It’s Halloween Time in Riga, let’s get some goosebumps!

What could be more welcoming when you arrive in Riga than stepping out of the historic centre, into the woods, to be chased by a monster with a chainsaw? Not much, and that’s the experience we’re going to talk about today.

Leave the vibrant historic centre for a moment and head for the riverside, cross the bridge, and you’ll find a scarlet grove at Lucavsalas. In the distance, you can see strange inhuman silhouettes waiting for you in a small amusement park until the third of November. 

When you arrive, you’re greeted by two rows of ghosts, inviting you into a large pumpkin garden, with a spider-web maze and statues of pumpkin monsters. Everything here seems to have come straight out of a Tim Burton fantasy. And while you’re taking photos of these monstrosities, a mystical presence makes itself felt, that of the witch… She’s normally in her hut, where she simmers ‘a Latvian speciality made from fresh children’ in her pot. But she’s not always there, because she loves to sneak up behind you, and her simple ‘BOO!’ will surprise you more than once. 

The people behind the project had a wonderful time. The horror part of the theme park makes up two-thirds of the park. There’s the previously mentioned pumpkin garden, a ghost gondola, an area dedicated to torture, a sort of circle where a paranormal ritual is prepared, and a sort of tunnel housing a demonic butchery. This is actually the best part of the event.

There’s an entrance and an exit, and in between, sculptures of demons, fake limbs dangling from chains, the walls made of corn plants, and smoke gradually billowing out. At first, the silence makes you appreciate the quality of the sculptures in general, which sometimes look handmade, giving a ‘Beetlejuice hell’ effect that is both absurd and realistic. But just as you reach the halfway point, the deafening sound of a chainsaw comes closer and closer. Even though you know it’s a fake chainsaw, your instinct is to run as fast as you can out of the tunnel, where the monster will continue to chase you until you can’t scream any more. 

Disguised employees are not numerous, and they do their job well. Because even if you see them coming, or can make them out in the dark, they know how to be patient and surprise you at the right moment. We were three students from our school, Liden & Denz, and we thought we couldn’t be surprised. And yet we had to swallow our pride because we shouted or ran more than once!

One of our team was answering a message on her phone and talking to us. Obviously, we took two steps backwards, and some kind of goblin in a blood-stained white robe leaned over her ear. We said nothing more, and after a minute she barely turned her head and saw the monster’s face 10 centimetres from hers. She let out a scream, the first of many.

And that’s why you should go this week before the opportunity slips away. It’s a great experience in Riga, and believe me, if you’re cold, being chased by someone with a chainsaw is enough to keep you warm.

Don’t forget to check our Instagram, where you can find our vlog about this activity Don’t forget to follow us for more content!

Raffaël, currently studying Russian at Liden & Denz Riga