A Glimpse of the Riga City Festival

Although the festival events took place in several locations in central Riga, yesterday (22 August) we spent our time along the 11 November Embankment. There, of course, the main attention was concentrated around the vintage vehicles. Everyone (myself included) considered it a matter of honour to be photographed beside one of the retro cars. All were in good technical condition, polished and ready to hit the road (which they did, in an improvised rally to Saulkrasti). Some of the vehicles' owners had dressed to match their beloved cars - in a Soviet-era militia uniform, a Sherlock Holmes overcoat, or a US Army uniform.

The entire embankment was filled with vendors' tents. It was pleasing that at the city festival specifically Latvian artisans' and producers' goods were on sale - there was none of the imported Chinese or Thai rubbish. Festival participants and guests could purchase various fragrant, originally shaped home-produced soaps (including goat's milk soap), linen and woollen items, woven baskets and ceramic pottery, silver and bronze jewellery, and scarves. For the stomach's delight there were various smoked goods, grilled sausages, and beer - brewed by Aldaris, Līvu Alus, and Lāčplēsis.

Among the items for sale we also noticed modern-day "Baibiņas" - essentially Barbie dolls dressed in Latvian folk costumes. Hmm - whatever happened to our own home-grown fair-haired girls?

There was no shortage of various attractions, rides, and competitions to take part in. Weight-ball lifting competitions were also held along the embankment, and strongmen competed in lifting and carrying various heavy loads.

On Andrejsala, though, we found nothing of the promised festival events - but we did visit the Museum of Naïve Art.

More about what was seen, enjoyed, and bought in the photo gallery: