The function of the Department of Culture of the Riga City Council is to take care of culture, promote preservation of traditional cultural values and the development of people’s creativity (institutional and financial support to cultural establishments and undertakings, assistance in preservation, etc.). Priorities of the Department of Culture: to improve the quality of culture services in Riga, to improve the work of culture institutions, and accessible information policy – to enlarge and improve information accessibility for inhabitants and guests of Riga.
Department of Culture of the Riga City Council supervises: 10 music and art schools, Riga Central library and 45 public libraries, 8 municipal culture centres, two museums, one concert agency, a professional brass band. The Department of Culture subsidizes functioning of 419 amateur groups in Riga with the total number of participants 13468 including: 1453 choirs, 53 folk dance groups, 6 brass bands, 15 amateur theatre groups, 14 folk music orchestras, 18 folklore groups, 11 kokle (traditional music instrument) groups, 42 vocal groups, 20 rhythmic dance groups (16 childern), 45 traditional craft and visual art studios, 49 other groups (20 children), 81 of the groups are children culture groups with 3952 participants. These groups are active participants of all culture undertakings in Riga as well as various international festivals and competitions.
The Culture Department besides coordination and collaboration with Riga’s culture institutions coordinates and arranges local and international culture events in the city. The biggest amount of the events are collaboration projects organised together with different public, private institutions and NGO’s, but every year a certain amount of events, like annual traditional events, e.g. Riga City Festival, are arranged by the Culture Department itself.
Please, visit web site of the Department of Culture of the Riga City Council.
