Mārupe Name Day Celebrations 2025

This year is special for Mārupe region – two significant anniversaries, two stories of roots and strength. We are celebrating the 100th anniversary of the name Mārupe and the 800th anniversary of the name Babīte – with gratitude for the past, pride in the present, and a hopeful outlook towards the future.
There are words that simply denote a place. And there are words that embody belonging, memories, and roots. The word “Mārupe” is one of them. Exactly 100 years ago – in 1925 – the name “Mārupe” first officially appeared in documents (by the decision of the Saeima on June 17, 1924, which came into force on September 1, 1925, Bieriņi parish was renamed to Mārupe parish). At that time, it was not yet a city, not even a village with paved streets. It was a place with orchards, a winding stream, and hardworking people who step by step created an environment where one would want to stay.
Mārupe got its name from the Mārupīte, a small river that, like life itself, flowed calmly but persistently. It is believed that the river’s name is associated with Māra, the deity of fertility and earth in Latvian mythology. Symbolically, Mārupe is also a place where land and intellect, nature and work, people and ideas still meet. And today, when Mārupe region has become a modern and rapidly growing municipality, and since 2022, the name Mārupe is also carried by a city, it symbolizes not only history but also future potential. Mārupe has become a place where dreams are not postponed – they are realized. A place where everyone can find their riverbank, their home, their path.
May the name Mārupe resonate for another 100 years – with respect, with roots, with strength and flow – like Mārupīte, like life.

On August 8 and 9, we invite you to celebrate the name day of Mārupe, “100 Years of Mārupe”.
The festivities will begin with a concert in the courtyard of Mārupe Cultural Center on the evening of August 8: at 9:30 PM, the Mārupe Cultural Center mixed choir “Mārupe” (artistic director Kalvis Ozoliņš) will perform, and at 10:00 PM, the Mārupe Music and Art School string quartet will play.
On August 9, we will celebrate with an extensive program throughout the day.
From 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM, there will be a market of home producers, craftsmen, and masters around Mārupe Cultural Center. At 11:00 AM, we await you in the courtyard of the Cultural Center for “Musical Breakfasts” with Mārupe guitarist Mārcis Auziņš. At 1:00 PM, Mārupe Ladies' Club will delight with a performance. From 2:00 PM, an exhibition “Cultural Heritage” will be on display in the foyer of the Cultural Center.
At 3:00 PM, we will indulge in an exciting “Song Duel”, and at 6:00 PM, we will celebrate with a concert “Where the River Becomes a Name”. The culmination of the celebrations at 8:00 PM will be a meeting with Mārupe personalities in the concert “I Live in Mārupe” and enjoy a party with the band “Deep Violet”.
On August 9, from 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM within the festivities “100 Years of Mārupe”, an informative festival for the whole family “Entrepreneurs for Mārupe: Being Together” organized by the Mārupe Entrepreneurs Association will take place in Konrāds Square. Mārupe residents will have the opportunity not only to explore a wide exhibition of various regional enterprises and their services but also to enjoy the tastes of Mārupe region and participate in quizzes, activities, and win prizes carefully prepared by Mārupe region entrepreneurs. There will be inflatable attractions for children and creative workshops.
At the festival venue in Konrāds Square from 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM, a conversation tent “Business in Mārupe Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow” will operate, where visitors can listen to discussions and interviews with the region’s outstanding entrepreneurs – both those whose business beginnings date back many decades and those only now starting their ventures. Experience, daring, innovative thinking, and deep roots in their region: let's talk about the success stories of Mārupe companies.

But already from July 7 to August 7, entrepreneurs invite families to participate in the orientation game “Visit Mārupe Enterprises”, during which Mārupe residents can visit various regional enterprises and collect stamps to win a valuable grand prize at the festival day draw.
The Mārupe Entrepreneurs Festival is traditionally organized by the Mārupe Entrepreneurs Association in collaboration with the Mārupe region municipality. It is an informative festival for the whole family aimed at introducing and bringing the region’s residents closer to the entrepreneurs of Mārupe region through various activities and events throughout the day.

The event takes place as part of the regional festival “Celebrating Through Centuries”, where throughout the year, with a diverse celebration program, we celebrate the name Mārupe – 100 and the name Babīte – 800! Let's celebrate the region's past, present, and future so that our stories continue through the centuries!