THE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE

 
Some nations rally around football, while others centre their bonding on famous battles. For their part, Latvians feel the greatest sense of togetherness while singing.
In July, Riga will play host to the biggest display of this vocal habit. Held every five years, the Song Festivals (or "song celebrations") literally bring the nation together to make beautiful music and are a showcase of Latvia’s finest cultural offerings.
 
Folk songs have been central to the lives of rural Latvians since time immemorial, and in the mid 19th century they played a crucial role in forging national identity. In 1873, 45 choirs from across Latvia gathered in Riga to hold a parade, engage in singing contests and join in a mass concert at the end. Despite some very bumpy history, these traditions have continued ever since.
 
VOICES OF FREEDOM
 
Under Soviet rule, the authorities tried to coopt the festivals for their own ideology, but in their hearts Latvians knew which songs were important to them and gained strength and hope from the concerts. Mass folk dancing displays also became cherished parts of the event.
 
The highlight of every festival is the closing concert, where almost every choir in Latvia gets together at the open air auditorium in Riga’s Mezaparks suburb. The biggest ever such ensemble, with 20,399 singers, performed at the 1990 song festival, was held at the height of the independence movement and involved exiled Latvians for the fist time since World War II.
 
There won’t be quite that many voices this year, but over 38,000 people will participate in the event as a whole.
 
UNESCO RECOGNITION
 
Since independence, the festivals have won international recognition, and in 2003 they were included on the UNESCO Masterpieces of Oral and Intangible Cultural Heritage list together with the Estonian and Lithuanian song and dance traditions. At the same time, they have become broader celebrations of music, with this year's offerings including brass bands, performances by kokles (traditional Latvian harps), as well as special concerts for Latvia’s ethnic minorities and foreign choirs.
 
BIGGER THAN THE USA
 
Whit Bernard is an outsider right in the thick of things. An American music student who came to Latvia on a Fulbright scholarship to research the history of music in the USSR in the late 1980s, he became so engrossed in the subject that he has joined not one but two choirs. One of these, Kamer, is an international award winning group that is expected to win this year’s competition to find Latvia’s best choir. He is impressed by how deeply rooted music is in Latvia, and the organic way it brings people together.
 
"It’s an amazing opportunity for me to see music on a scale I’ve never encountered before," Bernard said. "Choral music in the US is a part of the art culture, but here it’s at the centre of popular culture."
 
VILLAGE PEOPLE
 
Every village and town sends a choir or dance group to Riga for the festival, and these ensembles play a vital social role in often poor communities. Agita Ikauniece, one of the chief conductors for the closing concert, believes that the quality of the participants is better than ever this year, despite a chronic problem of getting men involved in as large numbers as women. Conversely, she herself is breaking gender barriers as conducting tends to be a male business, and it is certainly unusual for someone to get the job in their thirties. This will be Ikauniece’s second festival waving the baton, but she doesn’t see any difference in trying to get the best out of several dozen singers or a few thousand. And while she doesn’t play down all the sweat involved in getting such a huge event together, she stresses that taking part is a reward in itself.
 
"Honestly, sometimes getting to the festival, learning the difficult songs, going to all the rehearsals can be a chore," she said. "But we do it because we want to experience the indescribable sensations, to feel the emotional uplift that stays with you for a very long time afterwards."
 

Since 2005 Riga Out There has been providing some of the most action packed and thrilling corporate event agencies looking for something to make their trip to Riga one to remember. The best way to travel in Riga is to let Riga Out There organise it for you! Our professional and personable team is based in Latvia and because we deal directly with our activity providers on a daily basis, we are able to offer you unmatched value for money. In fact, there are so many things to do in Riga that we have a whole section dedicated to it, be sure to check out our Riga activities section!

Some of the most fun activities to do in Riga include AK Shooting, Bobsleigh and Freefall Simulator these action packed activities are sure to leave a memorable impression on your trip to Riga. If you’re not looking for adventure things to do then some of our more cultural tours and excursions in Riga provide a great alternative, the attractions in Riga are amongst some of the best in Northern Europe with the National Opera and Theatre holding performances most weekends. When you’re looking for things to do in Riga look no further than Riga Out There, our team of local experts is on hand to help you with all your questions about Fun activities to do in Riga. We promise that a weekend with Riga Out There means expert planning and execution of your activities in Riga, our service is a cost effective way to make the most of your time in this city.

There are a number of excursion in Latvia that are outside of Riga, the adrenaline capital of Sigulda is home to the Bungee Jump, Bobsleigh Track, and 4x4 Off Road experience all of these fun activities are within an hours drive of Riga and provide a perfect option when looking for adventure things to do.  As a former Soviet State, Lativa also provides some unique opportunities to see what went on behind the Iron Curtain with excursion in Riga and surrounding areas to the Nuclear Bunker and Soviet prison experience these attractions in Riga are amongst some of the most interesting soviet tours in Europe.

If you’re visiting Riga in a group of 10 or more then our group excursions in Riga are perfect for you, have you ever tried Curling? This is one on the most fun activities to do as a group in Riga; other things to do in Riga as a group are Paintballing, Go-karting and Clay Pigeon Shooting, either way Riga Out There can provide excursions in Riga for groups of 6 and up. When you book a fun activity with the Riga Out There team, we provide you with return transfers to your hotel and English speaking guide who will give you important and useful information on Riga’s famous nightlife, don’t just take our word for it, check out our testimonials from happy clients that have tried and tested all the fun activities you can do in Riga.  

So if you’re still looking for things to do in Riga look no further…send us your enquiry form or call us to discuss your weekend in Riga, we look forward to hearing from you and helping to plan a trip that you will remember forever.