On 29 August, the second “Jūras bize” (“Sea Braid”) Dance Festival will take place along the beaches of Kaugurciems and Vaivari as part of the Kauguri Festival programme. It will bring together more than 2,000 folk dancers from 102 youth, adult and senior dance groups from across Latvia, joined by guests from Lithuania and Estonia.

The festival will open at 12.00 on Tallinas Street, the main venue of the Kauguri Festival, where 900 dancers will perform the Latvian folk dance “Es mācēju danci vest” together.

From 13.00, the festivities will continue on Kaugurciems Beach. Along the shoreline, dancers will perform some of the longest Latvian folk dances, including “Garais dancis”, “Pankūkdancis”, “Dvieļu deja” and “Gatves deja”. The programme will also include “Jūras mātei” (“To the Mother of the Sea”), a concert featuring individual dance groups.

The natural coastal landscape – the sandy beach, the sea and its ever-changing character – will serve as the festival’s stage design. Participants will also create a long braid in the sand, forming a unifying visual element and symbolically connecting the dancers and spectators.

The festival will conclude at sunset on Jaundubulti Beach with the “White Swim”, when dancers dressed in white linen shirts will enter the sea together.

Festival Programme

Kaugurciems–Vaivari Beach

13.00–13.40 – creation of the sand braid and measurement of the longest hair braid
16.00–16.20 – performance of the longest Latvian folk dances
16.30–17.40 – dance group concert “Jūras mātei”

Jaundubulti Beach

20.10 – “White Swim”

Photography and filming will take place during the event. The resulting material may be used for publicity purposes.

^{Photo: Zane Bitere / LETA}

Visitors travelling by car to the festival finale on Jaundubulti Beach should note that Jaundubulti lies within Jūrmala’s special access zone. The entry fee for vehicles is EUR 5. A digital entry pass can be purchased at visitjurmala.lv, from ticket machines in the city or via mobile apps.