Riga Performance Festival STARPTELPA

The Riga Performance Festival Starptelpa returns for its 8th edition!

Curated by Latvijas Performances mākslas centrs .

From 25–31 May, audiences are invited to experience a diverse programme of performances and events at St. Saviour’s Anglican Church and other venues across Riga, Latvia.  

This year’s programme features live performances, specialised workshops, video screenings, networking opportunities, and the interdisciplinary scholarly conference “Aesthetics of Protest and Legal Mobilization” on 28–29 May at the Art Academy of Latvia.  

The 2026 theme, SONIC VIBRATIONS, explores the layered and dynamic presence of sound as a performative force. Moving beyond the understanding of sound as mere accompaniment, the festival foregrounds vibration, resonance, silence, and dissonance as active agents that shape bodies, spaces, and collective memory.  

While performance art has often privileged the visual and the corporeal, this edition shifts attention toward the auditory and the atmospheric. Artists have been invited to approach sound as material, method, and metaphor – engaging with its capacity to carry histories, transmit affect, and generate new forms of relation. By considering sound as embodied and spatial, the festival highlights how listening itself can become a critical and transformative act.  

Framed through ideas of resonance, postmemory, and productive tension, the 2026 programme encourages works that explore how voices overlap, examining not only the afterlife of sound, but also silence as a communicative force. The unique acoustic environment of St. Saviour’s Anglican Church becomes an integral part of this exploration, offering a site where architecture and vibration meet in dialogue.

26., 28., 29., 30.05. - evenings of performances; 27.05. - evening of video performance, 28.-29.05. - conference "Aesthetics of Protest and Legal Mobilization"

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View the live performance program on the website.

The festival program includes both free and paid events.
Free events include the festival opening, a scientific conference, a masterclass, and the festival closing event. Video performance evening – by donation. For the live performance program at the Anglican Church, a three-day pass (25 EUR) or single-day tickets (15 EUR) are available. Discounts are available for students and industry professionals—a 10 EUR day ticket or a 15 EUR pass; admission is free for children and young people under 18 and for seniors. Purchase tickets here

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About art center

Latvian Centre for Performance Art (LCPA) or Latvijas Performances mākslas centrs was founded in 2018 by Laine Kristberga, Laura Feldberga and Simona Orinska.We foster creativity, innovation, and cultural exchange through the celebration and promotion of performance art in all its forms. We aim to provide a supportive environment for artists, offer engaging and diverse programming for the public, and contribute to the vibrancy and enrichment of arts and culture ecosystem in Latvia and abroad. To become a dynamic hub for performance art, recognized locally and internationally for our commitment to artistic excellence, innovation, and accessibility, we strive to be a catalyst for collaboration, inspiration, and dialogue within the arts community and beyond.