What to Expect at Estonia’s Song Festival

Inside Estonia’s Once-in-Five-Years Celebration of Song and Dance

Estonia’s Song Festival, or Laulupidu, is one of the world’s largest and most moving choral gatherings – a massive, open-air celebration of music, freedom, and national pride that takes place just once every five years. If you want to understand the heart of Estonia, this is where to start. Tens of thousands of singers, even more spectators, and a sea of folk costumes and bright flags, rain or shine. I had always wanted to attend this legendary event and decided it would be the perfect way to spend a birthday. The chance to take in both the opening concert and the grand main performance made the experience even more memorable. Each has its atmosphere: the opening night is more formal, like an overture with speeches and a presentation-style program. The main concert, held two days later, is all about the pure power of song. There are more choirs, more voices, and an unforgettable finale when everyone in the stadium stands and sings together. Take a closer look inside Estonia’s Song Festival!

A Key Moment Came During the Procession

One of the most memorable parts for me wasn’t on stage at all. It was watching the vast procession that kicks off the official festival. Close to 45,000 choir singers and dancers begin in Tallinn’s medieval Old Town and wind their way about five kilometers (roughly three miles) through the streets to the Song Festival Grounds. The colorful parade takes around four hours. Choirs and dance troupes from across Estonia walk with their village ‘tribes,’ dressed in traditional costumes and waving flags – singing and laughing all the way, even in the pouring rain. Spectators line the route to cheer them on. You can easily get close to the performers. And if you’re feeling adventurous, you can even join the parade and walk part of the route yourself. We watched for a while, then took advantage of the free shuttle buses running between the city and the stadium grounds. This is a practical option, especially in wet weather.

Come Prepared, Rain or Shine

And rain is always a possibility. The Song Festival takes place no matter what the weather does. Umbrellas aren’t allowed inside the grounds, so no one’s view is blocked, so good rain jackets, ponchos, or hats are essential. I was grateful for my assigned seat at the opening concert and highly recommend it for a sense of peace of mind. Seating is on wooden benches, and you’ll be sitting for hours, so a cushion or blanket can also be helpful. For the main concert, I opted for general admission, which gives you access to most of the grounds but means you’ll need to find your own patch of grass to settle in. The main concert was considerably busier than the opening night, perhaps helped by clearer skies.

Both sections hear the singing equally well. Giant screens show close-ups of the choirs, conductors, and the crowd so everyone feels part of the action. Another fun option if you can’t get a ticket: join the locals in a bar or cafe in Tallinn, where the whole city tunes in on big screens. Keep in mind that Sunday, the day of the main concert, is treated like an unofficial holiday. Many restaurants, shops, and attractions close so staff can join the festivities or local parties. Don’t leave your must-see sights to the last day, or you may find doors locked.

Estonia’s Warmest Season, Biggest Celebration

Estonia’s Song Festival takes place in early July, celebrating the peak of Estonia’s fleeting northern summer. Long daylight hours – sometimes up to 19 hours of light – and cool sea breezes add to the magic. This year, the Song Festival brought together around 32,000 singers and musicians from nearly 1,000 choirs performing under the iconic arch of the Song Festival Grounds. When you include the Dance Festival – a major event in the days leading up to the main concerts – more than 41,000 performers filled Tallinn with music and movement. The Dance Festival is another treasured tradition that showcases thousands of dancers in synchronized folk routines. Together, the Song and Dance Celebrations are such an important expression of regional identity that they’re recognized by UNESCO as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity – a distinction shared with similar traditions in Latvia and Lithuania. I didn’t get to see the dance performances in person (tickets sell out fast!), but just knowing they were happening all around the city, added so much to the festive buzz all week.

Seeing the sheer variety of costumes is worth the trip alone. Embroidered skirts, woven belts, bright floral crowns, and hand-knit sweaters tell stories of the towns and islands these singers and dancers call home. Together, tens of thousands of voices and dancers keep alive a tradition that helped sustain Estonian identity through decades of foreign rule.

Why Visit the Song Festival?

It’s hard to describe the sound of that many voices rising together under an open sky – you simply have to stand there to feel it. For me, standing beneath the iconic arch with thousands of people singing in unison, laughing, and crying together was unlike anything else I’ve ever experienced.

Of course, there’s plenty more to enjoy while you’re here. Between concerts, stroll the medieval lanes of Tallinn’s UNESCO-listed Old Town, sip coffee in Kalamaja’s artsy cafes, or ferry out to one of the nearby islands for a taste of the quiet Baltic countryside. But if you can time your trip to coincide with Laulupidu, you’ll see a side of Estonia few travelers ever experience.

Looking Ahead

The next Song Festival is five years away – plenty of time to start dreaming and planning. Whether you’re planning for that extraordinary event or wish to experience the best of the Baltics much sooner, we’d be delighted to help you put together a trip with private touring, hand-picked boutique hotels, and local encounters.

And when the time comes, rain or shine, pack your best rain gear, bring a warm layer, claim your spot on a wooden bench under the endless northern sky, and join the voices that keep Estonia’s spirit alive.

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