EVENT GUIDE

ESTONIA
Sept. 9-11, Tallinn Marathon, Freedom Square, Tallinn
Tallinn Marathon — one of the largest running competitions in the region for amateurs as well as professional athletes, bringing over 20,000 runners from all over the world to Tallinn. More information on event program can be found at: www.jooks.ee

Sept. 12-18, XI Tallinn Design Festival, various locations around Tallinn
Taking place all over Tallinn, the renowned Estonian 11th annual design festival called Design Night promotes all aspects in the realm of design and serves as an introduction to the work of Estonian designers as well as a few shining stars from an international pool of talent. The entire city will be involved; everyone can participate as long as they have a spirit of experimentation and curiosity. During the festival, you can visit high-level exhibitions presenting design, showrooms, galleries, and exhibits by professionals and design schools. For detailed festival program and tickets please visit: www.tallinndesignfestival.com

Sept. 15, Light in the Kadriorg, Kadriorg Palace, Tallinn
At this one-night festival dedicated to light, everyone is welcome to attend and participate in everything for free! This family event is set in the romantic Kadriorg Park and features fireworks, torches, candles, concerts, Irish dancing, musical fireworks, and so much more. Hopefully, they’ll remove the swans from the pond before setting off the fireworks — or at least offer them earplugs and specially fitted welder’s masks. For more information on the event please visit: www.kadriorupark.ee

Sept. 18, Estonian Bread Day and Autumn Fair, Estonian Open Air Museum, Tallinn
No wonder that only in Estonia one can witness a large event dedicated to... bread. It makes sense as bread has been the main provider of sustenance for Estonians throughout history and whenever Estonians travel abroad they are often disappointed that they can’t find any “real bread.” This event is always a lot of fun though and has loads of vendors offering all sorts of authentic Estonian food and handicraft items. You can also have a look at what Estonians have eaten throughout history — but perhaps the best reason to attend is that you’ll have the opportunity to sample some fine, country-brewed beer. Additional information can be found at: www.evm.ee

LATVIA
Sept. 10, Riga Flea Market, Spikeri Creative Quarter and Promenade, Riga
The Riga open-air flea market takes place every Saturday in the Spikeri quarter, where you can find old knick-knacks and useful things, as well as original design objects, clothing, and fashion accessories. The market is set up in a spacious and cozy square within the quarter. Historically, Spikeri was made up of warehouses for goods to be sold in Riga, so this place isn’t foreign to merchants, and the market only revives that atmosphere. Here you can buy not only old-fashioned objects and vintage items of clothing, but also new works by young Latvian designers. Hurry up — the final flea market of the season will take place on Sept. 10 from 11a.m. till 4 p.m. Additional information is available at: www.spikeri.lv

Aug. 31-Sept. 11, Gastronomy Festival and Riga Food Fair, Kipsala International Exposition Centre, Riga
It’s time for gourmets and you can be one of them! Gastronomy Festival, an opening fringe event of Riga Food Fair 2016, is taking place from Aug. 31 to Sept. 11. During the festival, restaurants, cafes, bars, tea rooms, wine bars, patisseries, pizzerias, gourmet restaurants, and other culinary tourism destinations offer special prices, unconventional menus, great discounts, and excellent service. Riga Food Fair is an excellent event for those who love cooking as much as eating. All visitors will have a great opportunity to enjoy food and drinks and find out more about the eating-out culture, get inspiration from a diversity of menu ideas, taste new products, and watch professional chef, pastry cook, and bartender competitions, while the participants (professionals) will be welcome to show off their unique specialties and reveal coziness of their establishment, as well as derive ideas, knowledge and information for their further professional and business development. For more information please visit: www.rigafood.com

Sept. 8, Season Opening Gala Concert, Latvian National Opera House, Riga
The 2016/2017 season opening will be celebrated with a gala concert, featuring performances by favorite local opera and ballet soloists, as well as international performers. A preview of the forthcoming season’s productions will be presented to the audience. For more information on repertoire and schedule please visit: www.opera.lv

Sept. 10-11, White Night 2016, various locations in Riga
White Night is a modern urban culture forum — one night a year locals and tourists are invited to enjoy a vigil creativity aimed to change their perception of environment and cultural life. Metaphorically speaking, white nights mean “sleepless” nights, and this year as well in early September, everyone is cordially invited to join the crowd in experiencing a sleepless night full of surprises. A major nighttime event in Riga this year is the opening of the Sculpture-Quadriennale-Riga. The theme this time is Conservatism vs. Liberalism. The long list of entertainment includes contemporary art, music, and dance circus acts, and excursions into the sciences, literature, and philosophy. All White Night events can be attended free of charge and are hosted in different parts of the city. The most active locations this year are in and near the Spikeri Quarter, Old Town, Miera Street, the active centre of Riga as well as the left bank of River Daugava. White Night forum in Riga is organised by the City Council in co-operation with active Latvian culture organisations, including many Latvian and foreign artists. The forum is actively supported and joined by local cafes, galleries, bookstores, clubs, and other enterprises. More information about the forum and locations can be found at: www.baltanakts.lv

