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Asked if there are plans to renovate the circus building, which has been damaged in a recent fire, Melbarde said that first it is necessary to carry out an examination and to estimate renovation costs. Asked if the building should be preserved for circus shows in the first place, the minister said that it is necessary to work on the building's preservation because not any building can be used for circus performances. We will do everything to deal with this problem, said Melbarde.

As to whether circus should exist in Latvia as an art genre also in the future, for instance, 20 years from now, Melbarde said that Latvia has rich circus traditions and that it has its audience, half of which, however, has been lost after concerns have been raised about the building's safety. The audience, however, can be lured back by improving the building's safety and changing the circus' programs.

The minister, however, spoke very cautiously about the circus' future, saying that the building has returned in the state's possession only recently and that only now it is possible to start thinking about its future.

Melbarde noted that she has ordered the circus administration to overhaul its strategy and bring it closer to European traditions and that the future of Riga Circus is therefore in the hands of its administration.

Riga Circus has been included in the list of dangerous structures. In September last year the construction safety watchdog allowed the circus to keep functioning only if certain restrictions were observed.

Riga Circus was built in 1888 and is the oldest circus in the Baltic states. It has the status of a national architectural monument.