The Liepāja 2027 Foundation has concluded its co-financing competition for the organisation of cultural events as part of the Liepāja 2027 opening celebration programme. A total of 30,000 euros has been allocated to eleven selected events, all of which will take place on 23 January 2027, beginning at 20:00.
“We are absolutely thrilled by how Liepāja’s cultural venues have stepped up. The eleven events we have chosen make for a brilliantly varied yet balanced programme – everything from chamber music and poetry to hip-hop, food, folklore, and multimedia experiments. This is exactly the kind of (un)rest we want to feel on opening day; it’s the perfect way to show off Liepāja’s unique paradoxes and that raw creative energy,” says Baiba Bartkeviča, Artistic Director of Liepāja 2027.
Eighteen projects were submitted to the competition, from which eleven were selected for support.
- SIA “Liepaja Music” has received 2,997 euros to implement the project “Curonian Hook. An Adventure with the Sounds and Flavours of Liepāja” at the Pegasus Courtyard venue. Visitors can expect gastronomic performances, interactive installations, extraordinary lighting design, and a musical programme in which traditional motifs blend with contemporary rhythms.
- SIA “Šarmants” will add its own groove beats to the opening programme with “Liepāja 2027: Latvian Retro Groove Afterparty” at the “Bankhaus” cultural venue – a vinyl night featuring a selection of Latvian funk and popular music from the 1970s and 1980s, played from original recordings. Set design and performative elements inspired by retro aesthetics will create a multi-layered experience that brings Latvia’s popular music heritage to life. The project has received 3,000 euros in funding.
- The Roman Garden Art Gallery will host the concert “Troubadour. Stop: Liepāja”, organised by the Austra Society. The concert will highlight Liepāja’s importance in the development of the Latvian singer-songwriter movement and honour the legacy of Austra Pumpure. Performers include Juris Hiršs, Anta Eņģele, and Ieva Akuratere, alongside new-generation singer-songwriter Reinis Jaunais and Lithuanian artist Darius Žvirblis. Funding allocated: 3,000 euros.
- The “Wiktorija” cultural centre will host a Vinyl Record Party at which various DJs will perform exclusively from vinyl records. DJ Eduards Švāns, Mixmeistari AG and Raitis, and the local group Aldis Ermanbriks with DJ KisMel and DJ Enkurs will join the stage. The evening will be complemented by a vinyl market and a discussion on vinyl culture in Latvia. Implemented by SIA “Wiktorija”, the project has received 2,820 euros in support.
- SIA “Parka Paviljons” will present the sound and light performance “Winter in the Park” in the Seaside Park. Artist Marta Kauliņa-Pelnēna will take pavilion’s guests on a musical journey using a vibraphone, gong, piano, and other instruments, while a visual environment created by lighting artist Mārtiņš Feldmanis will transform the performance into a meditative, sensory experience. Funding awarded: 2,870 euros.
- The association “Cita Abra” has received 3,000 euros to organise the audiovisual performance “The Invisible Forest” at the “Kursa” club. The main highlight of the performance is the live creation of a large-format painting by Portuguese artist Pedro Leitão, to which experimental musician Maksims Šenteļevs will respond with an improvised soundscape, reacting both to the visual process and to the space itself. Audiences will witness the interplay of visual art and experimental music in real time.
- Organised in collaboration with the “Sventāja” Association, the folklore karaoke event “Sing Your (Un)rest” will take place at the “Sventāja” cultural venue. Five different artists will lead thematic musical cycles, all culminating in a joint improvisation that reveals the living, changing, and unifying nature of traditional culture. Allocated co-financing: 3,000 euros.
- “Cukurfabrik`” nightclub guests are invited to a hip-hop night featuring DJ Ed Veto and the band”MUUD “. Meanwhile dancers from the Liepāja dance studio “Spice” and graffiti works by emerging artist Tils Martuzāns will together create a multi-layered street culture experience, complemented by educational content on the history of hip-hop. The project is implemented by SIA “Tiamo grupa” and has received 2,992 euros in funding.
- At the Typography Creative Quarter, SIA “ODD Reality” will present “(pause)rest” – a multimedia project of poetry, music, and video projection. Drawing on the Liepāja 2027 programme themes “European Dream”, “Port Paradox”, and “New Eyes”, the work offers a contemporary reflection in digital form on the city, its people, and the pursuit of inner harmony. The project has secured 3,000 euros in support.
- At the Karosta Chamber Hall, audiences are invited to the “Hear, hear, Karosta” concerts. The programme features original songs by Tipa and pianist Matīss Barons, alongside a classical programme performed by pianist Viktorija Gaiķe and cellist Krišjānis Gaiķis. The project will be implemented by the association “Baringtons K2”. Funding allocated: 2,000 euros.
- The “LNT Pagrabiņš” independent theatre at 13 Bāriņu Street, will stage the performance “Two to Liepāja”. Based on the anthology “On the Way to Liepāja”, it explores the daily lives, characters, and relationships of Liepāja’s residents. Submitted by the association “Liepāja Independent Theater”, the project has received 1,321 euros in co-financing.
The projects were evaluated by a jury panel comprising: Baiba Bartkeviča, Artistic Director of Liepāja 2027; Diāna Daiva Priediena, Producer of Liepāja 2027; Mārtiņš Jansons, Technical Director of Liepāja 2027; Nauris Lazdāns, Deputy Director of the Liepāja Culture Department; and Jānis Šipkēvics, Chairman of the Board of Radio SWH and Ambassador of Liepāja 2027.
As previously reported, this open call was made to boost the creation of new cultural and entertainment events for the Liepāja 2027 opening programme on 23 January 2027, thereby enriching the cultural offering to all who will attend the opening weekend. Events may be organised in indoor venues, recreational and dining areas, and other publicly accessible locations within the urban environment.
More about the competition.
The (un)rest programme of Liepāja – European Capital of Culture 2027 is implemented by the Liepāja 2027 Foundation, with funding allocated by the City of Liepāja, the South Kurzeme and Kuldīga municipalities, and the Ministry of Culture. The “Liepāja 2027” programme is supported by its main partner in environmental education and sustainability, AS “CleanR Grupa”, Jsc; its main partner in air mobility and international communications, AS “airBaltic Corporation”, Jsc; and its land mobility partner, SIA “Lux Express Latvia”, Ltd. Media partners: VSIA “Latvijas Sabiedriskais medijs”, Ltd. and AS “Kurzemes Radio”, Jsc.
For more information:
Foundation Liepāja 2027
Project Manager
Estere Graumane
Phone: + 371 29 666 182
E-mail: estere.graumane@liepaja2027.lv
