📋About

Skaņu Mežs 2026: avant-garde and experimental metal festival in Riga

Skaņu Mežs is an annual gathering dedicated to extreme and experimental music, held at the industrial venue Hanzas Perons in Riga, Latvia. This indoor festival stands out for its programming firmly rooted in experimental and avant-garde metal, bringing together artists who push the boundaries of metal and electro.

The 2026 edition features 10 artists across two days. Headliner Krallice embodies American avant-garde metal, while SMERZ brings a murky electronic dimension and Gudrun Gut represents the Berlin underground.

The musical palette spans black metal, doom metal, atmospheric death metal, and the most radical avant-garde forms. Collective formations like Michael Foster / Leila Bordreuil / Chris Corsano reflect the festival's taste for free improvisation and cross-scene encounters.

On 9 and 10 October 2026, Hanzas Perons becomes the epicentre of Latvian experimental music. Check the full lineup and book your tickets.