Riga Circus to improve access to culture in Riga and the regions

Published: 8 June 2026

With co-funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), Riga Circus is implementing a project to enable more people to discover and experience contemporary circus. By the end of 2029, we plan to improve the accessibility of the circus building, create new spaces for workshops and community activities, take a touring tent to the regions and develop new ways to experience circus digitally.

The aim of the project “Improving the Availability and Accessibility of Riga Circus Cultural Services in Riga and the Regions”, or “Improving Accessibility at Riga Circus” for short, is to reduce the barriers to attending and taking part in circus. We want more and more people to feel welcome at Riga Circus – as audience members, as workshop participants and as co-creators of circus art.

The project will pay particular attention to the needs of children and young people, older people, and people with mobility, visual or hearing impairments. Representatives of these groups will be involved as consultants in planning and implementing the project activities, helping to shape solutions that reflect their everyday experience.

More accessible spaces and a lift to the first floor

New spaces for workshops and shared activities will be created in the historic Riga Circus building at Merķeļa iela 4. A community centre is planned in the former café on the ground floor, a space that until now could not be fully used because of differences in floor level. It will host regular workshops and meetings of the Seniors’ Club, and it will be able to operate independently of events in the circus arena. A new workshop room will be created on the first floor.

A lift is planned for the building, providing access to the first-floor workshop room, the arena balcony and the offices. This will make it easier for people with mobility impairments, and for other visitors who find stairs difficult, to move around the building. More accessible offices will also open up more opportunities for people with mobility impairments to work at Riga Circus.

Tactile signage, Braille labels, signs at eye level and on the floor, and tactile guide paths will help visitors find their way around the building. In the arena, a subtitle display system for performances and conferences will be installed alongside the existing induction loop.

The project is based on the New European Bauhaus approach, which brings together sustainability, aesthetics and inclusion, focusing both on the quality of spaces and on people’s ability to use them. The planned improvements will become the foundation of Riga Circus’s everyday work, so that more people can attend performances, take part in workshops and create circus art together.

Taking circus to the regions

A touring tent will allow Riga Circus to reach audiences outside the capital more often and to stage performances in places that have no venues suitable for circus.

The tent will host not only performances but also co-creation residencies with local residents and day camps for children and young people. These will be opportunities to discover circus art, work alongside artists and take part in the creative process.

The tent will be wheelchair accessible. It will also be equipped with induction loop systems and the option to display subtitles.

Experiencing circus digitally

As part of the project, the Riga Circus website will be improved so that information about performances, workshops and other events is easier to find, understand and use. We plan to improve text and background contrast and text readability, and to add a text-to-speech option. The improvements will be developed in consultation with organisations representing the project’s target groups.

A digital platform, Cirks360.lv, will also be created so that people who cannot attend events in person can experience circus art. The platform will offer ways to explore circus content on their own devices, in regional libraries and in virtual reality.

The experience gained during the project will be compiled into publicly available digital methodological resources.

Opportunities to take part and create together

Alongside the improvements to the building and technical facilities, the project includes workshops, co-creation and team training:

• Training for educators and the project team to strengthen skills in inclusive methods and in working with a diverse range of participants.
• Adapted circus workshops, where participants can try out circus disciplines and develop their skills.
• Co-creation cycles at Riga Circus, where participants will work with professional artists to create circus art.
• The Seniors’ Club in the new community centre – for regular meetings and shared activities.
• Wellbeing residencies, during which artists will work in institutions with people who have limited opportunities to attend cultural events in their daily lives.

The RE RĪGA! festival will also become more accessible. An accessibility expert group including representatives of the project’s target groups will be involved in planning the festival. Plans include developing an inclusive ticket discount policy, holding adapted workshops and offering the opportunity to explore the set before a performance. Visitors will also have access to easy-to-read materials and support from circus assistants and companions.

What will remain after the project

The mission of Riga Circus is to promote the development of circus art and the diversity and accessibility of the performing arts in Latvia and the Baltic region. The project will help put this mission into practice: more accessible spaces, the touring tent, digital resources and the skills gained by the team will continue to serve the circus’s work after the project ends.

These changes will also strengthen one of Riga Circus’s core values – diversity. By reducing the barriers to attending and taking part in circus, we want to bring different groups in society together in a shared experience and give more and more people the chance to find their own place in circus art.

More about the project’s activities:

When movement speaks: the project’s first wellbeing residency takes place in Valmiera (in Latvian)

Information about the accessibility of the Riga Circus building and services is available on the Accessibility page.

#EUFunds #EUinmyregion #ESfondi

Project No. 4.3.2.0/1/25/A/037 “Improving the Availability and Accessibility of Riga Circus Cultural Services in Riga and the Regions” is co-funded by the European Union under specific objective 4.3.2 “Enhancing the role of culture and tourism in economic development, social inclusion and social innovation” of the European Union Cohesion Policy Programme 2021–2027. The project is implemented from 1 June 2026 to 31 December 2029. The total eligible costs of the project are EUR 999,999.41, of which EUR 849,999.50 is funded by the European Regional Development Fund and EUR 149,999.91 is state budget co-financing.