The annual ''Staro Rīga'' (Riga Shines) illumination festival will celebrate its tenth birthday on November 18 as Latvia celebrates its own 99th birthday. 

The Turaida Museum Reserve in Latvia, which is a protected cultural monument, has taken part this year in a European competition, “Destination of Sustainable Cultural Tourism 2016,” which is being organised by the European Cultural Tourism Network (ECTN). The theme this year was tourism and intangible heritage, and applications were submitted by 23 candidates from nine European countries – Greece, Georgia, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Portugal, Romania, Serbia and Spain.