Estonia’s Song Festival is one of the largest amateur choir festivals in the world. This open-air choir concert is held once every five years in Tallinn in Estonia during the month of July and comprises between 20 and 30,000 singers at a time performing to an audience of around 80,000 people.
The standard of the choirs is exceptionally high, as there is stiff competition and the choirs practice for years in advance to stand a chance of being accepted into the festival.
flickr/Estonian Foreign Ministry
Over 100,000 people enjoying the Estonian Song Festival
flickr/Aadu
A choir of almost 30,000 people
The Festival has been a tradition in the country and has been performed since the 19th Century when Estonia was part of Russia. The first Song Festival was organized in June 1869 and was made up of 51 male choirs and five brass bands.
When Estonia became independent from Russia in 1917, the Song Festival became a tradition that has been held every five years since then, except for a break during the Second World War.
flickr/Dennis Jarvis
The Tallinn Song Festival Grounds
Although the Festival was originally held in Tartu, in Southern Estonia, where the first festivals were established, it was moved to its current location, the festival grounds in Tallinn, called Lauluvaljak, in 1928. The new location was built specifically for the Song Festivals. It has since been rebuilt and expanded, and can now hold up to 200,000 spectators.
The country is renowned for its folk songs, which have played an integral part in its history and culture. The Estonian Song Festival was declared a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2003.
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