As music, dance, visual art and performance intertwined with stories about the upcoming events, the evening revealed the broad scope of the programme: more than 500 cultural events are planned in Liepāja and in the South Kurzeme and Kuldīga municipalities, involving several hundred artists and creative professionals from more than 45 countries. Throughout the year, the diverse programme will offer concerts, exhibitions, festivals, theatre and dance productions, performances and new works created especially for the European Capital of Culture year, inviting people to discover Liepāja and the region anew and carrying its name ever further into the world.
The programme's leitmotif, "(un)rest", reflects both the character of Liepāja and the entire region – bold, energetic and always on the move – and the world we live in, as we search for a balance between rest and (un)rest, the known and the yet undiscovered. This idea runs through the programme's five thematic lines – "European Dream" (Eiropas sapnis), "Creative Foresight" (Radošā tālnojauta), "Port Paradox" (Pilsēta paradokss), "New Eyes" (Jaunatklāj vietējo) and "Deliberate Modesty" (Apzinātā mērenība) – through which the programme addresses the region's identity and history, issues of importance to Europe, social and environmental change, and the future of art, technology and creativity.
"'Liepāja 2027' is a journey we have been taking for several years together with artists, thinkers and partners both in Latvia and across Europe. Today we can see how the ideas that have emerged along the way come together in one diverse programme. The restless force of '(un)rest' inspires us to see the local with new eyes, to recognise the paradoxes of Liepāja and, at the same time, to look beyond the horizon – to be part of the European conversation about freedom, democracy and our shared future. It encourages us to be mindful of the natural resources of the land of (un)rest, seeking deliberate modesty in our relationship with the environment and with one another. Creative foresight is also important in the programme – the ability to think already today about how the ideas, knowledge and collaborations born at this time will be carried forward. I invite you to be part of this journey – to watch, listen, take part and create together!" says Baiba Bartkeviča, Artistic Director of "Liepāja 2027".
The events of the European Capital of Culture year will span a wide range of genres, from music, visual and performing arts to contemporary dance, community projects and cultural heritage. The year of art will begin as early as 22–24 January with an opening programme in Liepāja and in the South Kurzeme and Kuldīga municipalities. At its culmination on 23 January, Liepāja will be transformed into a living cultural stage with events throughout the city – the outdoor concert performance "City Symphony" (Pilsētas simfonija), directed by Oscar winner Matīss Kaža, and the opening concert-ceremony at the Great Amber Concert Hall, where "Wind Symphony" (Vēju simfonija), written especially for the occasion by composer Ēriks Ešenvalds, will be performed.
In spring, one of the highlights will be the Lithuanian opera-performance "Sun & Sea", winner of the Golden Lion at the Venice Art Biennale, which in April, on an artificial beach created at the Great Amber Concert Hall, will address the climate crisis, consumer habits and the human relationship with the environment.
In summer, Liepāja will become a meeting place for several major European cultural and music events. In July, the Great Amber Concert Hall will host the competition for young classical musicians "Eurovision Young Musicians", continuing the tradition of holding it in European Capitals of Culture. In August, "Europa Cantat 2027" will bring together more than 3,000 singers, conductors, music educators and music lovers from Europe and other countries around the world in Liepāja.
Liepāja's industrial heritage will play a special role in the summer programme. In July, the former "Liepājas Metalurgs" site will be transformed into a space for music and art during the festival "No More Heavy Metal" (Ardievas smagajam metālam), bringing together contemporary circus, street art, creative workshops, and experimental and electronic music. The industrial site will also host a special Liepāja edition of the experimental music festival "Sound Forest" (Skaņu mežs), while in cooperation with the Berlin electronic music platform HÖR Berlin, a live broadcast from Liepāja will reach an international audience.
Art will also find its way into other unusual urban locations: the Bank House (Bankas māja) will host the first solo exhibition in the Baltics by acclaimed Japanese artist Chiharu Shiota, the dry dock of the Tosmare Shipyard will be the venue for the exhibition "Certain Uncertainty" (Noteikta nenoteiktība), while "Locus Mundi" will inhabit the Kursa Net Workshop (Kursas tīklu māja), a seaside industrial site, and Liepāja railway station. A number of events will also take place outside traditional cultural venues – in parks, gardens, courtyards and on the beach.
The programme will reach far beyond Liepāja, also covering the South Kurzeme and Kuldīga municipalities. In Grobiņa, the living history festival "Seeburg 2027" will combine science with the chance to experience Viking Age history, while in Alsunga the ethno-music festival "Alksnis" will bring together the traditions of the Suiti cultural space and contemporary ethno-music from Latvia and other countries. In Kuldīga Municipality, contemporary art will also enter the urban environment and places that have so far received less attention, offering a fresh look at the region's identity, people and cultural space.
In autumn, "Liepāja Art Forum 2027" (Liepājas mākslas forums 2027) will take centre stage on the international contemporary art scene. At its opening, world-renowned Japanese audiovisual artist Ryoichi Kurokawa will present the performance "Subassemblies", for which the artist drew visual inspiration from the Karosta forts. The forum will also feature the first-ever performance in Latvia by one of the world's leading contemporary music ensembles, "Ensemble Intercontemporain", premiering a new work by Latvian composer Linda Leimane, as well as the internationally acclaimed dance company "Sasha Waltz & Guests".
At the end of the year, the baton will symbolically be passed to the younger generation – in November, at the festival "Future Institute" (Nākotnes institūts), young people themselves will create the closing event of the European Capital of Culture year, bringing together fashion, music, dance and art in one place.
"The European Capital of Culture year is not just a story about one very rich cultural programme. Equally important is what this process gives people and the region in the long term: new skills and collaborations, closer ties with partners in Europe, and opportunities for young people, communities and volunteers to get involved in cultural life. We want this year to become an impetus for a stronger cultural environment and for new places and experiences that make people want to come back here. It is an opportunity to show Liepāja and the entire region to Europe, but at the same time also to see anew and appreciate for ourselves the place where we live," says Inta Šoriņa, Chair of the Board of the Liepāja 2027 Foundation.
Part of what is achieved during "Liepāja 2027" will be lasting. Local communities, young people, volunteers, artists and representatives of the creative industries are being involved in shaping and delivering the programme, while also strengthening the professional capacity of the cultural sector and international cooperation. So far, 25% of Liepāja residents have been involved in the process of creating the European Capital of Culture. Its footprint will remain visible after 2027 as well – in the urban environment, in new collaborations and in opportunities to experience Liepāja and the region from a different perspective.
Most "Liepāja 2027" events will be free of charge, while ticket sales for paid events will open gradually, and tickets for some of them are already available. From 13 October, tickets will also go on sale for the "Liepāja 2027" opening concert-ceremony at the Great Amber Concert Hall. Information about the programme and individual events will be updated regularly and will be available at liepaja2027.lv and on "Liepāja 2027" social media. Follow the latest news from "Liepāja 2027" by subscribing to the newsletter.
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 co-funding from 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; its partner in legal matters SIA "Sorainen ZAB", Ltd; its land mobility partner, SIA "Lux Express Latvia", Ltd; alongside its maritime mobility and international communication partner SIA "Stena Line", Ltd. The Foundation's media partners are: VSIA "Latvijas Sabiedriskais medijs", Ltd; SIA "Žurnāls Santa", Ltd; SIA "Tvnet grupa", Ltd; and AS "Kurzemes Radio", Jsc.
