Diamond Bikes

This year, the Accessibility Celebration transforms into an open urban event co-created by wheelchair users, skateboarders, roller skaters, and the international artists’ collective “Diamond Bikes”. Over several weeks of collaborative work, members of the communities have been developing the festival programme together – from ideas and the overall concept to music, activities, and the shared space – becoming the authors and hosts of the event.

“Diamond Bikes” brings in their experience as a performance party service creating ‘wild and sober parties’.They create visually striking and performative events in which coming together to celebrate becomes a work of art. Music, movement, performances, and unexpected encounters invite everyone to take part and experience the city from different perspectives.

At the heart of the event is the belief that seemingly different communities often have more in common than it might initially appear. Through dialogue between wheelchair users, skateboarders, and other wheeled communities, shared experiences, needs, and relationships with the urban environment emerge, expanding our understanding of accessibility, movement, and coexistence.

The evening comes with its own line-up of ways to find joy in moving together: a dancefloor ‘crash’ course, where everyone can explore and learn how to move, dance and connect with a wheelchair on the dancefloor, and an obstacle course on wheels for everyone, just to get the party started. Join us on wheels, try something new, and let’s discover the joy of moving together in new ways – in a place that might feel familiar, or suddenly quite different.

20:00-21:00

RIDE & VIBE Challenge: 45 seconds – Show us what you’ve got!

How much fun, style, and daring can you fit into less than a minute? Let’s find out!

Anyone on wheels – in a wheelchair, on roller skates, a skateboard, or anything else – is invited to take one minute to move to the music and show their way of moving through obstacles. Tricks, dance moves, special skills, or simply a great vibe – anything goes! Want to spice things up? Bring your bestie, team up with someone on a different kind of ride, and see what you can create together in just a minute. A special jury will judge the performances, with passion, creativity, daring, style, and emotion being more important than perfect technique.

Experienced skaters and members of different wheeled communities are welcome, as well as beginners. No advance registration is required – just show up, sign up with the MC, and when your moment comes we’ll be watching, cheering, and stealing some moves for later!! 

21:10-22:10  

Dance workshop. “How to move together?“

Can you dance sitting down? And what is it like to dance in a wheelchair? What may seem like a limitation to one person can become a starting point for new movements, possibilities, and creative ways of dancing for another.

We invite everyone – wheelchair users and people who don’t use wheelchairs – to join us. There will be a wheelchair dance demonstration, followed by an opportunity for everyone to get involved and dance together.

Because we may move in different ways, but we can all dance together. The point is not to dance the same way, but to find a shared rhythm, discover each other’s movements, and celebrate how different we are.

COME ON WHEELS!

This is one of the events of the Contemporary Culture Forum “White Night 2026.” The theme of this year’s forum is “The City Thrives Where We Are,” inviting us to think of the city as a living, ever-changing space where participation, collaboration, and a responsible attitude toward the environment are essential. More information about all “White Night” events is available on the website www.baltanakts.lv  and on the Facebook page facebook.com/Baltanakts . The event is co-funded by the Riga City Council.