KOMETA, a cosmic culture festival kicking off in Riga

Riga’s newest festival KOMETA will be kicked off between July 7 and 10 at the Daugavgrivas fortress, a historical abandoned complex of buildings on the outskirts of Riga.
KOMETA’s goal, as the charismatic initiator of the festival Davis Kanepe informed The Baltic Times, is “to revitalise and draw attention to the dire state and present condition of the Daugavgrivas fortress.”

Kanepe has been the driving force behind the reconstruction of the derelict building, built in 1895, which now houses the Kanepes Culture Centre, one of Riga’s newest performing arts venues, cafes, and music and social meeting places.
“The idea for staging a festival on the island occurred in Oct. 2015, when we took part in a collaborative arts projects on the island with the Latvian Centre for Contemporary Art,” says Kanepe.
KOMETA is describing itself as a cosmic culture festival, where music, art, and we are in harmony with nature.
The festival’s manifesto is simple, evolving around three points. Freedom is legal. Thinking is courage. Beauty is ever-present.

“Imagine a world that engages, not separates, that encourages, not stifles. Where live music unfolds the wonder of the world, where artists are not indifferent towards reality, and where beauty is magically born by us being together,” said Zane Ozola, one of the festival organisers.
KOMETA will feature a number of world renowned artists. Appearing will be the internationally acclaimed American born hip hop artist Akua Naru.

The line up will also include the New York-based Brooklyn Gypsies, and Eastern European DakhaBrakha, a world-music quartet from Kyiv, Ukraine, will also be making an appearance at the festival.
Los Angeles-based artist Dorian Wood will also make a much-awaited appearance.
The festival will also host MOON cinema, a 72-hour retrospection by French documentary filmmaker Vincent Moon on the musical traditions and rites of various cultures.

A full festival program can be found at the website www.festivalskometa.com
Commencing on July 7, there will be a special shuttle bus, KKC-Kometa-KKC (for an additional fee), between the city centre and the fortress for those who prefer the comfort of their own beds.