Your final chance to experience Melbourne Estonian House in full swing. The Last Hurrah weekend (22–24 May 2026) is here: three days of memories, and a proper send-off for a place that has held decades of community life (and our hearts).
If walls could talk, the ones at Melbourne Estonian House would probably ask you to stay a little longer, they’ve so enjoyed the stories. They’ve heard choirs warming up on cold evenings, folk dancers stamping warmth into winter floors, children running through hallways, and the low hum of conversations that stretch well past closing time.
From 22–24 May 2026, we gather for one final weekend — the Last Hurrah — to fill the house one more time with exactly that. With the house now sold, this is our moment to come together before we move on to a new home.
Friday: the quiet beginning
🕢 10 am — Archives open, free event, no RSVP needed
🕢 4 pm–9 pm — Bar open, drinks for purchase, free event, no RSVP needed
From Friday morning, the doors open not just to a building, but to memory. Upstairs, the archives and photographs quietly tell stories — of people, of moments, of a community growing up far from Estonia but never far from each other. Somewhere, a film flickers. Somewhere else, someone points at a photo and says, “That’s us.”
The exhibitions stay open all weekend. You may come for ten minutes. You may stay for hours — looking at photographs, handicrafts, books, paintings and film screenings running throughout the building.
By 4 pm, the bar opens. There’s no rush, no big headline act — just people arriving, greeting each other, easing into the space. Conversations start again where they left off years ago. Someone laughs. Someone lingers a little longer than planned. It’s the kind of evening where the building feels… aware.
Friday is your soft landing. The atmosphere is relaxed, and the plan is simple: arrive, reconnect and soak up the space before the big weekend energy kicks in. Just people, conversations and a few quiet moments with the past.
Saturday: beer hall by day, party by night
🕢 10 am — Archives open, free event, no RSVP needed
🕢 12 pm–5 pm — Beer hall, food and drinks for purchase, free event, for catering purposes RSVP here
🕢 7.30–8.45 pm — NOËP takes the stage, doors open 7 pm, tickets here
Saturday morning begins gently, with the archive open from 10 am — a slower start before the day gathers momentum.
By midday, the house shifts gears. Long tables, shared plates, the hum of voices — the beer hall takes over. There’s pirukad (Estonian meat pies), sausages, sauerkraut, pretzels, something cold in hand, and the kind of atmosphere where you arrive for “just a quick visit” and suddenly it’s mid-afternoon.
And those pirukad? They carry their own story.
A week earlier, on Sunday 17 May, volunteers will gather in the Estonian House kitchen — some experienced, some learning — rolling dough, sharing tips, laughing and baking together. Some will make more at home. All of it comes together here, on Saturday. Food made by the community, for the community. Just like it always has been.
✨ Want to bake pirukad for the Last Hurrah — at home or together on 17 May?
To sign up, contact Bernadette Pilli:
📧 pilli@internode.on.net
📞 0412 472 557
P.S. Good news! Complimentary drink during the Beer Hall and Family Day for Melbourne Estonian Society and Coop members. Cheers!
Then night falls — and the mood shifts again. The sound fills the hall. The same space that has held decades of dances, meetings and celebrations becomes something else again — light, music, movement. Estonia’s electro-pop magician, NOËP takes the stage.
Born Andres Kõpper, NOËP is part musician, part producer, part filmmaker and fully committed to making you feel like you’re in a late-night indie film. (Where you are, obviously, the main character.) NOËP has built a reputation for performances that are immersive, intimate and just a little bit magical. His sound? Think catchy electronic pop with warm, expansive layers — the kind that makes you want to dance and contemplate your life choices (in a good way).
Read more about NOËP here
Sunday: where it all comes together
🕢 10 am — Archives open, free event, no RSVP needed
🕢 12 pm — Family Day, kitchen and bar open, food for purchase, free event, for catering purposes RSVP here
🕢 2 pm — Performances and speeches, free event, RSVP to Family Day above
Baltic Festival, Estonian House in Melbourne, 19 October 2026. Photo: Kristel Alla.
Sunday begins, once more, at 10 am — the archive open, the house ready. By midday, it fills again. Families, friends, familiar faces. This is Family Day — open, welcoming, full. Food is delicious and unmistakably Estonian: potato salad, rye bread sandwiches and more, something sweet — the kind of table that feels like memory before you even take a bite.
At 2 pm, the performances begin.
The Kodu Kaja choir sings — voices echoing through a space that has heard them for years.
The Eiderattad folk dancers move — steps learned, repeated, passed on.
The children perform — the next chapter already in motion.
And then, we pause. There are speeches, stories, shared memories. A moment to acknowledge not just the building, but everything that has happened inside it.
You’ll hear from the Estonian Ambassador to Australia H.E. Jaan Reinhold, Matti Kiviväli, Vanessa Roosmets and others — voices that carry both history and gratitude.
And somewhere in there — one more Tuljak. And dances you can join us for on the dance floor (including Tuljak!).
More than a building
The Melbourne Estonian House has been in community hands for over 50 years — since the early 1970s.
It has been a theatre, a rehearsal space, a kitchen, a meeting place, a playgroup, an archive. It has seen generations grow — children becoming adults, newcomers finding connection, communities forming and reforming. It has held Christmas parties, rehearsals, workshops, quiet Sundays, loud Saturdays, and everything in between.
It’s not just a place — it’s a witness.
And while the community will move on to a new home, this house has carried something important for decades — a sense of belonging, of identity, of being Estonian in Australia.
So come. Walk through the rooms. Touch the walls. Stay for a conversation longer than you planned. Ask someone what they remember. You might hear a story you didn’t know you needed.
This is your last chance to experience the Estonian House like this. Come along! Looking forward to seeing you!
And if you feel like a chat, you’ll most likely find me near the archives — or around the dance performances on Sunday. Come say hello. We can just talk… or, if you’d like, we can capture your story — a memory, a moment, something meaningful you’ve experienced at the Estonian House — to be shared in HEIA.
Read more
Melbourne Estonian archive opens its doors for the Last Hurrah | HEIA
Melbourne Estonian Society newsletter: Last Hurrah update (26 April 2026)
Estonian electro-pop musician NOËP rolls into Australia | HEIA
The Estonian House in Melbourne has found a buyer | HEIA
