Estonia's biggest annual events attract international attention and visitors and bring together the whole country as they energize the spirit of Estonia. Here is a list of the most important events in Estonia. Plan a visit to see one of these spectacles for yourself!
Tartu Marathon — 17-18 February
If you are itching to ski, then head to South Estonia. Put your body to the test at the Tartu Marathon. For over 60 years, this marathon has been known as one of the best ski competitions in the world, attracting many domestic and foreign participants every year.
There are 63 km and 31 km classic cross-country tracks to choose from, as well as an Open Track race, a Relay Marathon, and races for children. You can also participate in the marathon virtually whenever you want – you could do it right now, while there is still plenty of snow.
Tartu Marathon, held in Southern Estonia, is part of the Worldloppet, Estoloppet, and Russialoppet calendars and the professional series Visma Ski Classics Pro Tour.
Estonian Independence Day — 24 February
If your legs are sore from the Tartu Marathon, there is no need to worry — a few days later, on 24 February, there will be a national holiday and you can eat sprat sandwiches and watch the parade, concerts and speeches on TV.
The parade often includes more than 800 participants and nearly 50 vehicles, 42 flags, 4 military organizations, 2 units, 8 platoons, and 2 orchestras. The flag holders of the United States, France, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine represent our allies. The United Kingdom's and Denmark's units from the NATO Enhanced Forward Presence and the French and United States' units usually also participate. This powerful sight will captivate both children and adults. The presidential reception usually takes place in the evening in Tallinn.
Sprats on black bread and the Estonian flag — two signs of Independence Day in Estonia!
Photo: Maarja Urb, Visit Estonia
Tallinn Music Week — 3-7 April
Tallinn Music Week (TMW) is the largest indoor music festival in the Nordic and Baltic regions, featuring nearly 200 Estonian and foreign artists from various musical genres.
About 25,000 people from Estonia and abroad will participate in the festival in Tallinn. In addition to the main events, which take place in the most important clubs and concert venues in the city, Tallinn Music Week also introduces the lesser-known sides of the city. Stage concerts, the TMW Stories series, the restaurant festival TMW Tastes, and the contemporary art program TMW Art will take place at venues all over Tallinn.
Jazzkaar – 20 April-28 April
Jazzkaar is an international jazz festival that has been taking place in Tallinn for more than 20 years and is the largest of its kind in the Baltics. In addition to the main event in April, you will be able to listen to Christmas Jazz in December, which will fill churches, concert halls, and clubs with beautiful jazz music at the end of November and the beginning of December. They also organize Winter Jazz and Autumn Jazz concert seasons.
Tartu Cycling Rally — 25-26 May
Also known as Tartu Rattaralli, this major cycling event turns Tartu into a cyclists' paradise in late May. The race's start and finish are located in the heart of Tartu. Competitors can choose from three different distances: 128, 60, or 27 kilometers. The routes take cyclists through the natural beauty of South Estonia. On May 25, there's a popular children's race, which is one of the largest in the world.
The Tartu Cycling Rally takes riders through beautiful spots in South Estonia.
Photo by: Adam IllingworthSimple Session – 21-25 August
If you have even a little bit of passion for extreme sports, Simple Session is for you. If you don't want to get involved yourself, it's also fun to watch others do crazy tricks on skateboards and bikes. Simple Session is the largest extreme sports competition in Europe. Typically, it takes place in Tallinn, but in 2024, it will head back to the town of its birth — Tartu. The main event will take place at Kammivabrik, a renovated comb factory that has turned into a popular event space in the Karlova neighborhood.
Song and Dance Festival — 3-6 July, 2025
The next major festival will take place in the summer of 2025. The atmosphere of this festival is indescribable. It can be fully experienced only in person – whether as a singer-dancer or a spectator. Tens of thousands of spectators and performers fill every last spot of Tallinn's purpose-built Song Festival Grounds. If you plan on joining the fun, make your travel and accommodation arrangements early as places fill up.
