Residents and visitors of the capital are invited to welcome the year 2026 with a joyful celebration from 31 December at 09.00 p.m. to 1 January at 02.00 a.m. This year, rejoicers will be welcomed in six festival squares: Town Hall Square, Līvu Square, Pils Square, the square near the Powder Tower, the parallel street of 11 November Embankment between Poļu and Bīskapa Gāte, as well as the section of Kaļķu Street between Vaļņu Street and Aspazijas Boulevard.
The Old Town squares will be filled with dancing and festive spirit by popular and favourite DJs in Latvia and abroad – Ozols (DJ Sets), DJ Gustavito, DJ Linda Samsonova, DJ Aspirins, DJ All-Viss and MC Valters Krauze. Each square will host a single audiovisual performance, in which the DJ's musical performance will be synchronised with the VJ's visual projections on the building façades, creating a unique multimedia experience. Visual art will shine on LED screens on the parallel street of the 11 November embankment.
In the Town Hall Square, DJ All-Viss will provide positive and rhythmically diverse electronic music with Afro, Latino, funk and disco vibes – a musical journey into a world of colour and rhythm. VJ DIGIDIVA will take care of the visual projections on the Blackheads' House. DJ Aspirins will offer hip-hop, trap and house elements fused with electronic dance music rhythms on Līvu Square, while VJ Slavpapii will bring these rhythms to life on the walls of the buildings. In Pils Square, MC Valters Krauze and VJ Mersedes Marigoit will create a festive mood and multimedia adventure with Latvian and foreign golden hits.
In the square near the Powder Tower, DJ Linda Samsonova together with VJ Arsenijs Rozenbahs will spin a party of dance and electronic music, complemented by tried-and-tested party hits that will guarantee a real party vibe. On the stretch of Kaļķu Street (between Vaļņu Street and Aspazijas Boulevard) DJ Gustavito will perform an energetic open format set where hip-hop, trap, DnB, EDM and Top 40 remixes will merge into one dynamic stream of music, while VJ Wickiss will take care of the visual design on the walls of the buildings.
The street parallel to 11 November Embankment (between Poļu and Bīskapa Gāte): Ozols (DJ Sets) will offer a free, multi-coloured set especially for this evening, without a specific genre, based on his love for music and the diversity of Riga, combining different musical moods. VJ Bear From Void will create colourful and varied visuals on the LED screens.
The Old Town Christmas Market continues to delight residents and visitors alike in the heart of the Old Town, Doma Square. On December 31, Riga residents and guests will be entertained by DJ Wolf from 06.00 p.m.-09.00 p.m., band Focus 5 from 9.00 p.m.-11.00 p.m. and DJ Toms Grēviņš from 11.00 p.m.-02.00 a.m. Opening hours of the Market on December 31 are from 10.00 a.m. to 02.00 a.m., and on January 1 from 12.00 p.m. to 08.00 p.m.
Throughout the evening, at each venue, a moderator will address the audience to help them get into the festive spirit, sharing stories about New Year celebrations in other parts of the city, recalling the highlights of the past year and those that will mark the year to come. Hot drinks and snacks will be available at the event venues.
You can find out more about Advent, Christmas and New Year’s Eve events in Riga on the website www.kultura.riga.lv and by following the information on the Riga City Council’s social media pages “Rīga” and “Rīgā notiek”.
Information was prepared by Ineta Miglāne, Project Coordinator, External Communication Division of the Communications Department of the Riga City Council, phone: +371 29363334, e-mail: ineta.miglane@riga.lv.