ESTOFOLK 2026 FESTIVAL

What is ESTOFOLK festival?

The aim of the ESTOFOLK 2026 festival is to develop contacts between Estonia and other countries.
An important goal is to invite cultural collectives of different nations to Estonia and show them the wonderful beauty of Estonia – our nature, culture and history.
The main program of the festival will take place in Tallinn.

What is ESTONIA?

Estonia is larger than the Netherlands, Belgium or Switzerland.
But Estonia has only 1.3 million inhabitants (18 million in the Netherlands, 12 million in Belgium and 9 million in Switzerland).
Therefore, Estonia has a sparse population, lots of forests and marshes.
Distribution of the territory of Estonia:
Forests – ~51%. Estonia is one of the most forested countries in Europe.
Marshes and bogs – ~6–7%. It is estimated that there are over 100,000 laukas (small ponds in bogs) in Estonian marshes and bogs.
Lakes and water bodies – ~4.7% of the total area (including rivers).
There are thousands of lakes in Estonia, but most of them are small.
Sea islands – ~9.2% of the total territory.
Estonia has a total of 2,355 sea islands and islets.
Only 20 are inhabited.

What is TALLINN?

The history of Tallinn’s Old Town cannot be measured by age alone – it is a living history book, the pages of which must be literally turned.
Tallinn’s Old Town – one of the best-preserved medieval city centres in Europe – is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The city wall with dozens of preserved towers is one of the best medieval defence systems in Northern Europe.
The Town Hall Square and the Gothic-style Tallinn Town Hall are unique – it is the only surviving original Gothic town hall in Northern Europe.
Tallinn Raeapteek is one of the oldest continuously operating pharmacies in the world – operating for over 600 years in the same building, at the same address, on the edge of Tallinn Raekoja Square.
First mentioned in 1422, that is 70 years before Columbus discovered America!
The city plan of Tallinn has been authentically preserved from the 13th–14th centuries. St. Nicholas Church, St. Olav's Church and the Cathedral - architectural masterpieces, were once among the tallest buildings in Europe.
The Cathedral is the oldest surviving building in Tallinn, over 800 years old.
By the way, next to the Cathedral is the oldest surviving residential building, also over 800 years old, where you can drink coffee in a small cafe.
Tallinn is genuine and humane - an old town where people really live and work.
There are several dozen restaurants, as well as cafes and bars in the old town of Tallinn.
With different price levels.
There are restaurants in Tallinn that offer dishes from different national cuisines and menus (Georgian, Azerbaijani, Russian, Ukrainian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indian, Thai, Vietnamese, Malaysian, Mexican, Argentine, Portuguese, Italian, Belgian, American (USA), French, Nepalese...).
Of course, we still recommend Estonian national cuisine to our guests.
Tallinn is like a huge labyrinth of history and cultures. 4-5 days is a short time.
If you spend all this time in Tallinn and discover new places, you won't get bored.
Rather, you'll run out of time and it'll be a shame to leave!

Welcome to Estonia!
There is no such thing as bad weather. There is only the wrong clothing. :)

The Estonian climate is very changeable.
Years are not brothers... if one year there is drought and heat, then the next year it can rain and flood the fields.
So choosing the right dates is like a lottery.
You may succeed, you may not.

An Estonian poet wrote this motto:
"Dance and song sound to the ends of the world,
in dance and song is the friendship of nations".

Original:  "Tants ja laul kõlab maailma lõppu,
tantsus ja laulus on rahvaste sõprus

"Estonian cultural groups have visited many countries and introduced Estonian culture there.
Now we invite groups from these countries to Estonia to show our people their culture.
And we will show them our old town Tallinn and Estonian nature in return.
Estonian groups have visited countries outside the European Union through the NGO ESTOFOLK, including Georgia, Armenia, Turkey, Nepal, China, India, South Korea, Egypt, Morocco, Indonesia, Australia, Mexico, Peru, the USA, North Macedonia, England, Thailand, Sri Lanka, etc.
Now it is time to invite groups from these countries to visit Estonia.
Welcome to Estonia!
Please let us know your wish before December 1, 2025.
Estonians say - the sooner, the better!

Conditions of Estofolk 2026 Festival

Program of Estofolk 2026 Festival

Application form of Estofolk 2026 Festival