An Event Dedicated to Spain's National Day Will Take Place in Riga

On Saturday, 10 October, from 11:00 to 14:00, an event dedicated to Spain's National Day will take place in Riga, featuring a flower-laying ceremony and a military parade, accompanied by a display of military equipment.

Spain's National Day, officially celebrated on 12 October, is a nationally significant day for Spain. To give a wider public the opportunity to attend the celebrations, the event in Riga is being organized on Saturday, 10 October.

At 11: 00, the Latvian and Spanish flags will be raised at Freedom Square, followed by a memorial ceremony for the fallen, a flower-laying ceremony at the Freedom Monument, and a military parade by units of the Spanish armed forces. The musical accompaniment for the event will be provided by the National Armed Forces Orchestra. During the parade, salvos will be fired, performed simultaneously by a specially trained unit. Blank ammunition will be used for this purpose, which creates brief noise but poses no danger of any kind

After the military parade, visitors are invited to view Spanish armed forces equipment at Freedom Square, while around 12:00 there will be an opportunity to enjoy the traditional Spanish dish paella from an army kitchen at 28 Kaļķu Street.

The event is organized by the Embassy of Spain in Latvia and the Spanish armed forces contingent stationed in Latvia, in cooperation with the Ministry of Defence, the National Armed Forces, Riga City Council, and other involved parties.

Spain is one of the 13 member states of the NATO multinational brigade in Latvia. This year marks nine years since the Spanish armed forces began performing service duties in Latvia as part of the NATO multinational brigade. Over these years, the Spanish contingent has grown significantly from an initial 350 soldiers to more than 600, becoming the second largest allied force representation in Latvia.