The Liepāja 2027 Foundation has concluded its co-funding competition for cultural events that will become part of the “Liepāja – European Capital of Culture 2027” programme. Of the 27 project proposals submitted, nine have been selected for support, with a total of 352,793 euros allocated for their implementation.
“As we edge closer to the launch of Liepāja 2027, the contours of the programme are coming into our focus, showing how all these partnerships and initiatives become a single shared narrative – the story of (un)rest,” says Baiba Bartkeviča, Artistic Director of Liepāja 2027. “A programme like this can only ever be created together, letting distinct voices, experiences, and ideas mingle and enrich one another. These nine projects bring fresh perspectives while effortlessly building on the themes we’ve been exploring all along – the city’s paradoxes, our bond with nature, industrial heritage, the European dimension, and shared community life. It’s exactly what defines the “(un)rest” programme, which we look forward to revealing to the public on 9 October.”
The newly supported projects will complement five already existing: “Opening”, “Europe Day”, “Nordic Solstice”, “No More Heavy Metal” and “Poetry Days”.
The Aizpute Renaissance Society will stage “Our Place. Our Story of European (un)rest” – the official opening event for “Liepāja – European Capital of Culture 2027” in Aizpute. Taking place on 22 January 2027, the programme will bring together an interactive exhibition titled “European (un)rest in South Kurzeme”, an audio walk called “Right Across the Street”, a concert-story “Our (un)rest Europe”, and a collective letter to Europe written by young people from South Kurzeme. The event will mark the beginning of the European Capital of Culture year across the region, spotlighting South Kurzeme’s identity and its rightful place within the European cultural landscape. The project has received funding of 18,000 euros.
The following evening, on 23 January 2027, Liepāja’s own opening celebrations will continue with the “Night of Restless (un)rest Dance”, organised by SIA “Bang”. Once the official opening ceremony is over, the area around Rožu Square will be transformed into an open-air dance floor, with artists from Latvia, the Baltic states and across Europe performing until dawn. The project has been awarded 79,970 euros.
On 9 May 2027, SIA “Šarmants” will deliver “Europe Day 2027”, a public engagement, cultural and educational event celebrating Europe’s shared values. The main activities will take place in Liepāja, with additional events extending into South Kurzeme and Kuldīga. Funding of 24,953 euros has been allocated to the project.
Within the “Nordic Solstice” project cluster, the association “Ascendum” – working with the magazines “Satori” and “Tvērums” – will run a science-fiction writing residency, described as a “solarpunk” camp, offering participants workshops in prose, experimental and theoretical writing. The project has received 15,000 euros in funding.
The Latvian Nature Fund will also contribute to “Nordic Solstice” through the “Meadow Festival”, a nature education and public engagement event exploring the ecological importance of natural meadows alongside their deep connection to Latvian culture, tradition and folk song. This project has been awarded 30,000 euros.
Another event comes from the Latvian Sauna and SPA Association, who will organise “Hear, Hear – Nature Hums!”, an international festival of traditional Nordic wellness practices in South Kurzeme. It will bring together sauna masters, herbal medicine experts, researchers, artists and community representatives from Latvia and other Northern European countries, focusing on Nordic wellbeing traditions and intangible cultural heritage. Funding of 59,900 euros has been allocated.
As part of the “No More Heavy Metal” festival, VSIA “Rīgas cirks” Rīga Circus will bring the contemporary circus programme titled “Melting Shop Live” as a nod to the place. Across six performances, the circus will invite people to rediscover the former “Liepājas Metalurgs” steel plant site as a space where industrial heritage, memory and future possibility converge. By combining international cooperation, local community and the art of contemporary circus, the programme offers a multifaceted reflection on processes of transformation. The project has received 50,000 euros.
The association “I DID IT” will contribute a complementary arts and engagement programme to the same festival, staged on the former “Liepājas Metalurgs” site. Four interconnected events will take place there: the co-creative installations “Community Mechanism” and “Roots”, together with two participatory installations by Catalan artists, “Orkestronia” and “Titeritu”. This project has been awarded 49,980 euros.
As part of the 2027 “Poetry Days”, SIA “Liepaja Music” will organise “(in)bound for Poetry”, a creative expedition for children. A dedicated camp for pre-school and primary-school children will be set up in Seaside Park, Liepāja, where literature meets nature, art, music and collaborative play, inviting children to experience poetry as something alive and shared. The project has received 24,990 euros in funding.
All projects were assessed by an evaluation panel comprising musicologist, lecturer, producer and cultural worker Dace Bluķe; Estere Graumane, representing Liepāja 2027; Andra Rutkēviča, representing the Ministry of Culture; Nauris Lazdāns, representing Liepāja Municipality; Kristīne Afanasjeva, representing Kuldīga Municipality; Linards Tiļugs, representing South Kurzeme Municipality; and artist and curator Ieva Rubeze.
The competition’s advisory board included Baiba Bartkeviča, Artistic Director of Liepāja 2027; Anna Priedola, representing both Liepāja 2027 and the RTU Liepāja Faculty of New Media Art and Design; Iveta Gabaliņa, art curator and representative of the ISSP; and Edgars Niklasons, representing the Liepāja Puppet Theatre.
The competition set out to provide financial support for projects that would enrich the “Liepāja – European Capital of Culture 2027” programme with contemporary, artistically ambitious cultural events. In assessing the submissions, particular attention was paid to the promotion of international cooperation, the potential to attract new audiences, and alignment with core European values. Following evaluation, three sections of the competition concluded without a result: the gastronomic programme and the social gathering calls as part of the conversation and gastronomy festival “At the Happy Table”, and the youth forum “Future Institute”.
The Liepāja – European Capital of Culture 2027 programme is delivered by the Liepāja 2027 Foundation, the City of Liepāja and official partners – the South Kurzeme and Kuldīga municipalities, with the co-founding from the Ministry of Culture. The “Liepāja 2027” programme is supported by its main partner in environmental education and sustainability, AS “CleanR Grupa”; its main partner in air mobility and international communications, AS “airBaltic Corporation”; its partner in legal matters SIA “Sorainen ZAB”, its land mobility partner, SIA “Lux Express Latvia”; alongside its maritime mobility and international communication partner SIA “Stena Line”. Our media partners are: VSIA “Latvijas Sabiedriskais medijs”; SIA “Žurnāls Santa”; SIA “Tvnet grupa”; and AS “Kurzemes Radio”.
Released by:
Foundation Liepāja 2027
Public relations specialist
Kristiāna Paula Lībiete
Phone: + 371 22 355 771
E-mail: kristiana.libiete@liepaja2027.lv
