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This year, the city of Jelgava celebrates its 755th anniversary. In the month of the city festival in May, Jelgava residents, guests, as well as close and distant friends are invited to celebrate the holiday at home with their family with Jelgava in their hearts. Everyone with the motto “Mēs esam Jelgava” (We are Jelgava) is invited to engage in creative activities, feel a sense of community and express their love for the city with a 755-year-old history.

Jelgava city flag relay-race

Replacing the festive procession, everyone is invited to participate in the symbolic Jelgava city flag relay, which will reflect the City festive procession in a remote format and serve as a greeting to the city during the festival.

The entire month of May, everyone is invited to send in a short (4 to 9 seconds), vertically placed video to e-mail Jelgava755@jelgava.lv, where the person receives the flag from the right and passes it outside the frame to the left. The submitted videos will be compiled every week, creating a greeting for Jelgava on the 755th anniversary. The flag is available for printing here, for cutting-out it will also be published in the May 21 issue of “Jelgavas Vēstnesis”.

Congratulation to Jelgava inhabitants

From 25 to 31 May in the week of the festival, another opportunity is found to be together – Jelgava City Festival Internet radio. Throughout the week, a special radio program will allow you to get acquainted with the music of Jelgava residents, as well as follow the festive activities and listen to live conversations with Jelgava personalities.

On May 22 and 23 in Jelgava, musician Kārlis Kazāks will delight Jelgava residents by playing concerts in the courtyards of apartment buildings.

Whereas on May 29 and 30, the musical “Svētku ekspresis” (Festive Express) will travel around the city, from which the symbol of Jelgava city – Alnītis (The Elk) – will greet the residents at the festival. Information on exact times and places will follow.

Listeners are invited to enjoy the greetings from their balconies or look out the window observing the security measures.

On May 30, in anticipation of the culmination of the anniversary celebrations, in the program Musical Cocktail “Pēc trešā zvana” (After the Third Bell) we will look back at the brightest moments, songs and dances from the concerts, performances and shows organized in Jelgava. See the special edition of the festival on the website of the institution “Kultūra” Facebook and on the website www.kultura.jelgava.lv.

Jelgava in photographic moments

In the 755th anniversary of the city, anyone interested can participate in the photo campaign “Sajūti Jelgavu” (Feel Jelgava), sending photos with moments from the city and everyday life until May 31.

In order to test their knowledge of the history of Jelgava, from May 7 to May 13, everyone was invited to test their knowledge in the competition “Jelgava through the prism of history”. Authors of correct answers will receive surprise prizes.

Also, throughout the holiday month, we will look at the photo archives and look back at how we have celebrated, rejoiced and confirmed our belonging to Jelgava together, agreeing on the longest holiday procession in the city.

Sports in Jelgava

During the city festival month, Jelgava residents have a gift – a sport challenge – which is an invitation to engage in physical activities. The Jelgava Festival sports challenge is available online by registering on the platform jelgava.efectio.com. The assignments will be published throughout the month of May on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, starting at 10 a.m. on May 2 and ending at 7 a.m. on May 30.

By inviting Jelgava residents and everyone interested to take care of their physical form, together with Jelgava athletes, a series of video scenes “Workout with a champion!” Is being created, in which athletes provide sports advice for maintaining physical form. Videos will be published once a week during city Festival month on the city portal Jelgava.lv and in the social network accounts of the “Sports Service Center”: Facebook, Instagram, Youtube. The videos will be supplemented with a description of the exercises.

Explore Jelgava

As part of the city festival, from May 25 virtually everyone will have access to the photo exhibition “Jelgava then and now“ created by the Jelgava Regional Tourism Center, where we can see how the city has changed over the years.

Jelgava History and Art Museum of Ģeders Eliass “Academia Petrina” will host a photo exhibition “Jelgava and inhabitants of Jelgava” this week, Ādolfs Alunāns Memorial Museum in its windows – an exhibition “A.Alunāns’ plays in Indriķis Alunāns’ editions and A.Alunāns’ play images in sculptures of K. Kugra. A virtual exhibition “Jelgava in Works of Art” will be available on the museum’s website and Facebook page from May 28, while the A.Alunāns Memorial Museum will publish a virtual exhibition “A walk on the A.Alunans sites in Jelgava” on its Facebook page.

It should be added that the Jelgava History and Art Museum of Ģeders Eliass will start a new series of articles “History of Jelgava in the Museum” on its website and Facebook page under the heading “Jelgava 755” from May 28, the first publication will be about Jelgava Theater actor and director Jēkabs Zaķis (1893–1961), but Jelgava City Library will offer a selection of books “10 stories about Jelgava“.

Also, from May 29 to 31, an audio guide “Jelgava’s cultural, artistic and historical twists and turns“ will be available at 24 city attractions throughout the city, with the help of a smart device it will be possible to listen to the story of the specific object by scanning the QR code.

You will also be able to explore the city of Jelgava by putting together a virtual puzzle “Congratulations, Jelgava!“, Participate in the digital game “Smart inhabitant of Jelgava!“, participate in competition “Sharp-eyed inhabitant of Jelgava” and game “Library 100”.

Jelgava personalities

Man, city, story – these are the three characteristics of the story cycle “City We Meet“ dedicated to the 755th anniversary of Jelgava, through which we invite you to get to know personalities and their connection with Jelgava in the story cycle. In the video stories, conversations with cultural personalities whose life or creative activity is related to the city of Jelgava will be immortalized. Small portraits of feelings that will reveal a favorite place of each personality in Jelgava. The stories will be on view from May 18 at the institution “Culture” Facbook account and home page www.kultura.jelgava.lv.

Color Jelgava

From May 8, once a week, the pages of creative works will be published and available for download on the Jelgava city website and Facebook page “Jelgava city” – tasks to be painted and solved with Jelgava views and symbols for every taste and age group.

Jelgava in history

This year, the City Festival procession will be missed, but Jelgava residents are able to experience the feeling of community togetherness by getting acquainted with the history of Jelgava city, watching a video about the previous year’s festival processions from 2015, supplemented with numerical facts. Also, during the City Festival week, videos with the brightest moments of the City Festival from Jelgava’s 750th to 755th anniversary will be published on the city’s website, as well as reminding the residents about the city’s basic knowledge rolls from the end of time.

During the city holiday week – from May 25 to 31 – Jelgava residents are invited to raise the Jelgava flag to their homes, as well as Jelgava residents, for whom it is available, are encouraged to affix city flags to the car during the holiday week.