The entire year is full of surprises, but the summer season shines especially bright.
At a time when Estonia is still recovering from the bleak winter and the first signs of spring have yet to appear, making plans for the summer may appear premature. However, Estonians look forward to “white nights” and a more carefree summer, as well as the opportunity to attend as many events as possible in one week.
The upcoming cultural programme offers events for people of all ages and interests. In addition to Tartu, Southern Estonia, specifically the 19 municipalities that comprise the Tartu 2024 region, is receiving a lot of interest.
Parishes located within a short distance from the Tartu city limits offer travellers unexpected experiences. From May 27th to June 1st, the RUA Street Art Festival brings to the villages of Elva parish artwork typically associated with big cities, demonstrating that street art can be more than just scribbling on walls. Similarly, Tartu parish hosts the Art Festival “Out of Town”, which takes art outside of its comfort zone.
The Estonian Agricultural Museum in Kambja is part of the “Washing Machine Made of Beetroot” joint exhibition, which displays Soviet-era DIY and ingenuity. Festival Kaera-Jaan, a family-friendly event in Kastre, promotes local heritage culture from May 31st to June 2nd. In Luunja, visitors can explore Emajõgi and Peipsi by sailing. Nõo parish asks “Do the stars mind you?” during an audiovisual journey that creates a bridge between us and the celestial space. On the 175-kilometer-long food street in Peipisääre, you can sample everything delicious that the region has to offer.
On July 6th, Räpina municipality celebrates Võõpsu Fishermen's Day with abundant fish and craft items, on July 19th and 20th, Kanepi parish thrills with the intriguing Kanepi Festival, which includes a massive hemp maze and a diverse entertainment programme. Põlva offers a treat to all melomaniacs with “A Celebration of the Heavenly grounds”, an event series that blends world culture and religions through ritual performances, music, and dance.
Tõrva Loits 2024, the summer's largest open-air extravaganza of fire, water, and song, will capture the essence of the rites on July 20th. Maajaam, an art farm on the outskirts of Otepää, produces world-class technological art, which is on display at the open-air exhibition “Wild Bits”. Missile Base R-12, near Valga, is undoubtedly one of the most distinctive event venues in Southern Estonia. Valga Glow, a techno and dance music marathon spanning more than 40 hours, will take place on the former strategic medium-range missile base from June 28th to 30th.
The Music and Word Event Aigu Om! invites everyone to Rõuge in July, where traditional ways of slowing down will be explored. With a rested body and mind, you can head to the Treski inspiration conference in Setomaa to gather new knowledge or Võru parish’s landscape theatre show “Periphery”. The town of Antsla revives the tradition of long table parties for one evening and invites everyone on a lively retro journey “Crowing Linda”. On August 24th, phantoms, elves, and other fantastical creatures will creep around the ancient woods of the city of Võru during the Night Folk Dance Festival.
The city of Viljandi should not be overlooked either, since the international exhibition “Hidden World Expanding”, will introduce the phenomenon of outsider art to a wider audience.
A quarter of Estonia is waiting to be explored. Southern Estonia is in for a one-of-a-kind year. On one hand, it is a great cultural event that attracts visitors from Estonia and abroad. On the other hand, it is an opportunity to include as many people as possible to jointly create the groundwork for a long-term change in Tartu and Southern Estonia.
