Smiltene to Mark Lāčplēsis Day With Torchlight Procession and Remembrance Event
On 11 November, Lāčplēsis Day, Smiltene will hold a church service, a torchlight procession and a remembrance ceremony at the town cemetery. The event honours Latvia's freedom fighters and is open to everyone.
The Smiltene municipality is inviting residents to gather in the town of Smiltene on 11 November 2026, Lāčplēsis Day, for a torchlight procession and remembrance ceremony. Lāčplēsis Day is the day Latvia commemorates soldiers who fell in its fight for freedom. It recalls the autumn of 1919, when the Latvian army, backed by society, liberated Riga from Bermondt's forces and defended the country's independence.
Programme
At 18:00 a service dedicated to freedom fighters will be held at Smiltene Evangelical Lutheran Church. At 18:20 the wind orchestra "Smiltene" will perform a musical and patriotic greeting in the town centre.
At 18:40 participants will set off on a torchlight procession along the route Baznīcas laukums–Daugavas iela–Valkas iela–Stacijas iela–Vaļņu iela–town cemetery. Representatives of the National Guard and the Youth Guard will take part, along with the municipality's leadership and staff. Temporary traffic restrictions are planned along this route during the procession.
Ceremony at the memorial
The procession will end at Smiltene town cemetery, at the monument "To the Heroes of the War of Independence". It is dedicated to local men who gave their lives for Latvia's freedom between 1918 and 1920. Speeches will be given, and Roberts Kundziņš and Ralfs Krūmiņš will perform patriotic songs.
The municipality also asks residents to light candles in their windows. Other memorial sites in the municipality include the Rauna Freedom Monument "Koklētāja", where, as elsewhere in the municipality, the names of the men and sons who gave their lives for Latvia's freedom are engraved.
