May 4th events guide in Rīga and Aizkraukle / Article

Public holidays are taking place on May 1st and May 4th, meaning that there will be a long four-day weekend for most people, which offers up plenty of opportunities for getting out and about and perhaps exploring some of the more obscure corners of our beautiful land.

Here is a run-down of some key events and celebrations taking place around the May 4 focus. The list is somewhat Rīga-centric, so bear in mind that there will also be equivalent local events in other parts of the country – check your local municipality website for details.

May 4th

From ten in the morning until the evening of the next day at the Freedom Monument, every Riga resident and guest of the city is invited to participate in the creation of the flower arrangement “Flowers of Latvia”, jointly creating a blooming map of the country, which symbolizes unity and mutual respect. The ceremonial flower-laying ceremony of state and municipal officials at the Freedom Monument will take place at 10.30, while at 12.00 a parade of the Latvian school brass band will take place at Freedom Square.

Event in Vērmanes Garden “We are all together – in Latvia!”

Everyone is invited to the holiday event “We are all together – in Latvia!” in Vērmanes Garden, the popular city centre park. From 12:00 to 16:00, Vērmanes Garden will transform into an educational and exciting adventure space for the whole family.

Children and families will have the opportunity to learn practical and environmentally friendly skills with numerous activities and workshops.

In preparation for the World Hockey Championship, there will also be sporting excitement during the event – families and friends will be able to play table hockey games, as well as watch demonstrations by European and World table hockey champion Edgars Caičis.

On the stage of the Vērmanes Garden stage from 12:00 to 14:40 children’s voices will be heard – visitors will be musically delighted by children’s groups “Knīpas un Knauķi”, “Kolibri”, “Podziņas”, “Momo” and “Poppy”. At 15:00, at the end of the stage program, the audience will be treated to a theatrical performance “Lemonade”, in which Inese Zandere’s poetry and fairy tales intertwine withJēkabs Nīmanis’s songs.

Campaign “Wear national costume in honour of Latvia”

The campaign “Wear a national costume in honour of Latvia” has been a strong tradition for years. This year will also celebrate the 35th anniversary of the National Costume Centre “Senā klēts” and it was the centre’s representatives who started this tradition 11 years ago, initially gathering a few dozen participants, but in recent years more than 400 participants. From 12:00 to 15:00, a concert by the folklore groups “Kokle”, “Skandinieki”, “Vilkaci”, “Rīgas Danču kluba” and the band “Brička” will be held at the Town Hall Square. The traditional procession in national costumes will take place from 14:10 and will end at 14:30 with the laying of flowers at the Freedom Monument and the singing of the song “Daugav’ abas malas”.

Latvian film marathon

A Latvian film marathon will take place at the Splendid Palace cinema throughout the day. From 1:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., Latvian films will be screened in both halls of the cinema. Admission to the film screenings is free.

“My Latvia – my responsibility” at Freedom Square

An event dedicated to the Independence Day of the Republic of Latvia “My Latvia – my responsibility” will take place at Freedom Square. From 3:00 PM to 10:00 PM, visitors will be delighted by a diverse concert program, where traditions will meet modern sounds.

The event will be opened by Riga Municipality amateur art groups – folklore group “Skandinieki”, children and youth vocal ensemble “Kolibri”, dance ensembles “Ačkups” and “Austris”, dance music group “Dārdari” and Emīls Dārziņš mixed choir. The evening will continue with Elza Rozentāle with an ethno-jazz quartet and post-folk group “Rikši”, creating an energetic and contemporary atmosphere.

At the climax of the evening, at 8:30 p.m., the concert “Spring. Eternal Youth” will be performed, which will also be broadcast by Latvian Television and will be available here on LSM.

