Program
Masterclasses
Riga’s experimental music festival Skaņu Mežs 2026 will take place on October 9–10 at Hanzas Perons (16A Hanzas Street). Two-day tickets can be purchased here; their price is 60 EUR.
Due to health complications, Joe McPhee will be unable to perform at the "Skaņu mežs 2026" festival. In his place, New York free jazz veteran Rob Brown will take the stage.
October 9, “Hanzas Perons” (16a Hanzas street)
19:00
Augustė Vickunaitė
19:45
KMRU
20:35
Michael Foster, Leila Bordreuil, Chris Corsano
21:25
Sophia Djebel Rose
22:15
AYA
23:15
Krallice
00:15
Sofi
01:00
Ship Sket
October 10, “Hanzas Perons” (16a Hanzas street)
19:00
Agita Reķe
19:45
Oren Ambarchi & Daniel O'Sullivan play Charlemagne Palestine
20:40
Rob Brown, John Edwards, Klaus Kugel
21:35
Infinity Knives & Brian Ennals
22:30
Gudrun Gut
23:30
Smerz
00:25
Cities Aviv
01:25
m.a.t.a.d.a.t.a.
October 2, “SunsStudio” (9A Magoņu street)
Free-entry opening event
19:00
Eric Wubbels & TAK
20:15
Trigger Object
21:10
Laura Cocks
21:35
Muqata’a
22:35
LTY
Electrical walks
Christina Kubisch’s “Electrical Walks”
On working days, 12:00-18:00, from September 28 to October 9, as well as on Saturday, October 10, 10:00-15:00.
Starting point: Goethe-Institut Riga (Marijas Street 13 k-1).
German first‑generation sound artist Christina Kubisch invites the public to explore the city while listening to the sounds revealed through special headphones.
Various additional activities are available - click here to read more.
Masterclasses
Christina Kubisch: Complementary Conversations on “Electrical Walks”
On September 29 at 16:00
On September 30 at 18:30
Venue: Goethe-Institut in Riga
TAK Ensemble: Collaboration in Practice
October 2, 10:00, Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music, New Chamber Hall
Chris Corsano: Improvisation, a masterclass
October 8, 13:00, Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music, Jazz Class
David Jhave Johnston: AI will transform music.
October 8, 16:00, Art Academy of Latvia, building K2
Michael Foster: The Dynamics of Group Improvisation
October 8, 10:00, Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music, Jazz Class
John Edwards: Improvisation, a masterclass
October 9, 11:00, Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music, Jazz Class
Leif Elggren: Music (sound) and a different kind of presence
October 9, 14:00, Art Academy of Latvia, building K2
Discussion with Independent Record Labels
October 10, 14:00, Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music, New Chamber Hall
Activities in the foyer
Erik Alalooga
„The Random Light Orchestra“, Installation
Tinkered and composed by Erik Alalooga. Conducted live by self-invented Analog Random Generators operated by the feedback dialogue of blinking light bulb and twilight switch.
ModularTribe.riga
Soundwork performances
ModularTribe.riga is a collective of euro-rack enthusiasts, who come together once a month to enjoy the company and put their unique modular systems in action.
Augustė Vickunaitė
Le poids de la journée, Installation
Augustė Vickunaitė is a Lithuanian sound artist based in Belgium and Lithuania.
Le poids de la journée is a performance and installation for the human body, reel-to-reel tape recorders, and magnetic audio tape. The work was created during a residency at QO-2 in Brussels in 2025.
Supporters
The festival is supported by the State Culture Capital Foundation of Latvia, Riga City Council, Goethe-Institut Riga, the Trust for Mutual Understanding, BALTA and Valmiermuižas Alus.
Skaņu Mežs is part of the sound art project tekhnē, supported by the European Union and the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia. The festival is also part of the NERDS network, co-funded by the Nordic-Baltic Mobility Programme for Culture.
Media partners include The Quietus, TVNET, Satori.lv, Radio NABA, Arterritory, magazine “Mūzikas Saule”, and la.lv.
News
Skaņu Mežs 2026 starts this Friday
Riga’s experimental music festival Skaņu Mežs 2026 will take place on October 9–10 at Hanzas Perons (16A Hanzas Street), featuring such acts as Smerz, Krallice, aya, KMRU, Cities Aviv and many others. It has been hailed by several media outlets as the premier...
Photo report: Skaņu Mežs 2026 opening event
The 2026 edition of the Skaņu Mežs festival for experimental music will take place on October 9 and 10 at Hanzas Perons (16A Hanzas Street). In anticipation of the main event, an opening night was held at the photo studio and event space SunsStudo (9A Magoņu Street)...
Joe McPhee Unable to Perform at Skaņu Mežs; Rob Brown to Perform in His Place
Riga’s experimental music festival Skaņu Mežs 2026 will take place on October 9–10 at Hanzas Perons (16A Hanzas Street). Two-day tickets can be purchased here; their price is 60 EUR. It was previously announced that Joe McPhee would be the festival's guest of honor....
Skaņu Mežs 2026 announces its lecture and masterclass programme
The experimental music festival Skaņu Mežs 2026, whose main concert evenings will take place on October 2, 9 and 10, has now also announced its full programme of lectures and masterclasses. These events will run from September 29 to October 10, covering topics ranging...
Skaņu Mežs 2026 announces free-entry opening event on October 2
The 2026 edition of the Skaņu Mežs festival for experimental music will take place on October 9 and 10 at Hanzas Perons (16A Hanzas Street). In anticipation of the main event, an opening night will be held at the photo studio and event space SunsStudo (9A Magoņu...
Christina Kubisch’s “Electrical Walks” will be presented as part of Skaņu Mežs 2026
This year, as part of the experimental music festival "Skaņu Mežs", Christina Kubisch's "Electrical Walks" will return to Riga after 20 years. The festival will take place on October 9 and 10, and in addition to the main concert evenings, a collaboration with the...
Photo report: Skaņu Mežs at Riga’s White Night 2026
Riga, Latvia’s Skaņu Mežs festival for adventurous music has participated in the White Night culture forum since its first iteration in Latvia. This year’s free-entry White Night concert by Skaņu Mežs took place at the photo studio and event space SunsStudo (9A...
Skaņu Mežs 2026 Announces Third Wave of Artists
Riga’s experimental music festival Skaņu Mežs 2026 will take place on October 9–10 at Hanzas Perons (16A Hanzas Street). In addition to the previously announced artists, five more acts now expand the program: experimental hip-hop artist Cities Aviv, French-Moroccan...
Skaņu mežs and RIGA IFF present: attend both festivals with a 20% discount
Take the opportunity to experience the largest avant-garde music festival in the Baltics and Latvia's leading film event at a discounted price. Purchase a two-day ticket to Skaņu mežs or a RIGA IFF Festival Pass and receive a 20% discount on admission to the other...
Open Call: Design the next Skaņu Mežs merch collection
Experimental music festival "Skaņu Mežs" invites creative students, designers and other creatives to submit ideas for the festival’s new merchandise design. Your design could appear on festival T-shirts, hoodies and tote bags, becoming part of one of the most...
