Bauska is one of Latvia's vimba fishing capitals, and so on 20 April the sixth “Vimbu svētki” festival will take place on the right bank of the River Mūsa (Krasta iela, by the Bauska stadium), with live music, the scent of smoked vimba, the Goodwill Fishing Competition and other activities. This year, educational activities will invite visitors to turn their attention to water pollution and how to reduce it, while the festival stage will host the musician Arturs Gruzdiņš with his concert programme “Drošības festivāls”, the musical ensemble “Gapoljeri” and the band “Kautkaili”.
As environmental experts have concluded, only 8% of the rivers in the Lielupe river basin district are of good ecological quality, so at this festival, together with knowledgeable specialists, visitors will look at what consequences water pollution has, how it ends up in fish, and what can be done so that clean drinking water is available every day in every home.
“It is my good fortune, or perhaps my misfortune, to wade along rivers now and then, because that is my job. Sometimes I even go fishing. Over the years I have seen a fair bit, and rarely after a walk along a riverbank do the feelings I am left with turn out entirely good, because the rubbish does not slip past me unnoticed. Nor is there any less of it — only more colourful and more varied. I do not know how many hundredweights I have carried away from the banks of the Mūsa, or how many bags I have hauled off after fishing elsewhere on Latvia's riverbanks, but the feeling is fairly hopeless. Plenty of people talk about it, some understand and even clear up after themselves, a few even clear up after others, and yet nothing changes substantially. At the same time, you can sense that at an institutional level we are thinking more and more about the health of watercourses, the removal of various barriers and other questions of improving and preserving the water ecosystem,” says Edmunds Bērziņš, a specialist at the scientific institute “BIOR”, speaking about how timely the theme of the sixth “Vimbu svētki” is. He has been a participant in the festival year after year, and this year too he will invite people to talk about the life of fish, their protection and research into them.
To lure in the biggest catch, this year too the earliest start to the day will be made by the participants in the Goodwill Fishing Competition, from 07.30; last year the number of anglers on the banks of the Mūsa reached 95. Please note that registration for the competition will take place on the day of the festival, before the start. To register, participants must bring a valid fishing, crayfishing and underwater hunting card, as well as a personal identification document (ID card or passport). Every year, participants in the Goodwill Fishing Competition are given awards in six categories – prizes go to the three anglers who land the biggest vimba, to the oldest and the youngest participant, and to the most successful lady, the competition's “Queen of the Catch”.
While the fishing enthusiasts give themselves over to the pleasures of the rod, other festival-goers will be able to enjoy performances by well-known Latvian musicians from 11.00, along with educational games, creative activities, shopping at the local producers' market and more. This year the festival stage will host the witty musical ensemble “Gapoljeri” and the nostalgic pop band “Kautkaili”, while the youngest visitors will be cheered on by the musician Arturs Gruzdiņš with his concert programme “Drošības festivāls”.
A video glimpse of the 2023 festival: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rohxTG50dyY
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