Latgale Song Festival will take place in Daugavpils.
Latgale Song Festival is scheduled on 5 June in Daugavpils, in the framework of the city festival. 2010 is the year of the 70th anniversary of the first song festival in Latgale that was the last one in the period of the first independence of Latvia (1918-1940). The city festival of Daugavpils “MANA PILS DAUGAVPILS” (June 4-6) will be dedicated to the 735th anniversary of Daugavpils and will also celebrate the 200 years since the beginning of the construction of Daugavpils (Dinaburg) fortress. Latgale Song Festival will be the major event of the city festival of Daugavpils, the chair of the organization committee of the festival, Rita Strode informs.
“About 3,000 participants are expected to take part in Latgale Song Festival including approximately 100 choirs from all over Latvia, the National Armed Forces band, the brass band “Daugava”, and about 20 dance groups. The festival will start with the participant procession along Rīgas Street and the opening ritual in Vienības square followed by the choir performance on the historical open-air stage in Stropi,” the director of Latgale Song Festival, Anna Jansone tells the media.
The city festival of Daugavpils “MANA PILS DAUGAVPILS” will begin on 4 June. Musicians, artists, actors, dancers, craftsmen, and athletes from Latvia and abroad will make this event unforgettable. The first day of the festival will be dedicated to paying honour to Daugavpils residents. On 4 June, 11.00 a ceremonial meeting will be held at Latvian Culture Centre during which the title of the Honoured Resident of Daugavpils will be awarded. At 18.00 there will be a show of stoking ceramics kiln and pottery exhibition opening at Daugavpils Ceramic Craft Centre. At 19.00 the concert of Raimonds Pauls and Ilona Bagele will start at Daugavpils Theatre. R.Pauls will also participate in Latgale Song Festival next day.
This year marks a significant memorial date of Daugavpils (Dinaburg) fortress – 200 years have passed since the beginning of the fortress construction. Daugavpils (Dinaburg) fortress is the most significant historical, cultural, and architecture monument in Daugavpils – it is a unique historical object and the only fortress of this kind in northern Europe that has been preserved without major changes. Since 2005, the main events of the second day of the city festival of Daugavpils have taken place in the fortress. However, due to the wide-scale reconstruction that has started there, this year the events of the second day of the festival will take place in the town centre. A poster exhibition on Daugavpils (Dinaburg) fortress will be located in Rīgas Street. In Dubrovin park, Vienības square, Sculpture garden, the crossing of Rīgas and Viestura streets there will be concert performances, festival fair and inflatable attractions for kids and other events.
See the program of the city festival of Daugavpils attached.
Information prepared by:
Harijs Vucins, company „13.STĀVS”
e-mail: harijs@13stavs.lv, tel./fax: +371 654 21243
Additional information:
Inese Andiņa, head of Daugavpils City Council public relations department
e-mail: inese.andina@daugavpils.lv , tel. +371 654 04349