Sept. 14, Max Raabe and Palast Orchester, Riga Congress Centre
The ever-elegant musician is bringing to Latvia the concert program Eine Nacht in Berlin (A Night in Berlin), comprising compositions of the Weimar period in Germany in the 1920s and 1930s. Eine Nacht in Berlin is something far more than a concert — it is unforgettable emotions, a unique travel in time to witness artists perform original compositions from the 1920s and 1930s, as well as fitting arrangements of popular contemporary songs. Whenever Max Raabe and Palast Orchester perform, they earn critical acclaim and accolades, and such epithets as charm, intelligence, a unique show, refinement, and class radiated from the stage. For more information on concert go to: www.bilesuserviss.lv

Sept. 17, Riga Ball 2016, The House of Blackheads, Riga
Latvian singer Natalija Tumsevica and ballroom dance champion Vjaceslavs Visnakovs have joined forces to bring the grand cultural event, the Vienna Ball, to Riga. The ornate House of Blackheads in Old Town is perfectly suited for the Riga Ball — its interior creates the atmosphere of a grand-scale ball from the past. Fine dining from 36.Line Restaurant and specially chosen drinks from Noble Wine will be offered to treat guests, accompanied by live music performances all night long and an exquisite concert program. The event requires strict dress code — black tie for gents and ball gown for the ladies (floor-length). During the second part of the ball the guests will have a possibility, without leaving the dance floor, to enjoy the magic of such dances as quick and slow foxtrots, waltzes, tangos, rumba, cha-cha-cha, and samba. Tickets can be booked and purchased by calling +371 28100843 or writing to [email protected]

LITHUANIA
Sept. 6-24, International Early Music Festival Banchetto Musicale, the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania and the Franciscan Monastery Church, Vilnius
Now in its 26th year, the early music festival Banchetto Musicale is again greeting September with a rich menu of new ideas, extraordinary programs of music and dance, top performers, and stagings. Starting on Sept. 6, the festival will honour one of the greatest English poets and playwrights, William Shakespeare, on the 400th anniversary of his passing. Five concerts will present music that is associated with the poet’s name, his artistic legacy, and creative contexts. More information on the festival program and tickets is available at: www.bmfestival.lt

Sept. 10-11, Festival NowJapan 2016, Exhibition and Convention Centre Litexpo, Vilnius
NowJapan is a festival of traditional and contemporary Japanese and East Asian culture in Vilnius. This autumn, for the eighth time in a row, it will bring tons of extraordinary and unforgettable experience. The two-day adventure (Sept. 10 and 11) will cover the intrigue of nowadays Japan on a tremendously large scope. “The land of the rising sun” is not only about tea ceremony, geishas, or Samurai. There’s much more to it: cosplay, manga, anime, geek, eGames, otaku — these are the keywords to enter the Japan of today. This year, festival’s program gives special attention to families and the activities for family leisure time, offering anime, Japanese theatre for children, traditional crafts, origami, and mysterious calligraphy workshops. NowJapan festival will compound areas for everyone’s taste: Workshop space, Entertainment area, Art Alley, Cinema Hall, and, most importantly, the Grand Stage with amazing performances and notable presentations from Lithuanian and foreign speakers as well as Cosplay stars. Cosplay contest is the main feature of the festival, inviting contestants to make a costume, dress-up and impersonate their beloved characters from computer games, movies, anime, or manga comics. The best one gets a chance to represent Lithuania at the European cosplay convention in London! More information on the festival program is available at www.nowjapan.lt, and tickets can be purchased at:
 www.bilietupasaulis.lt

Sept. 11, Vilnius Marathon 2016, Cathedral Square, Vilnius
Now in its 11th year, the annual Vilnius marathon takes place again this September along a route that takes in Old Town, starting and finishing in Cathedral Square. There’s also a half-marathon and 4.2 km family run. For more information please visit: www.vilniausmaratonas.lt

Restaurant Pick

Situated in an old building right in the heart of the city, Momo Grill restaurant is a lovely and charming place for eating in the coastal Lithuanian city of Klaipeda. It’s a small and cozy restaurant with modern, democratic and relaxed atmosphere along with superb meat dishes that attracts both tourists and locals.
The restaurant was designed by Ramunas Manikas, Lithuanian interior designer and photographer, who applied a well-thought out interior solution to the rather small venue, paying particular attention to the combinations of colors and textures: black Scandinavian chairs and furniture frames create an almost sensual contrast as they are set against the white tiles of the walls, while the coarsely-sanded plywood on the tables adds an interesting texture to the otherwise sleek interior. An unusual thing is that due to an open-space concept restaurant guests can interact with the staff by watching the cooks work in the kitchen.

Why not enjoy a proper meal and spend some great time? Come visit at 20 Liepu gatve, Klaipeda. For reservations call +370 693 12355, and more information on restaurant can be found at www.momogrill.lt and www.ramunasmanikas.lt