About Liepāja 2027

In 2027, Liepāja — Latvia’s third city, population 70,000, on the Baltic coast between a sea and a lake — becomes a European Capital of Culture. It holds the designation alongside Évora in Portugal and České Budějovice in the Czech Republic.

This site exists because that story deserves to be told in English, and told properly.

What We Cover

Liepāja 2027 covers the European Capital of Culture programme from the inside: events and performances as they are announced, the cultural context that makes Liepāja an unusual and interesting choice, the venues that will host the programme, and the question that follows every ECoC — what a city looks like when the year ends.

The programme is called (un)rest. It runs from April to December 2027. There is a great deal to say about what that means for a city with Liepāja’s specific history.

We do not cover hotels, restaurants, beaches, or transport logistics. That is what liepajaguide.com is for. Every article here links there for anyone planning a visit.

Why English

There is no shortage of coverage of Liepāja 2027 in Latvian. There is almost none in English, and what exists tends toward the official. The European Capital of Culture designation is meant to reach across borders. The English-language record should be worth reading.

What a European Capital of Culture Is

The ECoC designation is awarded by the European Commission to cities that put forward a strong cultural programme. It runs for one calendar year and is designed to highlight the depth and variety of culture across Europe — not just in the obvious places.

Liepāja won its designation in 2021. The preparation has been years in the making. The programme reflects a city that has been thinking seriously about what it wants to say.