According to my own tradition, every August, when Riga celebrates its birthday, I do collect stats about Riga's population to see how well the city lives.
In my understanding, the population is the main factor of economic and cultural activity of the cities.
So, please check below the statistics for the recent 3 years and the most recent change:

Region	2013	2012	2011	Diff from 12 to 13
Riga City	696,618	699,203	706,413	-0.37%
Riga Metro	1,018,295	1,081,137	1,098,523	-5.81%
Latvia	2,041,763	2,217,053	2,245,357	-7.91%

As long as I publish those stats I see decrease in Riga's population and it seems that there are no plans or support by government to inverse that trend.

Photo of Fireworks at Riga Festival in 2013 by Andris Jenerts
Check also photos of Riga 2012, Riga Festival in 2011, 2010, 2009 and 2008.

Labels: birthdays, daugava, events, fire, lights, night, people, records, riga, rivers, skyscrapers

Tall Ships in Riga are busy all day... and all night

Labels: events, harbours, lights, night, people, ships, sports, writings

The most latest days of the winter 2012-2013. The Dome and the Restaurant 13 kresli

Labels: churches, lights, night, people, restaurants, snow, squares, vecriga, weather, winter

Wet snow falls all over Riga today, including scenic Tirgoņu iela (Traders street) in Old Town.

Labels: lights, night, snow, streets, vecriga, winter

Sad news, Riga became 1 year older and since today Riga is 811 years old officially.
Although this year City Festival was celebrating 730 years since Riga joined Hanseatic League.
Why this is sad news? 1 year ago I've been forecasting that Riga's population will go under 700,000 in a few years, but it happened earlier.
Here below are statistics and changes:

Region	2012	2011	Change
Riga	699,203	706,413	-1.02%
Riga Metro	1,081,137	1,098,523	-1.58%
Latvia	2,217,053	2,245,357	-1.26%

Check also photos of Riga Festival in 2011, 2010, 2009 and 2008. Statistics of Riga in 2005.

Labels: birthdays, daugava, events, fire, lights, night, people, records, riga, rivers, skyscrapers

Magnetto Hotel aka Viesnīca Magnetto is another conceptual work by anonymous artist.
Also, check Photos of other existing Riga Hotels

Labels: airplanes, art, center, design, devices, future, hotels, lights, night, projects, towers, transport

Last shot of the view, that I saw for almost one year..

Labels: autumn, bridges, buildings, cars, lights, night, traffic, zemitani

Last weekend Riga officially became 1 year older, and its technical age is 810 years!
A massive celebration was held around the city 3 days in a row. Many subevents, like medieval fights, air show and of course fireworks could be observed in Riga these days.

I would like to continue my tradition and provide here some numbers to describe Riga's "growth".
The city mayor is still Nil Ushakov, but according current tendency, soon there will be no city, but just a settlement.
During the last year Riga population went down from 709,145 to 706,413 residents (-2,732); simple calculation still proves that after a couple of years Riga will have less than 700,000 residents.

Riga region population (including other cities) is 1,098,523. No changes because of new expanded borders.

I really don't understand how, but the picture of Latvia population is getting better. The growth is +27,388 or +1,23% of people (from 2,217,969 to 2,245,357)

Labels: birthdays, boats, bridges, daugava, events, fire, holidays, lights, night, riga

Рижский русский театр им. Чехова (Riga Russian Theatre) aka Russian dramatic theater was opened in 1882 and it is the second oldest theater in Riga after Opera.
Recently the theater was renovated and now it hosts again many art performances, mostly of Russian origin.

Labels: art, buildings, eclecticism, entertainment, lights, russian, theaters, vecriga

Cleaning of tramways by trams themselves at Barona street.
BTW, there is no Richmond store at the corner. Now it is cheap clothes store called Tridueks.

Labels: buildings, lights, night, snow, streets, taxi, tramways, weather, winter

Nightclub The Club is located in Old town. To be precise it is in the same premises on Kungu iela as former Steam Club and even more former Nautilus club :)
It was open in June 2010.

Labels: clubs, lights, nightlife, people, vecriga

Aspazijas in snow.

Labels: lights, night, snow, streets, trees, winter

Observation Wheel is being assembled now in the middle of Old Town, on Livu square.
Can't wait to take my first ride.. :)

Labels: brivibas, lights, night, snow, vecriga, winter

This photo of Latvian National Library during Staro Riga is selected in order to give you an opportunity to compare how LNB was looking in during Staro Riga 2008. Photo's source is Delfi.
BTW, check the timeline of LNB Building since 2007.

Labels: buildings, daugava, lights, lnb, mukusala, pardaugava, red, rivers, staro

Main office building of recently formed Bank Citadele during Staro Riga event.
As usually the best shots are taken by guest photographers from Delfi :)

Labels: banks, buildings, center, events, lights, modernism, offices, staro

Staro in Latvian means Shine. Staro Riga is the name of annual light festival which was held 18-22 November.
This photo of Alexander Bridge was taken by Delfi's photographer.

Labels: blue, bridges, brivibas, canal, events, lights, night, rivers, staro, vecriga

Like many people in Riga, I often think about moving to somewhere else.
Especially when I see this Boeing 767 of Uzbekistan Airways, which connects Riga to New York directly, I start to think about crazy things...

Labels: airplanes, airports, lights, night

Yesterday in all Riga Clubs was a costume party devoted to Halloween.
Just (to feel) is a new club in Old Town in the place of the former Zebra club, just across Coyote Fly.
It is like a drain club of Coyote Fly. Almost all the people who couldn't get into Coyote go to Just Club :)

Labels: clubs, events, holidays, lights, nightlife, people

Galleria Riga is the name of the newest Shopping center in Riga, which opened its doors just 2 days ago.
It seems that stakeholders and/or designers has very narrow imagination to name it like that, because Galeria is located in a very center of Riga, on Dzirnavu iela 67, which is between Terbatas and Brivibas streets.
Check also Terrace on Galleria's roof.

Labels: center, interior, lights, people, riga, shopping

Taxi drivers are infamous for aggressive driving and strong immunity against police.
Although in this case, young taxi driver was forced to pay a fine :)

Labels: cars, lights, night, police, streets, taxi, tramways, vecriga