The Song and Dance Festival is considered as the most important and biggest event of our nation. People use to get ready long time before, they wait for it very much, spend time with pleasure during festival days in order to remember them later.
Till nowdays there happened 23 Song Festivals(13 Dance Festivals). The last Song and Dance Festival was in 2003. There participated around 13 000 singers and 14 000 dancers. The Song and Dance Festival is included in the list of the World Inheritance by November 7, 2003 decision of the international organisation UNESCO.

On March 2nd, 1873 Rihard Thomson suggested in Riga Latvian public meeting that people should try to organise a song festival. There was decided to get permission from the capital leaders for celebration this festival in Riga. The head of Festival commission became R.Thomson, members-J.Blaumanis, B.Drīķis, P.Siliņš, K. Ranbergs and R.Gailis. Later there was a meeting of teachers and conductors. We can read about this meeting in archive materials of State Museum: „..in the meeting of teachers and conductors on Martch 28th, 1873 where such persons took a part like leader of Valka teacher seminary J.Cimze, teacher Baumanu Kārlis(the author of Latvian anthem) from S-Petersburg, teachers and organists Indrikis Zīle from Valka, Janis Bētiņš from Irlava-they agreed to have a festival on June 26-29 in 1873, and make a programme of the First Song Festival”.

45 choirs and 1003 singers came to Riga. There were two K.Baumanis original songs and 10 folksongs.
The national anthem written by Baumaņu Kārlis was sung first in this Song Festival. The tsarism censorship had prohibited to use the word „Latvia” in the anthem, so- it was replaced by word „Baltic”.

„The gates of proud Riga opened, her languages rised and the scorn nation came through the gates. Riga resounded, St Mara church trembled and Kaisergarden turned to the lake of songs”-this was impression of poet Auseklis about the I Song festival.
After a quarter of century the critic of literature J.Jansons-Brauns said about the I Festival: „First time German incomers and local farmers from different reģions of Vidzeme and Kurzeme felt merry and bravely, and undersood-they are well healthy, alive and strong nation.”