CATFISH wakening festival in Koknese

On 16 and 17 May, the active tourism season will open in Koknese with various activities - the traditional Catfish Wakening Festival will take place.

On Friday, 16 May, at 19.00, everyone is invited to attend the premiere of the comedy "Līnis murdā" by Edvard Wolf, staged by the Koknese Amateur Theatre, at the Koknese Culture Centre.

On Saturday, 17 May, the festivities will start early in the morning, with a spring fair, creative workshops and attractions taking place in Koknese Park, Blaumaņa and Parka Streets, from 8.00 to 14.00. 

At 9.30, families with children, young people and others will gather for the most important activity of the festival - the Waking of Catfish, which will take place at the sculpture "For Eternity". This year, the mighty inhabitant of the Daugava River will be awakened to the rhythms of drums. A new feature of Koknese Park - an obstacle course - will be inaugurated.

After a long winter's sleep, Catfish will be entertained by performances by amateur art groups. From 10.00 to 12.00, at the wooden sculpture "For Eternity" and at the fountain "Fauna's Head", the Koknese county amateur art groups will celebrate the day by singing and dancing.

Visitors will be able to enjoy a variety of activities in the ruins of Koknese Medieval Castle. From 9.00 to 19.00, the castle ruins will be open to the public, a chamber of torments will be open for free viewing, everyone will be able to take a virtual journey into the past of Koknese Castle with the help of digital solutions, and there will be boat and catamaran rides on the Daugava and the Pērse. From 11.00 to 16.00, large-format games - mini-golf, cornhole, board games and others - will be available for active pastime.

Literary activities will be exciting: a creative workshop by the publishing house "Baltais valis" and a creative programme for families "Magazine Stations" by the publishing house "Iddea". The workshop will take place with funding from the European Union under the Leader project "Together with Creativity" of the youth association "SOLIS", supported by the Ministry of Agriculture and the Rural Support Service. A special and magical surprise for children will be the experiment shows from the "Science Zone", which will be held in the ruins at 13.00 and 14.30.

From 13.00 at the Koknese Stage parking lot, registration for the car orienteering event "Drive to wake up Koknese Sam!" will start. Teams will have the opportunity to go on an exciting adventure, discovering various tourist attractions and performing creative tasks. 

To ensure that the mighty inhabitant of the Daugava is properly awakened and to attract positive guests to Koknese throughout the season, this year for the first time during the festival a party on bicycles or a bike ride "Catfish wakes up to the rhythms of the rave" will take place. Everyone with a bicycle is invited to decorate their bike and join the party in clothes that match the motto "Party in Koknese!". At 17.00, registration for the ride will take place in the "Green Classroom" of Ilmāra Gaiša Koknese Secondary School. It will start at 17.30 and finish at 18.50 in Blaumans' courtyard.

At 19.00, the Koknese Brass Band will fill the ancient walls of the Koknese Manor ensemble with a resounding concert in Blaumans' Courtyard.

At the end of the festivities, at 22.00, the band "Hono" will play the first green ball of the season at the Koknese Stage. At 23.00, the most skillful and creative teams will be awarded.

On the evening and night of 17 May, the international campaign "Night of Museums" will take place in Latvia under the unifying theme "Stories of Our Values". The museums of Bebri parish invite you to take part in the activities of the event.

The event "From clay to heritage" will take place at the memorial house "Galdiņi" of sculptor Voldemārs Jākobsons.  At 17.00 the exhibition "Looking back..." by artist Gulnara Skutele will be opened. and music by students of the Koknese Music School. At 19.00, it will be possible to take part in the quiz "What does Voldemārs Jākobsons' backpack hold?" and an interactive game for children "The Bear Climbed the Oak Tree". At 20.00, Reinholds Sprukulis and musicians from the Aizkraukle Culture Centre's folklore group "Karikste" will play music, and at 22.00, a bonfire in the "Galdiņš" garden and Voldiņš tea will be served.

The Latvian Museum of the History of Beekeeping invites to an event on the history of beekeeping. From 19.00 to 23.00, visitors will be introduced to the hives constructed by Professor and beekeeper Pēteris Rizga (1883-1955), including the Latvian stand-up beehive, which from 1939 was used for beekeeping throughout Latvia.  During the event, the heather honey extractor made by him will also be on display. Visitors will be able to explore the four exhibition halls of the museum and taste honey.

More information is available at the Aizkraukle and Koknese Tourist Information Centre or by phone +371 29275412.