Thank you to everyone who participated in our first Town Hall on October 22! We were blown away by the participation–thank you to all 72 people who tuned in to learn what the XVI Latvian Song and Dance Festival Organizing Committee has been up to.
We’ve been laying a lot of groundwork. Some of the highlights from our meeting included:
Official date and program information
The official dates will be July 1-5, 2026.
The beautiful Amway Grand Plaza will be our official hotel and a room block will be available for booking summer of 2025. We will announce booking details as they become available.
Additional venues and contracts in process include: DeVos Hall, Van Andel Arena, St. Cecilia Music Center, Civic Theater, Basilica of St. Adalbert.
Rīga Dome Boys Choir will be performing with us in GR in 2026!
Our large dance performance will be titled “Skaista mana tēvu zeme”.
A new play is being written.
App
Announcement of the development of a free, no-login-necessary app for use by guests, volunteers, and participants of the festival.
Fundraising
Several of our fundraising events have been well received: Canned food drive, River bank clean up, LMCU Bridge walk/run, and pickleball.
We hope you’ll join us for one of our last fundraising events of the year: International Wine, Beer and Food Festival, Nov 21-23 (more info to follow - sign up for our newsletter)!
Merch and other exciting on-goings
A beer collaboration opportunity is actively being explored between Founders Brewing Co. and Valmiermuižas Alus
Dziesmu svētku merchandise that will be available at tirdziņi over the next couple months: Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, and Cleveland.
If you want to catch up on all of the details, the 10/22 Town Hall can be viewed by clicking on the video below:
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