Postcard from Tallinn, 4 July 2025 💙

Tere sõbrad, dear friends!

Some of us have been lucky (and slightly sleep-deprived) enough to make the 22+ hour pilgrimage from Australia to Estonia for this summer’s epic Song and Dance Festival. Yes, we overthinkers weighed up the costs, the time off work, time away from home — some of us even made pros-and-cons lists (guilty!). And whether you made the choice to come or not this time, let me give you a little peek into what it’s really like here right now.

Picture this: everywhere you go — the café, the bus stop, the corner park bench — the festival follows you. This isn’t just a weekend event. This is Estonianism dialled up to 11… and then another notch for good measure. The streets hum with colour, with song, with national costumes swishing past as naturally as shopping bags. Everyone’s either performing, spectating, dancing, singing, or heading to do one of those things.

And me? I’m heading into my second dance performance of the week, with two song festival performances still ahead. Go big or go home, right?

The best part? The hundreds of thousands of spectators haven’t even started singing yet. But you know it’s coming. That glorious, goosebump-inducing, tear-welling moment when voices rise together and it feels like time itself is standing still in tune.

If you’re at home — feel free to live vicariously through the photos, the livestreams, the late-night dance party updates. If you’re here — put on your rahvariided or just your brightest smile, step outside, and join the biggest (and best-dressed) block party on Earth.

Because this isn’t just a cultural festival. This is movement. This is memory. This is belonging. This is love wrapped in linen and passed from generation to generation. Don’t miss this!

See you soon!

With much love,
Your fellow Estonian (Australian) — currently powered by pure joy, kama and national pride 💙