International Video Projection Festival | A Tale of the Time of the Dead

From October 30, 2026 to May 1, 2027, the international video projection festival “Once Upon a Light” will take place at Laidi Manor Palace, where the historic palace facade will turn into a brightly lit fairy tale book.

From autumn to spring, artists from Latvia and abroad will bring legends, fairy tales, and mysterious stories to life in light projections. The festival’s seven acts will follow the rhythm of the Latvian seasonal cycle, from the Time of the Dead and the winter solstice to the awakening of spring.

Venue: Laidi Manor Palace, Kuldīga Municipality

Time: from October 30 to May 1, on selected evenings

Free admission!

Visitors are invited to dress warmly and surrender to a magical adventure of light, art, and stories under the open sky!

FIRST ACT

A Tale of the Time of the Dead | Friday, October 30, 2026, 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM.

When nights grow long in Latvia, the dead come home, and it is proper to leave a light on for them. One evening, the palace does just that and, being a palace, goes overboard: the entire facade begins to glow. Old friends who have come to visit, and beings who still have no name, drift through the mist and candle flames between this world and the next. A little eerie, a little magical, and nothing to fear - perhaps…