As Easter approaches, Ventspils, as every year, is festively decorated in the theme of the celebration. There is also a varied programme of events to suit all tastes, inviting you to visit Ventspils and the Ventspils District during the holidays to spend active time with your family!
Easter is the spring solstice, celebrating the coming of spring and the sun. With it people attempt to help the earth awaken through ritual actions to ensure its fertility in a timely manner and promote its blessing. Like the painting of eggs, swinging is one of the most important Easter rituals, symbolically imitating the swaying and dancing of the sun on Easter morning. One should also swing a lot on Easter to avoid mosquito bites in summer.
Ventspils Municipality Council has been improving the city’s infrastructure for many years and now you can find swings in dozens of different places in the city – at the Blue Flag Beach, Renķis Garden, Seaside Park, Children’s Town, Children’s Park “Fantāzija”, Open Air Museum, sports grounds, courtyards of apartment buildings, etc. Their locations are summarised in The Swing Guide, available HERE.
With the arrival of astronomical spring, the city is preparing for the first and very popular Spring Festival. In Ventspils, colourful Easter decorations have been installed in several places around the city, the locations of which are reflected in the Ventspils Tourism Information Centre’s guide “Enjoy Ventspils in the Easter Spirit”. New this year, an important symbol of the celebration and a favourite image of children – the Easter Bunny – has been placed in the New Town Square, together with Easter egg decorations painted by the students of Ventspils Art School. The colourful decorations will delight residents and visitors until the end of April.
During the Easter holidays, a varied programme of cultural, sporting and other activities is also prepared for the residents and visitors of Ventspils:
EASTER EVENTS IN VENTSPILS
Friday, 7 April
| Time | Event and description | Location |
| 7.30 – 15.00 | Easter market. Extended trade at Ventspils Old Town Market | Ventspils tirgus, Pils iela 14 |
| 10.00 – 17.30 | A spring walk for families with surprises. The Livonian Order Castle will welcome families during the festive holidays. There will be an opportunity to do small tasks together, solve mysteries and explore the castle by following the footsteps of the bunny! A little surprise for everyone! Admission with museum tickets. | Livonijas ordeņa pils, Jāņa iela 17 |
| 13.00 | Easter workshops “Easter through the Microscope” at the Science Centre “Vizium”. | Zinātnes centrs “VIZIUM”, Rūpniecības iela 2 |
Saturday, 8 April
| Time | Event and description | Location |
| 7.30 – 15.00 | Easter market. Extended trade at Ventspils Old Town Market | Ventspils tirgus, Pils iela 14 |
| 10.00 – 12.00 | Easter orienteering game for families. Workshop and games with fairy tale characters – the Children’s Library’s Sīpoliņš (Onion) and Garausis (Bunny). There will also be pony rides and bunny petting! | |
| 10.00 – 17.30 | A spring walk for families with surprises. The Livonian Order Castle will welcome families during the festive holidays. There will be an opportunity to do small tasks together, solve mysteries and explore the castle by following the footsteps of the bunny! A little surprise for everyone! Admission with museum tickets. | Livonijas ordeņa pils, Jāņa iela 17 |
| 12.00 | 2nd class of the series of educational classes for parents and children “Storytelling Garden”, where we will explore what plants grow in the beds and craft the garden landscape. | Pārventas bibliotēka, Tārgales iela 4 |
| 13.00 | Easter workshops “Robots celebrate Easter too!” at Science Centre “Vizium”. | Zinātnes centrs “VIZIUM”, Rūpniecības iela 2 |
| 18.00 | We usually roll eggs at Easter, but why not roll planets? The planets are also round and colourful like Easter eggs. Additional screening of “Our Violent Planet”, featuring spectacular depictions of natural phenomena – earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis. Learn about the Earth’s geology and the movement of continents. The film is 28 minutes long. The film is aimed at both students and adults. | Ventspils Jaunrades nama Planetārijs, Maiznieku iela 11 |
Sunday, 9 April
| Time | Event and description | Location |
| 11.00 | Easter birdhouse making activity and a fun programme for families with the play “How the Bunny Travelled to Riga”, featuring actors from the travelling circus “Beztemata”. Admission is free of charge. | Children’s Town |
| 10.00 – 14.30 | A spring walk for families with surprises. The Livonian Order Castle will welcome families during the festive holidays. There will be an opportunity to do small tasks together, solve mysteries and explore the castle by following the footsteps of the bunny! A little surprise for everyone! Admission with museum tickets. | Livonijas ordeņa pils, Jāņa iela 17 |
