"Rīgas Ritmi" receives EFFE label for European festivals

The European Festival Association has awarded the festival Rīgas Ritmi 2020 the prestigious quality mark EFFE Label.

 

The "Europe for Festivals, Festivals for Europe" (EFFE) is a Brussels-based European festival association program supported by the European Commission and the European Parliament. The EFFE Label award is evaluated by an international expert group, based on festival quality in terms of artistic program, organizational structure, and international circulation.

 

The EFFE Label grant guarantees inclusion of the festival in the European festival network FestivalFinder.eu, which provides information to fans and media on events in 45 European countries.

 

Once every two years, the EFFE Label awards are handed out. This year, the award ceremony will take place during the annual summit of the Arts Festivals organized by the Association of European festivals, from November 23 to 25 in Galway, Ireland. This summit is the most important regular meeting of festival organizers in the world.

 

"The EFFE Label is particularly remarkable now due to the fact that we have decided not to give up, but adapt the festival content to the current situation in the concert market. Riga will not be music-less!" said artistic director Māris Briežkalns.

 

The festival, as planned, will take place in early July, with emphasis on local jazz and improvisation music artists, postponing overseas star concerts to the end of the year. Changes to the program will be announced soon.

 

In two decades, more than 1000 concerts have taken place at the festival, featuring around 600 musicians, including Bobby McFerrin, Pat Metheny, Take 6, Richard Bona, and others.

 

LSM