News

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!

This week, 17 professional sculptors from 11 countries – Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Ukraine, Poland, Indonesia, Finland, India, the Czech Republic, Canada, and Bulgaria – are creating large-scale sand sculptures as part of the festival Sand Signs 2025. The artists will work on their sculptures until May 15, with a jury evaluation and awards ceremony taking place on May 16. On May 17, the completed artworks will be unveiled to festival visitors.

On May 17, museums across Latvia will take part in the European museum international event “Museum Night” for the 21st time. This year’s theme is “Our Stories of Value,” and museums and cultural sites in Jelgava are preparing to showcase the treasures in their collections. Admission to all events is free.

To mark Jelgava’s 760th anniversary, a large-scale environmental installation titled “Time whirlpool” has been placed in Duke Jēkabs Square, symbolizing a city that has gone through the winds of endurance and has been able to be reborn again and again. Its colorful design resonates with festival identity and shows how different we – the people of Jelgava – are, how diverse our traditions are.

On May 17, the international sand sculpture festival “Sand Signs 2025” will take place in Jelgava – 15 professional sculptors from 11 countries will transform sand into their interpretations of the theme “Mythical Figures”. As tradition, the sculptures will be showcased in the largest sand sculpture park in the Baltics, located on Pasta (Post) Island. On the festival day, visitors will also enjoy a rich cultural program with concerts, performances, and creative workshops.

On May 10 and 11, Latvian Plant Days 2025 will take place in Duke Jēkabs Square and the park behind the Jelgava Culture House, bringing together over 230 vendors from across Latvia. This event is a great opportunity for both experienced gardeners and anyone looking to bring more life, color, and beauty to their environment, to meet growers in person, receive valuable advice, and get inspired for the new gardening season.

On May 2, Jelgava officially opened the largest and most modern Water Tourism and Sports base in the Baltics, located at Pilssalas Street 5, marking the launch of its first rowing season and introducing a new tradition – ringing the Bell of Success.

On April 25, from 10 am to 6 pm, the event “Forest Enters Jelgava” will traditionally take place on the Pasta (Post) Island. Visitors will have the chance to explore Latvia’s forest industry, learn about forest products and how they’re used, discover related professions, and find out about education opportunities in this field. Entry is free.

This week, Jelgava has been decorated for Easter. This year, new colorful decorations have been added – bright butterflies that look like they are “flying” in Duke Jēkabs Square and along Vecpilsētas Street.