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This Friday, August 22, Jelgava will host its biggest mass sports event – the “BTA” Jelgava Night Half Marathon. The race center on Pasta (Post) Island will be open from 12:00 PM, where participants will be able to pick up their race numbers or register for any of the distances. Please note that registration will close 30 minutes before the start of each respective race.

On August 16, from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM, everyone is invited to the Old Town Street Festival. Throughout the day, the historic quarter of Old Town Street will come alive with performances by amateur groups, a crafts market, and hands-on workshops offering a chance to try out traditional ancestral trades.

Jelgava Spīdola State Gymnasium has been officially accredited as an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School, gaining the right to implement the IB Diploma Programme (IB DP) – one of the most prestigious and internationally recognized secondary education programmes in the world.

In 2025, the “BTA” Jelgava Night Half Marathon will take place on August 22.

For the 14th year in a row, the Latvian Employers’ Confederation (LDDK) and the career portal Prakse.lv have been creating the TOP of the most recommended study programs and educational institutions by employers, which provides school graduates with an insight into where to study their chosen profession. This year, the Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies (LBTU) in Jelgava has been named the 4th most recommended university by employers. A total of 2,710 employers shared their views.

The children and youth camp “Jelgava – Mītava 2025” continues for the second week in Jelgava, bringing together 60 children and young people, along with six accompanying teachers from Jelgava’s twin city Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine. The camp, organized by the Jelgava City Municipality in cooperation with local businesses, is being held for the second year in a row. This summer, eight of the participants have returned to Jelgava for a second time, happy to reunite with friends and teachers they met last year.

On July 1 the newly elected Jelgava State City Council held its first official meeting. In an open vote, the deputies elected Mārtiņš Daģis, a representative of the political movement “Par!” as the Chairman of the Jelgava State City Council.

On June 30, the international children’s and youth camp “Jelgava – Mītava” began in Jelgava, with 60 children and teenagers aged 10 to 17 along with six accompanying teachers from Jelgava’s twin city Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine. For the second year in a row, the camp is organized by Jelgava State City municipality with the support of local businesses.

One of Latvia’s most renowned street artists, KIWIE, as usual without prior publicity and attention, created his latest artwork on Dambja Street in Jelgava during the City Festival, on June 1st. “Everything happens for a reason! KIWIE is getting ready to celebrate his 20th anniversary, and Jelgava is celebrating its 760th! It all came together perfectly — the first stop of the KIWIE Latvia Tour is right here in Jelgava,” says KIWIE. He describes the new piece as a form of visual meditation — each viewer discovers their own meaning in it: as a reflection, a feeling, or a flowing story.

After recent heavy rains and strong winds that caused damage to several sand sculptures on Pasta (Post) Island, the Sand Sculpture Park has now been restored and reopened to visitors. Two professional sculptors – Sanita Rāviņa and Inese Valtere – have carried out careful restoration work to preserve both the form and ideological message of the sculptures.

The city celebrated its 760th birthday with the motto “Color Jelgava!” The celebration also honored golden and diamond wedding couples, recognized students for achievements in academic competitions and Olympiads, and presented the city’s highest awards. The highlight was a record-breaking city parade, where we demonstrated our unity, colorfulness and belonging to the city. This year, the parade drew over 17,000 participants, stretching more than 8,000 meters through the city.

May is here – the month of Jelgava’s City Festival, a time of pride, unity, and celebration. This year it is special, as the city, under the theme “Color Jelgava!”, celebrates its 760th birthday. As tradition goes, a wide range of events will take place during the last week of May, with the main celebration days happening from May 30 to June 1. One of the most beautiful highlights for over 20 years has been the festive City Parade, where institutions, organizations, associations, and all residents are warmly invited to take part. Let us be united and mark Jelgava in colors, showcasing the richness of our people and the diversity of our traditions!