This May, “TrādiRīga” – a new kind of experience festival for families and children – took place for the first time in Uzvara Park. Thousands of visitors were able, free of charge, not only to watch but also to get involved and try out more than 60 activities across 11 thematic zones – trying out different professions and sports, taking part in science and creative workshops, visiting “Museum Island”, as well as enjoying concerts, performances and entertainment activities. The festival demonstrated that there is a high level of public demand for meaningful family events where children and young people can actively participate, create and explore their interests, whilst Riga gains a new, meaningful and family-friendly city-wide event format for a city-wide event.
In the context of the Baltic States and Northern Europe, “TrādiRīga” represents a new format of a family festival, bringing together a wide range of experiences within a single urban area, filling Riga’s public spaces with active, educational and family-friendly content, and which has the potential to become a major annual event in the city.
A family-friendly event
“The first “TrādiRīga” festival clearly demonstrated that there is both a place and a need in Riga for a new city-wide tradition of family events. This format brings together family, education, sport, culture, science, business and city life under one roof, at the same time strengthening the image of Riga as an open, modern and family-friendly city. Given the level of visitor engagement and interest, it is clear that “TrādiRīga” has the potential to become a significant annual platform where children can gain hands-on experience in various fields, whilst the city gains a high-quality public space event that is of value to the community,” festival producers, Ļena Ferstere and Elīna Aleksa emphasise.
The festival
The festival focused on hands-on engagement, with children, young people and families playing an active role. The content was developed by partners from various sectors – sports organisations, representatives from the worlds of science and education, businesses, cultural institutions and members of the security sector – enabling children to discover a wide variety of skills and experiences all in one place.
One of the most popular areas of the festival was “Try Out a Career”, where children and young people were able to practically explore various professions and skills – stepping into the shoes of a video operator, rally driver, pilot, DJ, video game developer, pastry chef, medical professional, police officer, firefighter-rescuer and others. Science and STEAM activities, as well as music and creative workshops, also attracted a great deal of interest.
Meanwhile, in the “Try Out Sports” zone, under the guidance of professional coaches, visitors were able to try their hand at basketball, football, ice hockey, volleyball, floorball, tennis, athletics, BMX, skateboarding and other sports. This approach allowed children to experience sports not just as a competition or rather than simply watching from the sidelines, but as an accessible experience they could try out for themselves right in the city centre.
On “Museum Island”, visitors explored the world of museums beyond the usual exhibition spaces and took part in creative activities alongside the Latvian National Museum of Art, the Latvian Centre for Contemporary Art and the Latvian National Museum of Literature and Music. This enabled cultural institutions to engage with children and families in an urban setting – outside the walls of museums, in a relaxed and interactive way.
Families also took an active part in the “Sustainable Town” activities organised by companies “Eco Baltia vide” and “Latvijas Zaļais punkts”. At these events, people could learn how to repair clothes and electrical appliances, take part in creative workshops, make decorations from recycled materials, and get involved in the clothes swap station. Through Swedbank’s activities and the “Tava Maka Taka” games, children and young people learnt the basics of financial literacy, whilst in the “Rimi” picnic area, families enjoyed spending time together, took part in sporting activities and joined in the Family Challenge promoting a healthy lifestyle. Meanwhile, in the “Cido” paper boat activity area, the children were getting creative by making paper boats. During the festival, as part of its 55th anniversary celebrations, the “Pols” ice-cream park also proved very popular with visitors.
Throughout the day, concerts, performances and shows took place on the festival’s main and smaller stages. The audience was entertained by Tuta the Fox and Feneks, “Laime Pilnīga”, Annika, Elza Rozentāle, “Drumline Latvia”, Emilija, ELPO, “Kautkaili”, Fiņķis and the Madona Green Choir, as well as the theatre troupe “Kvadrifrons” with their production “Brown Cheese”.