 The song, which speaks about the rebirth of a free Latvian nation, was and is usually a staple of the festival's song list and was not performed thrice in its history (1960, 1965 and 1977), and had been performed in the 1980 edition in the presence of Annija Vītola, widow of the song's composer Jāzeps Vītols, marking 80 years since it was first performed.The 24th Festival was held in July 2008.The main events were held at the Mežaparks Great Bandstand and the Daugava Stadium in Riga.