Mežaparks Great Bandstand (Riga, Latvia)
Mežaparks Great Bandstand (Riga, Latvia)
The Mežaparks Great Bandstand, also known as the Song Festival Stage, is a cultural and historical structure in the green area of Mežaparks in the Latvian capital Riga. The Latvian Song and dance festival, included in the UNESCO cultural heritage list, was moved to this venue in 1955. The festival has almost 150 years of history and is part of Latvia’s national identity.
The bandstand is located in a scenic place surrounded by pine forests. The bandstand underwent reconstruction recently and is now able to host more than 30,000 seated spectators and 14,000 singers, making it the stage with the world’s largest choir stand. Three hundred acoustic shields and a special membrane protecting singers from sun and rain were added. The architects were awarded Latvian Architecture Award.
The movie HOMELAND by Juris Podnieks (1990) was filmed here. The film captures Latvia’s and the other Baltic countries’ attempts to win the right to self-determination and political independence. Songs were often used as a sign of protest during the Soviet occupation. The movie captures how the festival brought compatriots from exile and homeland together for the first time after 50 years of occupation.