On Wednesday, 31 January, at a Riga City Council meeting, deputies decided to financially support the "Positivus" festival in Lucavsala this summer.
The deputies approved a proposal to co-finance the festival with EUR 200,000 from the municipal budget programme for promoting Riga's competitiveness and economic growth. The Riga Investment and Tourism Agency (RITA) will conclude the financial contract with the festival organisers.
According to the estimates, the festival in 2023 will generate more than EUR 330,000 of revenues for the Riga budget, e.g. from hotel use, tourist tax, personal income tax for those who work during the festival and in related sectors.
Ieva Lasmane, Head of RITA Tourism Administration, explained that the festival is used by the City Council not only to develop the city's competitiveness, but also to promote Riga's cultural events. I. Lasmane said that the City Council plans to cooperate more actively with the festival organisers in order to increase the city's role as a festival venue.
In July 2022, the festival was held for the first time in Riga, in Lucavsala, and it attracted 20,000 and 23,000 visitors respectively on the two festival days, of which at least 6,000 were from abroad, mainly from Lithuania and Estonia.
Whereas in 2023, the total number of "Positivus" visitors reached 25,000 on each festival day and the total number of foreign visitors exceeded 6,000. It is expected that at least 7,000 foreign visitors, mainly from Lithuania, Estonia and the Nordic countries, will attend the festival this year.
This year, "Positivus" festival will take place on 19 and 20 July.
Information prepared by: Aira Ancāne, Project Coordinator at External Communication Division of the Riga City Council, email: aira.ancane@riga.lv