This weekend, April 24 – 25, as part of the Liepāja 2027 – European Capital of Culture program, the 19th International Storytelling Festival “Ziv zup” (Fish Soup) will take place in Kuldīga and Alsunga, continuing to cherish and celebrate the region’s rich tangible cultural heritage – the storytelling tradition, traditional music, and cuisine.
On Friday, April 24, Story Day will take place in Kuldīga as part of the festival. Starting at 11:00, various workshops will be open to attendees: for lovers of stories and storytelling at the Kuldīga Main Library; a workshop for young storytellers at the Kuldīga District Children and Youth Center; a workshop for cultural workers and interested participants at the Kuldīga Art House; and a workshop for social workers at the Social Day Center “Tilts”.
Meanwhile, in Alsunga, at the Craft House, a lecture titled “May Song: In Suiti and Blekinge – On the Shores of the Baltic Sea” will take place from 11:00 to 13:00 as part of the festival.
On Friday evening at 18:00, festival visitors will be welcomed to concert “As Many Tiny Stars Above, As Many Tiny Stones Below ” at the Kuldīga Culture Centre. During the concert, one of the festival’s highlights promises to be an unforgettable experience for culture enthusiasts and lovers of the sounds of nature – for the first time in the festival’s history, visitors will have the opportunity to hear a unique instrument: the stone kokle. It is not just a musical instrument, but a story about the power of nature, human creativity, and sounds that, flow from the depths of the earth, will guide listeners into an ancient and mystical world of sound.
On Saturday, April 25, festival events will be focused in Kuldīga’s Old Town, on Baznīcas Street, where craft workshops will open at 11:00, while at 13:00, festival visitors will be entertained by an open-air concert “Stars All Around Us.”
History enthusiasts will be treated with a special event on Saturday—the exciting story “How Duke Jacob’s Court Hunting Dog Survived.” This story will take you back to 17th-century Courland, uncovering a little-known but intriguing chapter of Courland’s history. Listeners will learn about court hunting traditions, the role of dogs in the duke’s life, and, most importantly, the adventures and survival story of a special dog, interwoven with legends and historical facts.
“We are very pleased that this year we can offer such unique events as a stone kokle performance and the story of Duke Jacob’s dog, which will allow festival visitors to explore the rich culture of Kurzeme even more deeply,” says Ina Celitāne, one of the initiators of the 19th Kurzeme Storytellers’ Festival “Ziv zup.”
The 19th Kurzeme Storytellers’ Festival “Ziv zup” will gather storytellers from Latvia, Lithuania, and Sweden. The festival is organized by the association “Kūrava” in collaboration with the Foundation “Liepāja 2027” and the Kuldīga District Municipality. As part of the Liepāja 2027 – European Capital of Culture events, the international Storytelling Festival “Ziv zup” will also take place also next year, on April 23–24, 2027.
The project “Liepāja – European Capital of Culture” is implemented by the foundation “Nodibinājums Liepāja 2027” with funding provided by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia, the City of Liepāja, and the municipalities of South Kurzeme and Kuldīga. The Liepāja 2027 programme is supported by its main partner in environmental education and sustainability, AS “CleanR Grupa” JSC; its main partner in mobility and international communication, AS “airBaltic Corporation” JSC; and its mobility partner, transport operator SIA “Lux Express Latvia” Ltd.
We welcome all visitors – both young and old lovers of stories, music, and culinary delights – to attend the “Ziv zup” festival and experience the hospitality of Kurzeme!
Ina Celitāne
Initiator of the XIX Kurzeme Storytellers’ Festival “Ziv zup” (Fish Soup)
Phone: +371 26 428 513
E-mail address: inac@inbox.lv
The first event — the public discussion “Spawning is not a buffet” — will take place on April 25, 2026 at 4 PM on the Venta riverbank at the end of Ventspils Street, opposite the Kuldīga viewing tower. The event will conclude with a campfire concert.
On 4 May, marking the Restoration of Independence of the Republic of Latvia, residents of Liepāja and visitors to the city are invited to a Freedom Day concert at Jānis Čakste Square.
From April 7 to 16, Silva Vucena and Elīna Jurberga, representatives of the Liepāja Central Scientific Library, participated in the international mobility program “Culture Moves Europe” visiting Évora, Portugal, for an experience exchange.