The contemporary arts forum White Night (Baltā Nakts) presents art, theatre, music,
movement and other art projects and performances. Every year White Night is organized all over the city at the end of August/beginning of September. ‘White Night 2011’ will be here on 10th of September. More than 65 art, music, theater, survival, performance
events in former factory VEF, Spikeri, Miera street, Old Town, and the centre of Riga
and in suburbs. Enjoy the beauty of arts all night long for free, heading form one place to
another! White Night forum is organized by Riga City Council Department of Culture in
cooperation with the active Latvian cultural organizations, involving a number of Latvian
and foreign artists. The city’s cafes, galleries, bookstores, clubs and other establishments
take an active part in the forum.
„White Night” is part of the joint “European White Nights” project by Brussels, Madrid,
Paris, Riga and Rome. This idea is also adopted by Amsterdam, Bucharest, Porto and
Valletta (Malta), as well as Toronto, Tokyo, Montreal, Chicago and other cities.

www.li.lv/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=283&Itemid=1

* Kristine is our Been there local for Riga. Her page is here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/riga-local-kristine.jsp and she has her own blog here: www.friendinriga.blogspot.com

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Istaba (the Room) is an art gallery, shop and restaurant. The small gallery shop will make you wonder – you can find there things from greeting cards to tableware, jewelery, matches, souvenirs, home design objects etc, all created by local artists. Monthly exhibitions to highlight different types of art work are organized here, so what will you see when you come depends on the exhibition which is currently on. If you are searching for original gifts or souvenirs, this place is just perfect – no trite nonsense or rubbish, but pure art even in small practical things!
If the shop already takes you into a little dream world where everything around you is a piece of art then the restaurant Istabas Bufete on the first floor allows you to dwell longer in this little La Boheme world. I think the best thing to order here is a glass of wine, although the food here is prepared by one of Latvia’s most popular local chefs Mārtiņš Sirmais. Here is just a small daily menu and if you want to eat something the chef himself will come and consult you what to order. That’s also the reason why it’s not possible to know how much money you have to take with you. You can get soup, fish, meat and vegetables for around 3 – 8Ls (£4-10) not the cheapest place, but the food there is always fresh, ecological and high quality – these are the values of the chef.
People admire or hate this place. Some of them go away from there totally unsatisfied with the service – no menu, no big choice, just what the chef offers, but mainly people leave with smiling faces and always return there to enjoy its atmosphere and celebrate life with a glass of wine and intellectual talks for hours.

Kr. Barona iela 31a
+ 371 6728 1141
Google map: bit.ly/oj5jqU

Google map: bit.ly/rmgNXj

Monday to Saturday: gallery-shop 12.00 – 20.00, restaurant: 12.00– 24.00,
Sunday – closed

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Cross the river Daugava, take a walk on the Stone Bridge - the view to Riga from there is wide and beautiful. On the other side of the river this summer until September is a creative sand sculpture park. It's not big, but worth seeing it.
"Magic Sand" is an international festival. In Riga you will see artwork by 12 professional world class sand masters. Sand sculpture park also offers to make your own sand sculpture (for additional fee), "Game Station" for children, workshops, early morning yoga classes and more. The view to Riga from there is wonderful – water, towers of the Old Town, bridges; and the atmosphere - meditative and peaceful. Artists working, and kids playing in a big sandbox. I also enjoyed playing with the sand!

www.magicsand.lv
+37129572828
The place: AB dam, right in front of the Old Town – the other side of the river, next to the Stone Bridge and Radisson Blu Daugava Hotel (Kuģu street)
Google map: bit.ly/pXq9yj
Entrance fee - 2Ls.
Working hours: every day till September 10AM - 9PM.

You can see pictures of the sand park in Kristine's blog: friendinriga.blogspot.com/2011/07/creative-sand-sculpture-park-magic-sand.html

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Andrejsala is the new, trendy district of Riga. If you are visiting Riga then ask around for information about any special parties, exhibitions or clubbing events being held in the bohemian port area of the Latvian capital.

www.andrejsala.lv/

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