Karosta Festival returns for the fifth time

This year, the Karosta Festival is going to take place for the fifth time and is looking forward to presenting a diverse programme, including the now traditional artists’ plein air and vintage car parade, along with a number of new activities.

Both Latvian and foreign artists are expected at the festival this year. Element-ton, the artist from the Karosta, will once again add a new large-scale mural to the Karosta urban landscape. The launch event is set for Friday, 9 June, at Liepāja’s 3rd Primary School, featuring painting by Italian artist Daniela Nasoni. Afterwards, the artist residency at the Karosta Water Supply Tower with four outstanding Latvian artists – Līga Ķempe, Gunta Lante, Klāvs Loris and Egons Peršēvics – will be officially inaugurated. On Friday, a brand-new venue for the Karosta Festival will be revealed at the “Atmodas Dārzs” /Awakening Garden/, featuring three artists painting murals – Cake from Peru, Nō from France, and Syed from Pakistan.

Rekha Sameer from India will create a mural in Redan and Vilma Leino from Finland will photograph her works inside a cell in the Karosta Prison. Clara Cabrera, a Spanish artist based in Liepāja, will be showing her works made in Liepāja in the Karosta Prison, as well as painting a new piece exclusively for the festival.

In Redan, Iveta Trence from the social enterprise “0 Design” will be creating an installation “Stray Dog of the Karosta” using paper stock.  

A number of performance artists will take part in the Karosta Festival – Kathleen Doherty from Ireland, Agnė Muralytė from Lithuania and Jordina Ros and Pere Estadella from Spain.

This year, we will be joined by Liepāja school students, taking part in the “KRĒSLS RELOADED” campaign /CHAIR RELOADED/. The chairs made by the school students will be on display in Redan.

On Saturday, 10 June, one of the highlights will take place on the square at the end of Katedrāles Street, featuring a vintage car parade through the Karosta. Smaller residents of Liepāja can also join the electric car races this year. At night, vintage car and motorbike enthusiasts will gather in Redan for an opening of artworks, performances, a concert, a party and, finally, an electronic music night.

The afternoon at the Redan will include a programme for children. This year we will be joined by the animal protection association LIBERTA. Its team helps animals every day throughout their lives to change their fates, to save those who have been abandoned, to find homes for those who have become unwanted and forgotten. Redan visitors will have the opportunity to meet, see and cuddle the animals up for adoption.

On Sunday, 11 June, two extraordinary concerts will take place at two extraordinary venues in Karosta. One at “Arsenāls”, featuring a musical performance in collaboration with one of the festival artists by musicians and producers Valdis Skarevičs and Roberts Dinters. Since 2015, they have been teaming up in the subjectively experimental, free improvisational electronic music project “Nejauši”.

The second concert will take place in one of the finest buildings of the tsarist times in Karosta, located at Pulkveža Brieža Street 1, restored by Lithuanian conductor Rasa Gelgote, herself half-Liepāja resident now. Since Rasa’s whole family is involved in music, so it’s not surprising that the beautiful building also accommodates a small concert hall. Sunday’s concert will feature Giedrius Gelgotas (flute) and Gunta Gelgote (soprano).

The festival is organised by the Karosta Rescue Society and financially supported by the Liepāja City Municipality.

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