On Thursday, 2 October, the Saeima adopted in the final reading amendments to the Law on Public Holidays, Remembrance and Festival Days setting forth that the final day of the Latvian Song and Dance Festival will now be a public holiday, and if the final performances fall on a Saturday or Sunday, the following business day will also be a holiday.

According to experts from the Ministry of Culture who drafted the amendments to the Law, the intent of this provision is to facilitate the involvement of all Latvian Song and Dance Festival participants, to promote a sense of shared national cultural values and a feeling of belonging to Latvia, as well as to highlight a festival to which UNESCO has deservedly granted the status of Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage.

Saeima Press Service