The Estonian Song Festival is on the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Photo: Jelena Rudi, Visit Estonia
FIA European Rally Championship Rally Estonia – 5-7 July
The most extreme event of the summer is the ERC Rally, which covers almost the whole of Southern Estonia. In 2024, it will be a stage of the European Rally Championship, and in 2025, it will again be a stage of the World Rally Championship, which Estonia got the right to organize only a few years ago. These high-level competitions bring the world's top racers and a large number of foreign tourists to Estonia – through TV and the Internet, our small country with its beautiful nature reaches millions of people around the world.
WRC Rally brings out the crowds along the backroads of South Estonia.
Photo by: Alexandre Guillaumot
Viljandi Folk Music Festival – 25-28 July
Viljandi Folk is not just a cool festival – it also has a mission. It brings us, in a concentrated, renewed yet authentic form, the ancestral instrumental and musical styles that would otherwise be lost in modern society. It is a cultural medium that brings together tens of thousands of people every summer. The town of Viljandi itself is worth visiting – the high castle hills, the lake, the coziness of a small town and the energy of the festival make for a pleasant weekend.
The Viljandi Folk Music Festival brings together tens of thousands of visitors every year.
Photo by: Marek Metslaid, Visit Estonia
Bluesfest "Augustibluus" — 1 August
Haapsalu's castle ruins provide a stunning backdrop for the "Augustibluus" Bluesfest. Big names from the United States, the birthplace of the blues, and European artists grace the main stage, while other musicians take their shows to the streets and open air cafes. The program also offers workshops, exhibitions, and acoustic concerts in the town's old railway station.
Sounds of the blues fill the night during Hapsalu's Bluesfest "Augustibluus."
Photo by: Silver RaidlaTallinn Fringe Festival — 18 August - 18 September
The Tallinn Fringe Festival is a large celebration of the arts every August and September in Tallinn, Estonia. This annual open-access arts festival brings together international and local artists in various venues across Tallinn. Like other similar festivals around the world, this fringe festival supports emerging and established artists as the curation process is between the venue and the performer; the festival itself does not choose who features in the program. The shows feature a wide range of performing arts, including theatre, dance, music, circus, spoken word, visual art, comedy, and multi-genre mixes.
Ironman Tallinn – 25 August
The triathlon will bring the best of its field to Tallinn in the summer, but hobby athletes who want to test their summer bodies and challenge themselves are also welcome. The event is challenging – throughout the day you have to cover 3.8 km by swimming, 180 km by bike, and 42.2 km by running. It is considered one of the hardest one-day sporting events in the world. Athletes train for years in order to be able to compete in this ultimate endurance event.
Tallinn Marathon – 6-8 September
The Tallinn Marathon is a big national sports event that takes place every autumn. In addition to the full-length marathon, you can take part in a half marathon and a 10 km trail both by running and walking. You can participate from the age of 13. The competition, which has been held for more than 20 years, has changed its trajectory over the years. In the early years, it went along Pirita Road, but now the trail passes through the roads of Põhja-Tallinn, including Kultuurikatel, which has been especially exciting for participants from abroad. If you have yet to take part in this event, come try it out.
Spectators and runners fill Tallinn's streets every September for the Tallinn Marathon.
Photo by: Toomas Huik, Visit Estonia
Light festival "ÖÖvalgel" — 26-28 September
On the last weekend of September, as the nights are getting longer, Pärnu lights up. The first "Light in the Night" festival took place in 2019, and it has now become Pärnu's largest cultural event. Stories are told through light and video projections, and the main character is always a living person. The main venues are the beach and downtown area. It's a short stroll between the two, making it a perfect evening to join the locals as they walk from venue to venue.
Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF) – 8-24 November
The Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF) is the largest film festival in northern Europe. With hundreds of feature films and shorts to choose from, it is the most highly anticipated event during autumn's black nights. Thousands of filmmakers, actors, journalists, and film aficionados come to Tallinn to enjoy the films, parties, talks, and events that take place over the space of two weeks.
