This summer, Positivus Festival is not only bringing a diverse lineup of local and international artists, but also becoming more environmentally friendly in several new ways.

“One of the biggest changes this year involves how we manage festival entry — we’re skipping the traditional fabric wristbands, as they generate considerable waste during production and after the event,” says Positivus Festival organizer Ģirts Majors. Instead, festival entry will work much like attending any large concert — tickets will simply be scanned at the entrance. Two-day tickets will be scanned both on Friday and Saturday.

Visitors who wish to leave and return to the festival site during the day will be able to receive a paper wristband at the exit. “We’ll only hand out paper wristbands to those who plan to re-enter the festival grounds on the same day, not to everyone by default — this will significantly reduce waste. Plus, paper is much easier to sort and recycle than fabric and other wristband components,” Majors explains.

In addition, in collaboration with the local sustainable fashion community BOURZMA, materials from past festivals, including old wristbands and merchandise, will be given a second life. Young designers will transform them into unique keepsakes for this year’s Positivus, available for purchase in the BOURZMA zone — supporting more conscious, circular fashion. The first upcycling workshop in the BOURZMA studio in Riga took place just yesterday.

“I’m thrilled that the BOURZMA community, together with Positivus, is helping promote sustainable thinking in our society. I can’t wait to see what our talented designers will create from past-year festival shirts and wristbands,” says BOURZMA co-founder Patriks Kirkils.

Since Positivus moved to Riga, getting to the festival has also become greener — Lucavsala is easy to reach not only by public transport, but also on foot or by bicycle. The festival site and its surroundings deliberately lack dedicated parking to encourage visitors to choose more environmentally friendly modes of transport.

To reduce the pollution caused by single-use products, the festival has already introduced a deposit system for several years. When buying drinks, visitors receive them in reusable cups by paying a deposit, which is refunded when the cup is returned. Positivus also offers free drinking water refill stations for guests with their own reusable bottles.

Furthermore, festival organizers, service providers, and staff are prohibited from using balloons, flammable items, or generating unnecessary single-use waste in their activities.