Back to bars

The pandemic is over, while no one knows what is next though. Nevertheless Riga spots were revitalised a bit by a flow of people and have opened their doors to the visitors. Some time ago Expats in Riga wrote about places, where it is possible to listen to the music, grab a drink, and meet nice people. Here is a new version of the article, where we would like to remind you about the venues, which you might be missing during the lockdown. 1. Aleponija. It is a place on Birznieka Upisa street. A bit dark place, with an interior […]

MicroFindings – Ezītis Miglā in Purvciems

Expats in Riga starts a new column called MicroFindings. Since Riga is not only the city centre, but also its various districts, which are also called microdistricts, Expats in Riga decided to explore various blocks in these areas of Riga, such as Purvciems, Imanta, Ziepniekkalns, and others, in order to find interesting spots, which add a city trace to the suburbs and are worth visitings in case you are not heading to the city centre one day. Today’s finding is a bar Ezītis miglā (“A hedhehog in fog”, if translated from Latvian to English) located in a living massive of […]

A free second-hand

FreeRiga is not only a name of a n entire movement, but also a reality. A new initiative Brīvbode (“A free store”) is clothes and utensils exchange point. So far there are two of these located in two parts of Riga, namely at Turgeņeva street, 13, and in Ciekurkalns district, at Viskaļu street, 36. It is possible to bring good quality things there, which are not needed to the donators as well as to take something from the assortment, formed by others absolutely for free. An initiative is aimed at social layers, which experience financial difficulties. People can come to […]

Artisanal Riga

Visiting Latvia as an expat and staying for longer than just a couple of days as a tourist allows to better understand Latvian culture, traditions, and mentality. An intense work, however, does not always give an opportunity to spend endless hours on studying these. Expats in Riga project has prepared this short article about Latvian artisanal industry in order to tell about its uniqueness and value as well as to suggest considering the pieces of artisanal art as great presents for family members, relatives, or friends, left in a home country. Those who have already visited Old Riga, might have […]

Medieval symbolism and necessity: Riga roosters

One of the symbols, often associated with Riga, especially its Old part, is a rooster. Anyone hanging around Old town and looking around and above will notice golden roosters on the tops of churches scattered through Old Riga. Rooster, a very old symbol of Riga with its decorative role nowadays, had a functional purpose before – since the 15th century it served also as a weather vane. Since Riga has always been a port city, its economic activity many centuries ago depended on the weather conditions, and the weather wanes were a tool for getting a weather forecast on a daily […]

Creative quarters of Riga

As a text on one of the posters glued to the wall of Andrejsala Singalong hostel in 2007 said, ”You can stay here forever if you succeed”. This is an utopian idea behind the creative quarters philosophy, which usually contradicts with the concept of creative quarters and their role in the society and urban development in the world. Riga, as many other cities in the world, like New York, London, Berlin or Stockholm, has and has had creative quarters in its various areas during different periods of time. Creative quarters are city districts, which initially are in condition lacking development, […]

The art of light festival

The last quarter of the year while approaching winter holidays, hosts one more worth to mention event, which annually takes place in Riga. It is called Staro Rīga and it is dedicated to the art of light, literally translated as Lights Riga. This year, at already the 11th festival it will be possible to observe 43 light objects around Riga. Staro Rīga is known outside Latvia among tourists and artists. This time artists from France, Germany, Portugal, Japan, and Netherlands were invited for collaboration. This year the festival will happen on the 16th, 17th, 18th, and 19th of November and […]

History hunters. A review on flea markets in Riga.

Flea market is a place where it is possible to exchange money for an item with a history. Among many simple and sophisticated, antique and vintage items one can find there a piece for oneself. The sellers know their products well and stand near them like the conjuring magicians who send you a message – do not pass by, just look. And it is true that it is possible here to immerse yourself into the world of strangers’ stories, where one of them will seem to be in tune with yours – you only just need to take a closer […]