Through the whole year 2015, Latvian design will be represented in four contemporary design exhibitions under the joint title Design Manifestation. The exhibitions will showcase Latvian contemporary design products and services and demonstrate how design tools can help to offer improved solutions to economic, social and environmental problems.

The exhibition encourages visitors to return to their childhood and that of previous generations. It presents both happy and sad childhood stories as well as childhood objects, such as favourite dolls and their belongings, teddy bears, soft toy dogs and cats, toy cars, games, and much more.

The exhibition showcases the special and innovative character of the Bologna art tradition of portrait painting through artworks from Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna, as well as other museums of the Italian city.

Saxophonia is the largest saxophone music festival in Europe – it gathers all the stars of saxophone music and is among the most popular and loved music festivals in Latvia. For the audience, this is a chance to listen to jazz, popular and classical music, everything brand new and e world music performed perfectly. Concerts take place at the Riga concert halls and jazz clubs.

International Exhibition For Education “School" will cover such subjects as state and private higher education institutions, general secondary education institutions, colleges, vocational schools, adult and continued education programmes, training centres, language schools and courses, distance learning and e-studies, interest education, youth summer camps, as well as new study programmes, education and student loans, tools and furniture for educational institutions.

‘Riga Jazz Stage 2015’ is an international competition of jazz musicians founded in 2004. The idea of the project is to offer possibilities to test their talents in a contest of young artists.

The first Riga marathon organized by the Riga City Council took place 24 years ago – in 1991. In recent years the race has achieved popularity in the international marathon community, attracting participants from countries far and wide. Last assembled the record number of participants – there were 18 180 participants from 59 countries.

Riga Opera Festival marks the end of the Latvian National Opera’s season with an overview of the most successful performances of the previous year. Festival is highly anticipated by both Latvian audiences and opera-lovers from abroad.

Rigas Ritmi Festival is one of the most attended and loved music festivals in Latvia. The festival’s stages at different locations in Riga feature both world-famous and award-winning, as well as young and undiscovered musical talents. Rigas Ritmi Festival is one of the main music festivals in the Baltic States, as well as it is recognized in Europe and elsewhere around the world.

The Song and Dance Celebrations are a unique integral part of the Latvian national identity and Latvian cultural traditions. These Celebrations traditionally consist of the Latvian Nationwide Song and Dance Celebrations and Latvian Youth Song and Dance Celebrations.

At end-August Riga turns into a major location for festivities, where visitors of the city, the young and the old, enjoy a number of exciting events concerts, workshops, street fairs, theatre plays, art performances, and even a gourmet festival.

The “Staro Rīga” Festival (Beaming Riga) has become an inseparable part of the nation’s Independence Day celebration traditions in Riga. It is time when houses, parks, monuments and bridges become the playground of light.

Christmas fairs - a delight to both children and adults: decorated Christmas trees, scent of mulled wine, roasted almonds, Christmas tea and coffee; gingerbread men and houses. Peaceful Christmas time, Advent concerts everywhere in the city and the inimitable care-free bustling atmosphere of Christmas fairs. Guests and citizens of Riga join at the New Year Eve celebrations and fireworks at the Freedom Monument.

A new festival tradition ‘European Christmas’ was established in 2005 by the association ‘Latvia’s Concerts’ offering the uplifting part of the repertoire of Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Vivaldi and other classic composers as well as their contemporary counterparts and even jazz artists, in the beautiful fortnight around Advent, Christmas and New Year’s celebrations, in the most prominent places of worship around Riga.