November 18th is Latvia’s Independence Day, and as usual the capital city has an extensive range of special events planned to mark the occasion.

As well as marking the 107th anniversary of the proclamation of the republic, this year, on November 18, there will also be a celebration the 90th anniversary of the nation’s famous symbol of freedom – the Freedom Monument. The monument was unveiled on November 18, 1935.

As usual, there will be a morning ecumenical church service at Riga Dome cathedral at 09:00 followed by the laying of flowers at the Freedom Monument and a celebratory sitting of the Saeima at 12:00.

Then at 13:30 the large-scale military parade takes place on the bank of the River Daugava right next to Rīga Castle. We’ll have a livestream of it here on LSM.

At 18.00 there will be a celebration concert broadcast live from the Latvian National Theatre (the very building where independence was declared in 1918).  You can watch and listen live on LTV, LSM and Latvian Radio 3.

Meanwhile, families are invited to participate in the festive concert “Heritage” at Freedom Square, beside the monument, on November 18th at 19:00.

At 20:00 there will be the traditional speech by the President of Latvia, Edgars Rinkēvičs, and the Latvian National Anthem will be played, followed by a laser, sound and light show with repeats every hour until 11:00 p.m.

Holiday concerts in the suburbs

On the day of the holiday, Riga residents and guests of the city are invited to attend concerts dedicated to the birthday of Latvia. The concert “Latvian Sound Patterns” will be held at the VEF Culture Palace at 3:00 p.m., featuring the Orchestra “Rīga”, soloists Mārcis Auziņš and Kārlis Auziņš, and conductor Valdis Butāns.

At the same time, the cultural center “Iļģuciems” will host a festive concert “Latvian Classics and the Present Day”, featuring Latvian National Opera soloists Inga Šļubovska-Kanceviča and Rihards Mačanovskis.

Meanwhile, at the cultural palace “Ziemeļblāzma” at 4:00 p.m., a concert “Rock Symphony for Latvia” is planned – with musicians Ēriks Upenieks (guitar), Gundars Lintiņš (drums), Miķelis Vītis (drums), singer Juris Vizbulis, dancer Anna Keita Kreicšteinas. Light score by Egīls Kupčis. The concert will feature rock classics and works by contemporary composers.

At the Culture and Folk Art Center “Mazā ģilde” at 5:00 p.m., the concert “You are my land. You are my Latvia” will be performed, featuring the mixed choir “Sonore” and the Kuldīga Culture Center chamber choir “Rāte”. The concert will be conducted by Latvian National Theatre actor Egils Melbārdis, soloist Inese Krūmiņa and the instrumental group – Raimonds Kalniņš (percussion), Rūdolfs Ozols (guitar), Andris Grunte (bass guitar), and composer Valdis Zilveris at the piano. The concert will be conducted by Andis Groza.

Meanwhile, at the cultural center “Imanta” at 7:00 p.m., the “Mirage Jazz Orchestra”, the mixed choir “Muklājs” of the Pārdaugava Cultural Association’s Cultural Center “Iļģuciems” and its artistic director Jānis Kokins invite you to the festive concert “Inspiration for Latvia”.

On the occasion of the national holiday, you can also go on a musical journey of emotions at Vagonu Hall, Vagonu Street 21, where Erna Daugaviete, the Strazdumuiža Club Brass Band and Imants Daksis with the group “Pasaules gaisma” will perform. Tickets for this concert can be purchased on the website ticketshop.lv, while free invitations to concerts at the VEF Culture Palace, the cultural center “Iļģuciems”, the cultural palace “Ziemeļblāzma” and the cultural center “Imanta” are available from 11 November at 10:00 at the “Biļešu paradīze” box offices and bilesuparadize.lv.

Concerts at the Riga Art Nouveau Center and Concert Hall “Ave Sol”

A concert “Music for Latvia” will be held at 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. at the “Riga Art Nouveau Center” museum, where students of the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music will participate. Entrance with a valid museum ticket. Pre-registration is required by emailing [email protected] or calling +37167181465 .

At 5:00 p.m., the concert “Forged by Fire” by the folklore group “Vilkaci” will be held in the concert hall “Ave Sol”. The concert will feature Latvian folk songs that reflect the Latvian way of life.

From November 15 to 18, the light festival “Staro Rīga 2025” will also take place throughout Riga, as previously reported.

You can find out more about the national holiday month events in Riga on the website www.kultura.riga.lv.

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