| 12.00 – 16.00 | Easter celebrations at the Seaside Open Air Museum. A wide-ranging concert programme and entertainment for young and old alike! And there will be a large festive market! We’ll paint and roll eggs, rock the spring and do creative activities in all sorts of other ways. We will be visited by mini-zoo Buki and there will be horse rides, performances by Ventspils Culture Centre collectives, as well as the ensamble of musicians “Tals’ trimiš”! SPECIAL GUESTS – the band “Baltie lāči” (at 14.00)! And only on Easter Sunday, railway steam locomotive MAZBĀNĪTIS will also run on the Circle Line! Admission with museum tickets. They can also be purchased on the site mobilly. On 9 April the museum will be open from 11.00 to 17.00. | Piejūras brīvdabas muzejs, Riņķa iela 2 |
| 13.00 | The first concert of the concert series “Organ Music on Sunday” – “Light at Dawn”. The concert will be performed by Marlēna Keine (soprano), soloist of the Latvian National Opera, and Ilona Birģele, member of the organ duo “Riga Organum Duo”. On Easter Sunday the concert “Light at Dawn” will feature compositions by A. Kalējs, M. Zariņš, R. Dubra, L. Sneibe, Ē. Ešenvalds, I. Zemzars, C. Franck and W. A. Mozart. The concert is organised by SIA “Kurzemes filharmonija”. The event is funded by the European Regional Development Fund and the municipality of the Ventspils State City. Ticket price: 7 EUR. Place of purchase: “Biļešu paradīze”. | Koncertzāle “Latvija”, Lielais laukums 1 |
| 13.00 | Easter workshops “Easter Engineering” at the Science Centre “Vizium”. | Zinātnes centrs “VIZIUM”, Rūpniecības iela 2 |
| 15.00 | Easter birdhouse making activity and a fun programme for families with the play “How the Bunny Travelled to Riga”, featuring actors from the travelling circus “Beztemata”. Admission is free of charge. | Bērnu parks “Fantāzija” |
Monday, 10 April
| Time | Event and description | Location |
| 11.00 | On Easter Monday we invite you to go on a traditional Easter hike in the Ventspils area. The hike is free and open to everyone. The route is 10 kilometres long and can be completed in 2-3 hours. The hike will take you through the surroundings of the Ventspils coastal forests. Its difficulty level is easy, suitable for families with children. During the hike, participants will be treated to a delicious, invigorating porridge and warm tea. Participants are advised to dress appropriately for the weather and bring a water bottle. | Stāvlaukumā pie Jūrmalas (Enkuru parka) |
| 11.00 – 12.00 | Family event, film and activity “The Solar System”. Families are invited to an educational activity “The Solar System”, where they can watch the cartoon “Khrumka and the Magic Rocket” and take part in a hands-on activity where each family will have the opportunity to make their own model of the Solar System The materials for the class will be ready, all you need are curious minds and working hands. Film fees are according to the price list and EUR 1.50 per person for the class. | Ventspils Jaunrades nama Planetārijs, Maiznieku iela 11 |
| 13.00 | Easter workshops “Easter in 3D Environment” at the Science Centre “Vizium”. | Zinātnes centrs “Vizium”, Rūpniecības iela 2 |
EASTER EVENTS IN VENTSPILS DISTRICT
Saturday, 8 April
| Time | Event and description | Location |
| 12.00 | Easter fun in Užava. Everyone is invited to games, egg fights, egg rolling, swinging, workshops and the Easter bunny show “Who lays eggs at Easter”. Everyone is welcome, just bring eggs for the egg rolling and egg fights. | Užavas Tautas nama zaļajā zonā, Užava, Ventspils novads |
Sunday, 9 April
| Time | Event and description | Location |
| 12.00 | Easter event Entertainment for children, games, egg-rolling, egg-fighting. | Zlēku Kultūras nams, Zlēkas, Ventspils novads |
| 12.00 | Easter “Fun with Lūcis the Bunny”. We’ll roll eggs, paint eggs, play games and sing Easter songs. | Puzes kultūras nams, Puze, Ventspils novads |
| 12.00 | Easter fun. | Pie Jūrkalnes Tautas nama, Jūrkalne, Ventspils novads |
| 13.00 | Easter event. Workshops for young and old, riddles, egg rolling, opportunity to hunt for eggs along the egg finding trail of Ancītis the Bunny, there will be Easter soup and some pancakes, and dižrausis (traditional liv pastry)… What else? Come to the park and celebrate Easter! | Ances parks, Ance, Ventspils novads |
| 14.00 | Easter service. | Jūrkalnes Sv. Jāzepa katoļu baznīca, Jūrkalne, Ventspils novads |
| 14.00 | Easter event. Easter fun with Lūcis the Bunny and friends. Egg rolling, painting and fighting. Games. Workshops | Ugāles bērnu laukums, Ugāle, Ventspils novads |
Monday, 10 April
| Time | Event and description | Location |
| 10.00 | Easter fun. Workshops, egg-rolling with the Pirate Girl. | Popes pilskalns, Pope, Ventspils novads |
| 11.00 | Easter fun for young and old. The Easter Bunny invites you to play and do fun things together, taking your own Easter egg with you. | Usmas pludmalē, sliktu laikapstākļu gadījumā Usmas Tautas nams, Usma, Ventspils novads |
| 13.00 | “Easter Jamboree”. Egg-rolling, egg-painting, workshops, different games and fun. | Tārgales Lībiešu sētā, Tārgale, Ventspils novads |
| 15.00 | Easter fun. Easter bunnies invite you to the play “How the Bunny Travelled to Riga for Sauerkraut Seeds” (actors from Liepāja) • fun Easter relay races, games; • egg fights and egg rolling, egg hunts; • riddles; • workshops; In case of bad weather, the event will take place in the Culture House. | Piltenes Kultūras nams, Piltenes centra parks, Piltene, Ventspils novads |
| 16.00 | Puze amateur theatre performance. Playing, egg-rolling with the Easter Bunny. | Popes Kultūra nams, Pope, Ventspils novads |
We wish you a sunny and happy Easter holiday!
