On October 1st, 2022, over 700 people gathered at 958 Broadview Avenue for Lääst Blääst, a farewell party for the Toronto Estonian House. Nearly four years later, on the evening of Thursday, August 20th, 2026, the community reunited at Madison Avenue and Bloor Street for Föörst Blääst, the opening party of KESKfEST. Held in a draped marquee tent fitted with chandeliers and stage lighting, the event brought together multiple generations.
The evening featured the Kalevipogues, a cover band formed over thirty-five years ago by friends who grew up in Toronto’s Estonian community. Taking the stage at 8:00 p.m., the band performed an enormous repertoire rocking through nostalgic hits like the B-52s’ “Love Shack” and Franz Ferdinand’s “Take Me Out” and Estonian folk standards like “Täna öösel naudin elu.”
“It's been really cool seeing how close you guys all are... It’s all this one little hidden subsect of Toronto that I didn’t know existed before."
(Taite Cullen)
Outside the tent, attendees gathered to reconnect and talk. Composer and pianist Erik Kreem remarked on the steady influx of guests at the entrance gates. “Each new face is another person that you know,” Kreem said. “It’s cool to see how the whole Estonian community can come out for this.” Erik Kreem’s girlfriend Taite Cullen noted, “It's been really cool seeing how close you guys all are... It’s all this one little hidden subsect of Toronto that I didn’t know existed before,” adding that KESKUS will help to make the community more known.
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