads.lv/events/amatierteatru-festivals-spelmanu-svetki-diklos-2025/
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