Just step of the busy Brivibas street into the quiet area of Skolas street you will find this performing arts venue, café and music/social place with a funky name of “Kaņepes Kultūras Centrs” (“Cannabis Culture Centre”) or KKC as it’s called short by locals.

Located in a building that was built back in year 1895 by the architect Rudolph Heinrich Zirkwitz, it was first inhabited by Baltic German and Russian aristocrats, then was taken over by bohemian artists and students of the Arts Academy and Riga Technical University (RTU) during the times of First Republic, and finally became a home for thousands of children – students of the “Jāzepa Mediņa Music School”.

After a bit of a refurbishment, “Kaņepes Kultūras Centrs” opened its doors to a general public, with the help of many activists including Gundega Laiviņa, director of the “Latvian New Theatre Institute” and Claus Grīnbergs who organized the first exhibition “Staro Orfejs” (“Shine, Orpheus”). There is good cooperation with Zaiga Gaile, who closely looks after the artistic values of the building in preservation of the authentic aura.

Restoration of this very special house where music, different cultures and art flow in harmony is still in progress. Kaņepes Kultūras centrs has already got a new concert hall, cosy kitchen, summer open-air terrace and a meeting place. Its usual guests are local hipsters and Riga creative class of 17-35.

In terms of drinks, you can get a variety of local and french ciders and good local beers. Prices are very democratic with brews like “Piebalgas” costing around 2 EUR or slightly pricier “Valmiermuižas” beer for around 3 EUR. Teas and cofees prices range around 1.5 EUR.

In general, this is a great place to hang out in the middle of Riga town centre with an interesting crowd. It is open all time, however most of the interesting stuff (concerts, exhibitions, markets) is happening mainly over warmer spring/summer periods.

Venue hire (upstairs / downstairs) is available as an option too.

Calendar of events

Contacts

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Zoo.KKc
Twitter: www.twitter.com/KanepesKC
E-mail: kultura@kanepes.lv
E-mail: info@kanepes.lv

Riga Guide - Experiences, Tours & Things to Do

4.9

Based on 123 reviews

2 months ago

2 months ago

2 months ago

Very instructive Riga tour.

Tom Curry

2 months ago

Fantastic guide to Riga. Great stories about Latvian history and culture.

Normunds Laposko

2 months ago

Raivo Malter

2 months ago

Very interesting tour we had. Highly recommend!

Annemie Peetermans

2 months ago

Perfect tour of Emil. Funny, good pace and smooth stories

Jack Eastwood

2 months ago

Marina was excellent, she knowledgeable about Riga and shared excellent insights and history on the city. Thank you!

Natalie Green

7 years ago

Steph, our guide, was absolutely brilliant. Picked us up from our hotel and told us all about Riga on the commute to and from the bobsleigh track. The g-force bobsleigh was amazing (it feels like a roller-coaster) and we didn't have to wait long. There's also an observation deck where you can view the national park.
The only downside was an error by the office staff overcharging us for the experience, which put a downer on the day, as I was told I wasn't able to do the bobsleigh unless we paid more. This was eventually resolved by the owner when he apologised for the error and confirmed no further payment was needed. I advise you pay the balance in full before the trip to avoid incompetent staff trying to overcharge you.

More reviews

Riga Guide

Travel Tips, Tourist Information, Maps & Reviews

Kaņepes Kultūras Centrs (KKC)

Kaņepes Kultūras Centrs (KKC)

Claim "Kaņepes Kultūras Centrs (KKC)"