Musicians, dance groups and choirs are all scheduled to take part in the 'Freedom for Ukraine' event organized by the Latvian National Cultural Center.
The first part of the Ukrainian support concert will feature Latvian folk songs, compositions by Latvian authors and music important to the Ukrainian people, while the second part of the event will feature rock and pop artists.
At Thursday's meeting, the government altered the current restrictions on Covid-19 gathering, allowing up to 3,000 people to gather outdoors, citing the need to allow the general public to express their views and positions on the world in a non-violent manner. It seems highly likely Friday's concert will attract considerably more than 3,000 people.
The concert venue is also significant – the square outside the Congress Hall sits directly opposite the Russian Embassy, so those inside will benefit from a grandstand view and will no doubt want to sing and dance along with the music and expressions of disgust at the actions of the Russian Federation.
You will be able to watch the concert live here on LSM, Latvian Television and the Rīga city council Facebook page, plus the 16+ YouTube channel, live from 18:00.
Separately, members of the group Citi Zēni, who were recently named as Latvia's Eurovision entry for 2022, have written to Eurovision organizers the European Broadcasting Union suggesting Russia's right to participate in the event be withdrawn. They called on other participants to make their voices heard, too.
We love all artists.
— Citi Zēni 💙💛 (@citi_zeni) February 24, 2022
We love all people.
We are united. @Eurovision should take action. We urge other delegations & artists to do the same.#StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/H572EoCCVT