Riga ends official swimming season and prepares beaches for winter swimmers

Riga’s official swimming season ended on September 15, and the municipality has begun adapting the city’s swimming sites for autumn and winter, with particular attention to winter swimmers, LSM reported.

Equipment will remain in place during the winter at inland swimming sites and active recreation areas. Changing cabins and benches will be available at Lucavsala, Ķīpsala, Rumbula, Lake Bābelīte, Velnezers, Bolderāja Quarry, Dārziņi and Zirņu Island, as well as on Birzes Street by the Buļļupe River and near Kleistu Street by the Hapaka Channel.

Because autumn began warmly and people continue to use the beaches, wooden walkways, changing cabins, benches and volleyball equipment at the Vecāķi, Vakarbuļļi and Daugavgrīva beaches will remain in place at least until early October.

Later, some movable infrastructure at swimming sites along the Gulf of Riga coast will be dismantled and stored until spring. The measure is necessary because autumn and winter storms can significantly damage walkways, benches, cabins and other equipment on the beaches. Permanent changing cabins near the main entrances will remain at the Vecāķi, Vakarbuļļi and Daugavgrīva swimming sites during winter.

The Riga Municipal Housing and Environment Department will also continue collecting bathing water samples and conducting microbiological quality tests during the winter at locations popular with winter swimmers: the Lucavsala, Ķīpsala, Rumbula, Vakarbuļļi and Vecāķi swimming sites, as well as Lake Bābelīte.

This year, the department managed nine official swimming sites in Riga. The newly established and upgraded Bolderāja Quarry swimming site also received official status. Four Riga swimming sites displayed Blue Flags during the summer, with the city’s fourth Blue Flag raised at Daugavgrīva. The official swimming sites managed by the department cover more than 435,000 square metres in total, with a combined shoreline of 2.8 kilometres.