The most beautiful summer holidays – Līgo Day and Jāņi Day – are just around the corner, and in Ventspils, they will be celebrated warmly and honoring traditions. The Ventspils Tourism Information Centre (hereinafter – TIC) invites everyone to celebrate the solstice by the seaside with concerts, dances, creative workshops, and magical rituals lasting until dawn.

To make the holiday season in Ventspils enjoyable for both adults and children, TIC has compiled information about the holiday events in the city, as well as the opening hours of various attractions.

OPENING HOURS: The opening hours of Ventspils tourist sites during the midsummer holidays and the days before the celebrations are summarized here. EVENTS IN VENTSPILS: Saturday, June 21 - Welcoming the Summer Solstice Old Town Market "Līgo Fair" (7:30 AM - 3:00 PM): The magic of the summer solstice will be enhanced with wreaths, Jāņi cheese, homemade treats, handcrafted goods, and other items useful for the festive table. Seaside Open-Air Museum "Riktes un Lustes" (8:00 PM - 10:00 PM):

• 8:00 PM - Musical program with the band "Luste."
• Participating cultural groups from the Cultural Centre - Ventspils Theatre, VPDK "Strautuguns," "Liedags," "Kurzeme," SDK "Senkurzeme," mixed choirs "Kaiva" and "Līvzeme," folklore group "Laipa," song ensemble "Ventiņ," and folk applied arts studio "Vīkale" - will invite everyone to enjoy songs, dances, cheese-making, wreath weaving, and torch workshops.
• 9:00 PM - Joint concert by the museum's windmill with family-style gatherings, singing, and dancing.
• 10:00 PM - "Jāņi Fire Trail until Sunset" - a communal walk from the museum to the beach.
  From 10:20 PM until midnight on the beach, a sensory evening "Sunset Mystery" will take place:
• 10:20 PM - Fire symbol creation.
• 10:35 PM - Fire ritual.
• 11:00 PM - Concert by music group "Gan', Gan'," blending ancient Jāņi songs with ambient electronic sounds.

Admission to events is free; a market will be operating within the museum grounds. Sunday, June 22 - Family-Friendly Activities Old Town Market "Līgo Fair" (8:00 AM - 2:00 PM): Līgo wreaths woven from midsummer herbs, homemade cheese, and diligent artisans' crafts - everything to fill the festive table and hearts with the joy of Līgo. Children's Town at 11:00 AM and 3:00 PM in the Children's Park "Fantāzija" - an event for families with children featuring creative Līgo workshops and activities. Presented by the traveling circus "BEZTEMATA." Admission is free. Monday, June 23 - Līgo Day - Jāņi Night Old Town Market "Līgo Fair" (7:30 AM - 2:00 PM) Reņķa Garden "Līgo Evening and Jāņi Night Green Ball" (9:00 PM - 4:00 AM):

• 9:00 PM - 10:00 PM - Concert program "Let's call together, let's sing" with Edgars Pujāts and concert group "Pirmā reize."
• 10:00 PM - 4:00 AM - Jāņi Night green ball with the band "Express"; a DJ will play during breaks.

In preparation for Līgo evening and Jāņi Day, thematic holiday decorations have been installed in the city environment, closely related to Latvian midsummer traditions. The traditional "Līgo" shout will take place at the roundabout of the Ventas Right Bank Bridge, in the Great Square with the decoration group, and in the city center near Laikrakstu Alley. In Pārventa, the festive mood will also prevail - near the fountain "Dune Pine," there will be a decoration: a horse with a cart adorned with ferns and midsummer herbs. This spot will be especially suitable for beautiful holiday photographs. Meanwhile, Kuldīga Street, from Lauku Street to Raiņa Street, will be decorated with festive flags placed on lighting poles. In the Town Hall Square, a symbolic Jāņi decoration will be created - a stylized bonfire called "pūdele," placed in a wooden barrel and attached to the top of a pole, honoring ancestral traditions and the magic of the summer solstice.