The bill features such prominent artists as Intars Busulis, Andris Sējāns, Reinis Sējāns, Andrejs Reinis Zitmanis, Raimonds Tiguls, the vocal group “Latvian Voices”, the children’s vocal studio “Knīpas un knauķi”, the Emīls Dārziņš mixed choir, Rūdolfs Ozols (guitar), Valters Sprūdžs (bass guitar), Rūdolfs Dankfelds (drums), Līga Griķe (concert kokle), Mārtiņš Miļevskis (drums and percussion), Ieva Nīmane (bagpipes, snare drums, kokle), Kaspars Bārbals (bagpipes). The concert story is led by the soloist Agnese Budovska.

Holiday concerts in the suburbs

Various events dedicated to the anniversary of the restoration of Latvia’s Independence will also take place in the various suburbs of the Latvian capital. From 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., the concert “Blow, Winds!” will be performed at the VEF Culture Palace, featuring the orchestra “Rīga”, the Riga Chamber Choir “Ave Sol”, soloists Ieva Parša and Gundars Dziļums, as well as conductor Valdis Butāns.

At the Cultural Center “Imanta” at 4:00 p.m. everyone is invited to the festive concert “Valodina”, which will feature a concert program by Mārtiņš Kanters, specially dedicated to this holiday. Along with the singer’s best-known songs, the program includes pieces by Latvian composers.

At the Palace of Culture “Ziemeļblāzma” at 4:00 p.m., the ethno group “Ogas” will perform at the concert “Rokam!” The program will be interesting for listeners with different tastes – both fans of folk and world music, as well as rock and ballads.  

Meanwhile, at the Cultural Center “Iļģuciems” at 7:00 p.m., the concert “Song Paraphrases” with Aleksandra Špicberga’s trio “AKA” will be performed. The program will feature Latvian folk songs and popular Latvian music melodies. Original songs inspired by folklore and jazz, arrangements of folk songs, as well as compositions by Latvian composers interpreted by “AKA” musicians will be performed.

Free tickets to these events are available via at the “Biļešu paradīze” box office online.

Military parade in Aizkraukle

A fairly recent but very popular tradition is the May 4 military parade, which has taken place in a different Latvian city each year since 2012 (with a break during the Covid epidemic). This time around, the host is the city of Aizkraukle, which is about 90 kilometres south-east of Rīga close to the River Daugava.

Events will begin at 9:00 a.m. with a church service at the Aizkraukle St. Therese Roman Catholic Church, followed by a wreath-laying ceremony. At 11:00 a.m. residents and guests are invited to watch the military parade, which will take place on Gaismas Street – from the Aizkraukle Cultural Center to Spīdola Street.

The parade will be broadcast live on Latvian Television and here on LSM and the NATO Multinational Brigade in Latvia will also participate in the parade alongside Latvian units.

If conditions allow, a flyover will also be seen, which will feature both the State Border Guard helicopters “Augusta 109” and “Augusta 119”, as well as the Canadian Armed Forces CH-146 “Griffon” helicopters, which are based at the military base “Lielvārde” and provide support to the National Armed Forces units. The flyover will also feature three United States Army “Black Hawk” helicopters, which are in Latvia as part of Operation “Atlantic Resolve”, and at the end, fighters from the NATO Baltic Airspace Patrol Mission will be visible.

From 11:00 to 16:00, on the banks of the Daugava River behind the Aizkraukle Cultural Centre and in the parking lot of the Aizkraukle Cultural Centre, displays and information stands of the National Armed Forces and the Ministry of the Interior services will be open. The National Armed Forces and the Ministry of the Interior services’ equipment, including aircraft, will be on display at the Aizkraukle Cultural Centre.

From 12:00 to 13:20 there will be demonstrations by canine specialists and Special Operations Forces, while from 13:00 to 15:00 there will be a demonstration of the amphibious M3 Rig system in the Daugava.

At 2:00 p.m., a festive concert of the National Armed Forces National Guard and the US Air Force in Europe and Africa orchestras will take place at the Aizkraukle Cultural Center. Admission to the concert is free.