Yesterday I promised it will be last picture from Riga Festival, but today I see that September theme day is "Open market". What can I do - so here one more picture from Riga anniversary celebrations. The city centre on the main festivity day was full of many markets, selling places - I guess some merchants earned probably their yearly profit in that one day. Also the smell of barbecue was everywhere... In rainy day it felt especially appetizing.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

The last pictures of Riga festival series - some shots of people. There you see the main place of the festivity - Daugava riverfront. In overall, the celebration gathered more than 200 000 people.

The illusionist with his "flying table". Actually don't know how this trick was done, maybe the table is made of very light material (although it looks exactly opposite, and that's what illusionists mostly are doing - creating illusory impressions)? Maybe you have different explanation?

Some Latvian local popstars here. On the second picture, you see Latvian singer Aisha (to the right) who is playing the lovely dog Pif from the popular French comic. Aisha also represented Latvia in this year's Eurovision - she is a really good singer but this time was somehow too anxious and thus the performance wasn't succesful and she finished in last place.



Intars Busulis failed to impress Eurovision's audience a year earlier - in 2009. His song was really unappropriate for Eurovision, and also Busulis was too nervous and thus the performance looked unnatural. But in overall he is great artist with distinctive style and some interesting songs in his repertoire:



The lead singer of Eriņu family:

"Live legends" - 8 performers in different parts of Old Town played out the 8 legends of Riga, by making some movements only time by time. I managed to see 3 of them. This beautiful girl is playing the woman who was immured into the Swedish gates wall back in 17th Century - because she fell in love with some Swedish soldier although it was strictly forbidden for virgins... as the legend says. In the midnight one can still hear she whispering her words of love to the soldier - but it can be heard only by those who are capable to love truly. Or... have drunk too much :D.

Retro car parade in Riga streets at Riga festival time gathered many retro automobiles from different countries. The drive started in Riga Motor Museum (which has fine collection of retro cars) and went through Riga centre with finish on Old Town.

Another interesting event in Riga celebration programme was the air show. Not that impressive as those fighter planes doing shows in France or elsewhere - but exciting enough. It turns out that Riga is one of the few cities in Europe where such shows can be held in the city centre. The "nail" of the show was Lithuanian pilot who did rather dangerous stunt - flew below Vanšu bridge (some 6000 Lithuanian tourists arrived in Riga festival specially to see that). Here you see it in the photo - the pilot just before the fying below the bridge:

Riga City 809th anniversary celebrations yesterday finished with 7 different fireworks (7 companies competed for the rights to make the fireworks of Latvia's National Day 18th November). The firework shows were harmonized with music and this time it was audible in good distance from the main stage. It wasn't easy to find a free spot for watching the show (and especially - for taking photos) because people were so many that they had fulfilled all areas around the river in the length of several kilometres. I tried to take shots from Vanšu bridge and some of them are maybe quite succesful - those I'm showing here today. This week I will continue with the pics from Riga Celebrations - many interesting events happened in the city, it was a real party atmosphere almost everywhere in centre.

It happens that not only my blog has anniversary but also Riga itself - on 22nd August the city will become 809 years old. In honor of that, many festivities are taking place in the city from Friday to Sunday - most of them will happen today (Saturday) and I'm planning to visit as much events as I can (and hopefully to take good pictures which to show in this blog tomorrow). As a little warm-up - the picture from Friday, one of the festive events is marathon basketball game (24 hours) between the right and the left bank teams of the city (Daugava river divides Riga in 2 pieces which are historically competing with one another). While I'm posting this picture from the moment when the game wasn't started yet, now they're playing and will play until today's afternoon. Even Latvian prime Minister is participating (in "right bank" team) - before the elections politicians are using every possibility to advertise themselves :)

So, today this blog becomes 1 year old! Thanks to all the blog followers and regular visitors! Stay tuned - I have a photo archive for running this blog at least 10 more years - and I'm taking new ones too.

Today one of my best picture - Riga skyline from Ķīpsala island. The lovely boat just came by there and I catched it at the right moment to make the compositional dialogue with the Old Town's spires.

Riga castle reflecting in Daugava river waters - there is no photo effects used, picture is natural (only rotated by 180 degrees).

This is the view you get on Riga from the upper floors of the hotel Latvia highrise. Here you see rather small part of centre - Boulevard Ring in forefront, then Old Town but in the background - left bank of Daugava river which as you see is a very green city, with cosy low-floor built-up.

Riga industrial port occupies very large area on right bank of Daugava river. Turnover of the port is around 30 mio tons per year. Riga port is used also by NATO in delivering it's non-militar traffic to Afghanistan. Riga port will celebrate it's 810th Anniversary this month. Happy birthday!

Arkādijas park - one of the most scenic Riga's suburban parks - is experiencing floods now, media reports. That's because of the anomalous rainfall in the previous days. I have this picture of Arkādijas parks from summer 2009 - it's bridge, as well as many Riga centre parks bridges are popular between new wedding couples where to lock their marriage with padlock by leaving it on the parapets of bridge and throwing the key in the water. If you want to see how Arkādijas park bridge looks now after these rainy days, go here: http://diena.lv/lat/politics/riga/arkadijas-tiltins-riga-pec-lietusgazem