Latvian autumn festival guide 2024

"Manhattan Short"

From September 26 to October 6, Riga, Liepāja, Ventspils, Kuldīga, Cēsis, Valmiera, Jūrmala, Sigulda, and Daugavpils will host the ten best films of the Manhattan Short Film Festival. The festival is unique in that the audience also becomes a jury and can vote for their favorite actor and short film. Manhattan Short is now in its 27th year and is also held in other parts of the world. The essential, dynamic format of the short films will appeal to all those who want to make the most of a short space of time. 

On October 4, 5, and 6, the winner of the Baltic Filmtales will be screened in Riga before the Manhattan Short screenings. Baltic Filmtales is a short film festival for children and young people, organized in Latvia by director Staņislavs Tokalovs.

Liepāja Art Forum

From September 27 to 29, Liepāja Art Forum will take place in Liepāja. This year, the event celebrates its tenth anniversary and has chosen the concept of "succession" as its theme. The festival offers art in various forms.

The first evening will include the opening of the visual art exhibition "Stories of Growth" curated by Inese Rozentāls, as well as a performance of the mono-opera "Awareness" by Kris Auznieks. The Friday night party performance will be provided by Evija Vēbere and Elīna Silova. 

On Saturday, the contemporary dance performance "Borrowed Landscape" will take place in Liepāja Pētertirgus, and in the evening, the Latvian Radio Choir, conductor Kaspars Putniņš with Latvia's finest instrumentalists will perform Morton Feldman's masterpiece "Rothko Chapel" for the first time in Liepāja. Children will enjoy the performance "Seasons", directed by Liena Šmukste and featuring actresses Rūta Dišlere and Ilze Bloka. The festival will close with a Requiem for the Afterlife by pianists Robert Fleitz and Rihards Plešanovs and poet Madara Gruntmane.

Sound Forest

On October 4 and 5, the cultural space "Hanzas perons" will host the central concerts of the experimental music festival "Sound Forest/Skaņu mežs". The festival program includes avant-garde music in its widest range. One of the biggest names at the festival this year is the British electronic music duo Autechre, who are among the pioneers of IDM, or intelligent dance music. During their performance, the hall will be completely dark. Hip-hop, metal, punk, and more subdued music will also be featured. 

On October 28, the Riga bar "Laska V21" on Vagonu Street will host a free "Sound Forest" warm-up event, featuring both local musicians/composers and international guests.

Autumn Chamber Music Festival

From October 5 to 17, the Autumn Chamber Music Festival will take place in various venues in Rīga and Jūrmala. The festival has been running since 1993 and its programme combines various genres of music, arts and unconventional ways of presenting concerts.

This year's festival will feature the Quatuor Modigliani quartet, performing Viennese classics. Sinfonietta Riga, conducted by Normunds Šnē, together with Reinis Zariņš will perform works by Bach, Tavener and MacMillan. The festival will also feature Sergejs Osokins and Andrejs Osokins in one concert. The concert "Postcards from Kurzeme" will feature a trio - violist Santa Vižine, pianist Agnese Egliņa and double bassist Matīss Eisaks. The festival will close with a concert by soprano Katrina Paula Felsberga and pianist Malcolm Martineau, featuring classics of both Viennese and Latvian vocal chamber music.

Riga IFF

From October 17 to 27 , you will be able to participate in the annual Riga International Film Festival events in person and digitally. The festival's thematic programs bring together both industry professionals and film lovers. 

The Riga IFF program has more than 100 films - everyone will find their favorite, and if you are too lazy to leave home, you will be able to watch some of them online on the festival's website.

Zemlika

On October 18 and 19, Durbe will host the annual music, art, and harvest festival "Zemlika". Over the years, the festival has built up a loyal audience, to which it has proved its independent spirit in the concert program, each time offering something special from diverse genres. 

Arēna

From October 18 to 25, the new music festival "Arena" invites you to various venues in Riga. This year, the theme of the festival is space and its interaction with artistic processes.

Bildes

From October 11 to November 9, the music and art festival Bildes will take place at VEF Culture Palace and the Daile Music House, celebrating its 35th anniversary this year. The festival program includes eight concerts highlighting the work of particular genres, such as blues or folk songwriters, whose joint concerts are relatively rare. There will also be a concert for children, as well as a collaboration between veterans and young talents, performing legendary songs in a joint concert.