Ancient Bonfire Night to light up Liepāja beach with bonfires and "Latvian Voices" concert

On August 29 at 8 p.m., Liepāja's beach near the Roņu Street seaside exit will host the Ancient Bonfire Night (Senās uguns nakts) celebration. As the sun sets, bonfires will be lit along the shore, part of a wider tradition observed simultaneously around the entire Baltic Sea. The event was announced by Evija Timbra, public relations and marketing project manager at the Liepāja Culture Administration.

The tradition originated in Finland and now brings together coastal communities each year in eight countries – Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Germany and Poland. Lighting the bonfires symbolically affirms the shared cultural heritage and historical connection among these nations.

Concert by the sea

The musical part of Liepāja's celebration will be provided by the vocal ensemble "Latvian Voices", made up of six musicians – Beāte Krūmiņa, Laura Jēkabsone, Zane Stafecka-Tene, Paula Pērkone, Una Stade and Jānis Stazdiņš. The group is known for its a cappella sound, blending Latvian choral and folk music traditions with world music, as well as original compositions created by its members, notably composer Laura Jēkabsone.

The concert program will feature arrangements of Latvian folk songs and original compositions based on folk song texts, along with a cappella arrangements of works by Emīls Dārziņš and Imants Kalniņš. It will also include melodies in Estonian, Lithuanian and English, forming a musical narrative about the Baltic Sea and the peoples it connects.

Organizers note that photo and video recording will take place during the event, and the resulting materials may be used for publicity purposes by the Liepāja Culture Administration.