There’s no better time to visit Latvia’s seductive capital than during its Staro Rīgā festival, when the city gets a coat of changing colors, and music and laughter fill up the streets. Yes, it’s that time of the year again, when lighting artists from all over the country decorate Riga’s landmarks with remarkable light graffitis.
This is the forth edition of the festival, which was first organized in 2008, and this year’s theme is Urban stories. If you want to plan your visit around the festival, the dates are 17 to 20 November. Make sure you book your hotel in Riga in time as well, as many foreign artists, and Latvian artists who are not residents of Riga, will participate.
Staro Riga 2010, The Three brother's labyrinth - photo courtesy Eduard Kreis
The festival grows every year, with more participants, inspiring even local businesses to lit their facades to welcome visitors with a story of color and light. The number of artist participants is growing with each year – 27 light objects were submitted in the first year, while in 2010 this number grew to 75. Even more are expected this year, and in addition, the organizers have invited everyone in advertising, media, public relations, digital media and specialised agencies to submit their art object designs for outdoor advertising stands. Their winning entries will compose a special light festival Staro Rīga route.
Tomorrow, Riga 2014, which is the organization behind the project, organizes the Staro Riga Think Tank, a creative workshop where the students from Latvian universities, under management or internationally recognised artists, will generate ideas for improving the atmosphere in dark areas of Riga using a creative approach and development of interactive objects. It is planned that some of the objects will already be implemented this year during the Light Festival Staro Rīga from 17 to 20 November.
Till the festival, we leave you with one of the best entries of 2010: