News

Where rest meets unrest, stories are born. In the spirit of this paradox, the Liepāja 2027 Foundation invites bold ideas for cultural tourism through its open competition “Land of (Un)rest, Tell Us Stories!” – a call to reimagine how visitors experience the region during Liepāja’s year as European Capital of Culture. Deadline for submissions: 23:59 on 1 December 2025.

On October 14, a traditional cultural breakfast took place at the Kazdanga Culture House, where we gathered in a warm and creative atmosphere with cultural leaders from across South Kurzeme.

This dynamic and collaborative program gathered urban practitioners from ten countries — including Portugal, Ireland, Italy, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Lithuania, Greece, Turkey, and Latvia — to explore innovative approaches to citizen engagement in urban mobility.

The agreement confirms a shared commitment to strengthen culture and education, foster professional growth, build international exchange, and deepen civic engagement in the run-up to Liepāja’s year as European Capital of Culture.

On Monday, 6 October at 16:00, a memorandum of cooperation will be formally signed at the Liepāja Museum (Kūrmājas prospekts 16/18) between the Liepāja 2027 Foundation, the British Embassy in Latvia and the British Council in Latvia. The agreement will strengthen collaboration in the fields of culture, community engagement and civic activity.

Last weekend, on 27 September, Ambassadors of the 2027 European Capital of Culture initiative from across Latvia convened in Liepāja. The purpose of this gathering was to initiate the process of sharing insights on the programme of events that have been developed for 2027. These insights included discussions on the suitability of these events for various target audiences.

As part of the “Rokam roku” project, the ethno group “OGAS” creates arrangements of traditional Rucava songs in a rock music style, preserving the local dialect and highlighting the lives and experiences of the people of South Courland.

From September 23 to 25, Liepāja 2027 welcomes guests from Japan and the Netherlands, who represent the international network of arts organizations “Port Journeys”. The network brings together port municipalities from around the world to build relations based on cross-cultural exchange and to engage in creative community development, cultural facilities, and artists.

Since August 2022, every Monday in Liepāja has started with a special recommendation – a book that another Liepāja resident has read and suggests. Our recommenders are as diverse as the city itself – students and teachers, entrepreneurs and artists, librarians and musicians. So far, more than 150 Liepāja residents have shared their thoughts on literature!

On September 17, the President of Finland, Alexander Stubb, accompanied by his spouse, Suzanne Ines-Stubb, and the patron of Liepāja 2027 – the President of Latvia, Edgars Rinkēvičs – visited Liepāja. The visit highlighted the importance of culture and the strengthening of cooperation between Liepāja and Finland.