The walk to Bolderāja was a performative and meditative act that first happened in 1980 lead by a visionary artist Hardijs Lediņš. The road to Bolderāja; a neighborhood on the left side of the river surrounded by water, exposing Soviet brutalist architecture and an authentic, independent suburban vibe, which is quite far from Riga’s center and its timeline.

Every year, two friends that later formed the legendary underground band NRSD went on the journey to experience the transformational cycles of days, seasons and the urban environment. Accompanied by an artwork created on-the-spot, this innocent and independent act started to form absurdity-inspired art style “Bolderāja style”. The philosophy of this movement is part of the book bar Bolderāja.

Finding the bar and venue Bolderāja might be harder than taking the pilgrimage to the actual district Bolderāja. The only signs to be found from the outside are a wooden chair on the street and a next-generation stuffed Teletubby toy above the venue’s door.

Behind the metal door there is a living room filled with books in different languages, both used and freshly published. Book openings, readings, film screenings, discussions, exhibitions and games of chess take place here regularly. As the hosts say: you never know how the evening will escalate; it depends on the people visiting. Latvian poets donate their published books to Bolderāja and stay for a drink, so it is quite possible to actually meet authors if you hang around the bar long enough.