Ventspils Sea Festival in Ventspils
Rather than marking a civic anniversary, Ventspils' Sea Festival, or Jūras Svētki, honors the port's working relationship with the water itself: sailing regattas and boat parades fill the harbor each early July, culminating in the ceremonial arrival of Neptune and his sea maidens, escorted into port by tugboats firing arcs of water. An artisans' market lines the Harbour Street promenade throughout.
Every early July, Ventspils turns its attention from the city streets to the water that built it.