If you blinked and missed out on tickets to this year’s Estonian Dance Festival in Tallinn – you’re not alone. With over 33,000 people set to attend the three main performances, tickets were snapped up in minutes, leaving many fans scrambling, including us Down Under.

But there’s good news: more than 3,000 tickets to the dress rehearsal of the XXI Dance Festival (3 July 2025) will go on sale this Thursday, 5 June at 12.00 (Tallinn time). This rare second chance is a welcome surprise for those eager to witness one of Estonia’s most loved cultural spectacles.

The Dance Festival, which takes place every five years alongside the Song Festival, is a dazzling display of Estonian folk dance, tradition and national pride. Held at the Kalev Central Stadium in Tallinn, the event brings together thousands of dancers from across the country – young and old – who move in perfectly synchronised formations to live music, telling stories through movement, colour and heritage.

It’s not just a show – it’s a deeply emotional celebration of Estonian identity. Fun to be a part of, fun to watch. Expect to be impressed.

According to Margus Toomla, head of the Estonian Song and Dance Celebration Foundation, demand for tickets has been unprecedented:

“We are pleased that we can somewhat ease the shortage of tickets with the dress rehearsal performance and offer more than 3,000 people the opportunity to experience the dance show.”

While the dress rehearsal is primarily meant for special guests – dance instructors, members of organising committees, survivors of political repression, and people from various charitable organisations – tickets will also be available to the public via Piletilevi.ee.

So, if you’re travelling to Estonia this July or know someone who is – set your alarms and don’t miss out again. This magical event is worth the effort. Write it on your to-do list now.

Links

Get your tickets via Piletilevi.ee

Read more: Estonian Song and Dance Celebration Facebook page

Read more: Estonian Song and Dance Festival website

Acknowledgement

This information was first published on the Estonian Song and Dance Celebration Facebook page.

On 4 June 1884, deep in the southern Estonian town of Otepää, a flag of blue, black and white was blessed during a semi-secret church ceremony. It was originally the banner of the Estonian Students’ Society, but quickly grew to symbolise something much greater – the dreams and determination of the Estonian people.

On June 4th, Estonians around the world proudly celebrate Estonian Flag Day, a date that honours the origins and endurance of our beloved sinimustvalge – the blue, black and white tricolour that has become a lasting emblem of the nation’s resilience, unity and spirit.

What began as a student fraternity’s colours soon became a flag carried by citizens, soldiers and singers in search of freedom. It was banned under occupations, burned by regimes, and carried into exile by tens of thousands. And still, it flew – across oceans, in hearts, and now once again above Pikk Hermann Tower in Tallinn, where it was first officially raised in 1918.

The Estonian flag is now the oldest national flag in the world that has survived in its original form, a testament to the perseverance of the people who upheld its meaning.

In Estonia, Flag Day is marked by the ceremonial raising of the flag at dawn, with the first notes of our national anthem, Mu isamaa, mu õnn ja rõõm. Flags wave across rooftops, in windows and in hands – a visible tribute to the journey of a nation.

Here’s a poem dedicated to the Estonian flag for you.

When I sit on my windowsill,
overlooking the city that’s eight hundred years old,
I see a sea of red rooftops, grey towers, old churches –
and rising above them all, the tall spire of Pikk Hermann
where the flag of my country is hoisted each morning.

With a hot cup of coffee warming my hands,
I settle into the view,
watching, waiting –
making sure the right flag flies.

Not so long ago, a different flag flew there.
One in five of my people were killed or deported.
There wasn’t a single family untouched by grief.

For fifty years we waited –
for someone to come, to rescue,
to care about our dead.
But no one came.

So it was our mothers,
our fathers,
our grandparents –
who rose when no one else did.
They carried the weight,
they lit the flame,
they made sure we would endure.

I was just a child,
but the echoes of that time
live on inside me.

And still, each morning,
as the flag is raised above the rooftops,
I pause –
to remember,
to hope,
and to watch the sky
for signs of peace.

Elagu Eesti ja elagu sinimustvalge! Long live Estonia, and long live the blue, black and white!

Read more about the history of the Estonian flag here.

Acknowledgement

This poem was first published under the title “Lipuvalves” using the peseudonym K.A. Halgmay.

Estonian Australians are invited to join the next Virtual Forum for Global Estonians titled “Home is calling!” (Kodu kutsub), hosted by the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday, 5 June 2025.

The program includes an impressive list of interesting talks, musical interludes, and importantly, a special video postcard from the Estonian community in Perth, which we’re excited about.

🕓 Broadcast at 16.00 Estonian time (you can also watch it later using the “join here” link below)
🕚 11.00 PM (AEST – Melbourne/Sydney/Canberra)

🗣️ The broadcast will be in Estonian with English translation provided.

Who is this for?

The forum will be streamed live from the Arvo Pärt Centre and is open to Estonians and friends of Estonia from all corners of the world. It will explore themes: Estonian culture, heritage, music, literature and nature – key pillars that continue to connect Estonians across generations and borders.

Why is this important?

This year is a particularly special one for Estonia, marked by major cultural milestones:

• The Song and Dance Celebration returns to bring communities together through tradition and performance.
• The XIII Global Estonian Days (ESTO 2025) will welcome diaspora Estonians to reconnect in Tallinn.
• Estonia celebrates the 90th birthday of composer Arvo Pärt, whose work has touched audiences globally.
• And we mark 500 years since the publication of the first book in Estonian language that is a moment of great historical and linguistic significance.

The forum offers an opportunity to hear from inspiring speakers and cultural voices, and to reflect on what keeps Estonian identity alive no matter where in the world we call home.

Program

(All times below in Estonian time.)

15:45 – Channel opens
16:00 – Opening remarks by moderator Ave-Marleen Rei

• Welcome address from Heidy Purga, Minister of Culture
• Interview with Anu Kivilo, Director of the Arvo Pärt Centre
• Stories from Estonians abroad

PRESERVING ESTONIAN CULTURE THROUGH SONG AND DANCE. This year, 64 Estonian performance groups from abroad have been accepted into the official Song and Dance Celebration.

• Agne Kurrikoff-Herman, folk dance leader and editor at the Estonian Song and Dance Celebration Foundation
• Hirvo Surva, choir conductor and Artistic Director of ESTO 2025

A GLIMPSE INTO THE ESTO 2025 YOUTH PROGRAM IN NARVA

MUSICAL INTERLUDE featuring compositions by Arvo Pärt

17:00 – …

VIDEO POSTARD FROM THE ESTONIAN COMMUNITY IN PERTH

500 YEARS OF THE ESTONIAN BOOK

SUMMER IN ESTONIA – WHAT’S ON?
From exhibitions on exile literature to e-book recommendations and contemporary Estonian writing.

• Jan Kaus, writer and essayist

SACRED NATURAL SITES IN ESTONIA

• Ahto Kaasik, folklorist and sacred site researcher, board member of Hiite Maja Foundation

CLOSING REFLECTIONS WITH MUSIC

• Indrek Laul, entrepreneur, pianist, and head of Estonian Piano Factory.

Broadcast links

You can watch the live stream using these links:

Facebook: https://fb.me/e/4wSbX6Cnv

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/live/CcLe9uV1k28

More information

📖 Virtual Forum for Global Global Estonians website

📺 Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Facebook page

Watch the promotional video below, courtesy of Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.