Festivals & events
38 celebrations through the year — pick a day to see what's on.
- New Year's Day (1 January · All regions · National) — The nationwide public holiday celebrating the start of the new year, marked by fireworks over Tallinn's Old Town the night before.
- Tartu Ski Marathon (All February · Otepää · Tartu and Southern Estonia) — One of the largest cross-country skiing events in Europe, drawing thousands of skiers across a 63-kilometre course through southern Estonia…
- Independence Day (24 February · All regions · National) — Commemorates the 1918 declaration of the Republic of Estonia with a military parade, presidential reception and flag-raising ceremonies nat…
- Tallinn Music Week (All March · Tallinn · Tallinn and Harju) — A sprawling city festival showcasing hundreds of emerging and established musicians alongside a conference on the creative industries.
- Estonian Music Days (All April · Tallinn · Tallinn and Harju) — A festival dedicated to contemporary Estonian classical composers, featuring premieres of new works across concert halls.
- Good Friday (All April · All regions · National) — A national public holiday observed with church services during the Christian Easter period.
- Easter Sunday (All April · All regions · National) — A public holiday celebrated with folk traditions such as egg painting and swinging on village swings.
- Spring Day (1 May · All regions · National) — May Day is a national public holiday and Walpurgis Night bonfires the evening before mark the arrival of spring.
- Jazzkaar (All April · Tallinn · Tallinn and Harju) — Estonia's premier jazz festival bringing world-class jazz and world-music artists to venues around the capital.
- Tallinn Old Town Days (All June · Tallinn · Tallinn and Harju) — A lively celebration filling the medieval streets with markets, concerts, historical performances and craft fairs.
- Grillfest (All June · Pärnu · Pärnu and the Southwest) — A large barbecue and food festival celebrating grilling, local produce and outdoor summer feasting.
- Victory Day (23 June · All regions · National) — A national holiday marking the 1919 Battle of Võnnu, celebrated with a victory bonfire that leads into Midsummer.
- Jaanipäev (Midsummer) (24 June · All regions · National) — The most beloved summer holiday, celebrated with huge bonfires, singing and all-night gatherings under the near-endless daylight.
- Hansa Days (All July · Tartu · Tartu and Southern Estonia) — A medieval-themed festival recalling Tartu's Hanseatic League past with historical markets, crafts and costumed performances.
- Pärnu Beach Volleyball and Summer Season (All July · Pärnu · Pärnu and the Southwest) — Estonia's summer capital buzzes with beach sports, concerts and open-air events throughout the warmest month.
- Viljandi Folk Music Festival (All July · Viljandi · Central Estonia) — The largest annual music festival in Estonia, filling the castle ruins and town with folk and roots music from around the world.
- Saaremaa Opera Days (All July · Kuressaare · Western Estonian Islands) — A prestigious opera festival staged in the courtyard of the medieval Kuressaare castle, hosting international opera companies.
- Leigo Lake Music Festival (All August · Leigo · Tartu and Southern Estonia) — A magical evening festival where classical music is performed beside lakes lit by floating fires and fireworks.
- Birgitta Festival (All August · Tallinn · Tallinn and Harju) — An international festival of music theatre and opera staged among the atmospheric ruins of the Pirita convent.
- Restoration of Independence Day (20 August · All regions · National) — A national holiday marking the 1991 restoration of Estonian independence from the Soviet Union.
- Seto Kingdom Day (All August · Setomaa · Lake Peipus and the Setomaa) — A vivid celebration of the Seto people's unique culture, where a regent is chosen and traditional leelo singing, food and crafts abound.
- Tallinn Maritime Days (All August · Tallinn · Tallinn and Harju) — A harbour festival with tall ships, boat exhibitions, sea-themed concerts and family activities along the waterfront.
- Narva Historical Festival (All August · Narva · Northeast Estonia) — A reenactment festival at the border castle recreating battles and life of the 17th-century Swedish era.
- Haapsalu Horror and Fantasy Film Festival (All April · Haapsalu · West Estonia) — A cult film festival showcasing horror, fantasy and sci-fi cinema in the charming seaside resort town.
- Muhu Future Music Festival (All August · Muhu · Western Estonian Islands) — An intimate island festival blending live electronic and experimental music with rural landscapes.
- Tartu Love Film Festival (All November · Tartu · Tartu and Southern Estonia) — A romantic-themed film festival, known as tARTuFF, showing films for large audiences on the town hall square in warmer years.
- Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (All November · Tallinn · Tallinn and Harju) — A major international film festival, one of the few A-category festivals in the world, screening hundreds of films across the dark autumn n…
- Mardipäev (St Martin's Day) (10 November · All regions · Tallinn and Harju) — A folk tradition where costumed children go door to door singing for treats, marking the transition into winter.
- Kadripäev (St Catherine's Day) (25 November · All regions · Tallinn and Harju) — A companion festival to Mardipäev, with white-clad masked visitors bringing wishes of fertility and good fortune.
- Tallinn Christmas Market (All December · Tallinn · Tallinn and Harju) — A fairy-tale market on Town Hall Square with a towering tree, mulled wine, handicrafts and one of Europe's most photogenic settings.
- St Thomas's Fair (All December · Tallinn · Tallinn and Harju) — A traditional pre-Christmas handicraft fair filling the Old Town with artisans, food stalls and festive goods.
- Christmas Day (25 December · All regions · National) — A national public holiday marking the peak of the Estonian jõulud season, celebrated with family feasts.
- Boxing Day (26 December · All regions · National) — The second day of Christmas is a national holiday spent relaxing with family and visiting relatives.
- Whitsun (Pentecost) (All June · All regions · National) — A moveable Christian public holiday celebrated 50 days after Easter with church services around the country.
- Weekend Festival Baltic (All August · Tallinn · Tallinn and Harju) — A huge electronic dance music festival drawing global DJs and crowds to the outskirts of the capital.
- Rakvere Green Fest (All June · Rakvere · Northeast Estonia) — A summer festival at Rakvere castle hill combining music, theatre and family events in a historic setting.
- Pühajärve Beach Party (All June · Otepää · Tartu and Southern Estonia) — A large lakeside summer party by the scenic Pühajärve lake with pop concerts and beach festivities.
- Estonian Song and Dance Celebration (All July · Tallinn · Tallinn and Harju) — A monumental UNESCO-listed gathering held every few years where tens of thousands of singers and dancers perform, a cornerstone of national…