“Light Stories: Spirits” – Autumn Light Trail at the Latvian Ethnographic Open-Air Museum
From October 29 to November 8, 2026, the Latvian Ethnographic Open-Air Museum will once again host its autumn light trail, “Light Stories: Spirits.” Created in collaboration with the “Light Stories” creative team, the trail will be open every evening from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM.
In Latvian tradition, the Spirit Season (Veļu laiks) is a time to remember and honor ancestors. During October and early November, families traditionally commemorated the departed, prepared offerings, and shared folk tales and riddles on dark autumn evenings.
This year, the trail follows a new route, inviting visitors into a magical world of folklore and wonder. Light, sound, video, and laser installations will bring Latvian fairy tales, legends, beliefs, and ancient incantations to life as visitors explore the museum’s hills and mysterious forest. Guests can also warm up with a cup of tea and enjoy an evening filled with unusual sights and sounds.
The creative team explains that Latvian folklore and ancestral wisdom inspired the experience, offering a source of strength and connection in uncertain times. Visitors are encouraged to leave everyday worries behind, dress warmly, wear suitable footwear, and bring a flashlight.
The museum’s Priedes Tavern will serve traditional Spirit Season dishes prepared by host Ilze Briede. The menu includes rooster soup with dumplings, hearty vegetable soup, barley porridge with mushroom or meat sauce, blood sausage with lingonberry sauce, and braised cabbage with ribs in honey sauce. For dessert, guests can enjoy rye flour and apple mousse or kūčas — grains stewed with cinnamon in syrup. Hot apple drinks and stronger beverages will also be available.
Practical information
Dates: October 29 – November 8, 2026
Opening hours: Daily, 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Duration: Allow 60–90 minutes to explore the installations.
The previous editions have received several prestigious Latvian event and cultural awards. In 2025, the first part of the “Light Through the Seasons” trilogy, The Otherworld: Spirits, won an excellence award for outstanding lighting events. The 2024 trail also received two Latvian Event Forum awards and a nomination for the cultural prize Kilograms of Culture 2024.
This year’s event launches the 2026–2027 “Light Stories” season, which promises several new and unusual light experiences. It will be the only light event at the Open-Air Museum during the winter season.
The event is created and organized by UNTITLED originals in collaboration with the Latvian Ethnographic Open-Air Museum.
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