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Latvia will turn laboratories, university buildings, observatories and research centres into public spaces on Friday, 25 September, when European Researchers’ Night returns for an evening of free science activities. More than 30 venues around the country are listed for the 2026 programme, giving visitors the chance to meet researchers, join workshops and see how scientific knowledge is produced.
The event is organised by the Latvian Council of Science and the Research Latvia platform of the Ministry of Education and Science, together with universities, research institutes and other organisations. This year’s theme, “Discover the Nature of Science!”, places science in a broad everyday context, from natural systems and environmental questions to technology, health, culture and the future of work. ([researchlatvia.gov.lv](https://www.researchlatvia.gov.lv/en/european-researchers-night-2026-will-take-place-across-latvia-25-september-0))
A nationwide invitation to look behind the scenes
The programme extends beyond Riga to cities and regional locations including Cēsis, Daugavpils, Jelgava, Liepāja, Malnava, Rēzekne, Valmiera and Ventspils. The central online programme is being updated through an interactive map, which allows visitors to search by location and subject and check practical information such as opening times, accessibility and registration requirements.
For visitors, the format is deliberately informal. The evening combines demonstrations, discussions, creative workshops, experiments and opportunities to ask researchers direct questions. The organisers describe it as an invitation to experience science rather than simply receive information. That approach also makes the event suitable for families and school-age visitors, not only for people already familiar with research.
Environmental science takes a visible place
Several parts of the University of Latvia programme give the evening a clear connection with the natural environment. Activities are planned at the University’s Botanical Garden and Ornithological Research Centre in Pape, linking public engagement with plant science, birds and field-based research. The wider Researchers’ Night platform also lists ecology, biology, energy, agricultural science and animal health among its themes.
At the University of Latvia’s Torņakalns campus, one activity will demonstrate how environmentally friendly composite materials for wind turbines are developed and studied. The programme also includes research connected with marine macroalgae, aquaculture and the blue bioeconomy, offering a glimpse into how Baltic natural resources can be studied and used more sustainably.
These subjects place environmental research alongside practical questions about energy, materials and food systems. Rather than presenting sustainability as a distant policy issue, the programme shows how it is investigated through laboratories, field observations, engineering and public discussion. ([lu.lv](https://www.lu.lv/en/science/science-communication-1/science-and-society/researchers-night/european-researchers-night-2026/))
Science, art and participation
The University of Latvia’s main programme in Riga will run broadly from 17:00 to 22:00, although times vary by venue. Its activities are grouped into thematic zones including Light and Matter, Voices of Atoms, Data Art, Living the Future and a Science Stage.
Visitors will be able to take part in interactive installations, experiments, short talks and workshops. The programme also brings researchers together with musicians, dancers and improvisational performers. Scientific data will be translated into music and movement, while a Baltic live broadcast will connect research communities in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.
The event is being supported in Riga through the European Commission-funded Aurora Nexus project, which links science, art and society and follows the New European Bauhaus approach. The organisers say the intention is for visitors to experiment, discuss and create, not only observe.
A growing public science tradition
European Researchers’ Night has become one of Latvia’s largest public science occasions. According to Research Latvia, the 2025 edition attracted about 29,650 visitors, the highest attendance recorded so far, compared with approximately 21,200 visitors in 2024.
That growth matters because the event offers a direct meeting point between researchers and the wider public. For Latvia, it is also a way to make research institutions in the regions more visible and to show younger visitors that science is connected with local landscapes, public health, energy, technology and culture.
Admission is free. Visitors can consult the official interactive programme before travelling, as individual venues may have different schedules or require advance registration. In Riga, the city’s tourism platform lists the main event from 17:00 to 22:00 on 25 September.
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