From August 18 to September 18, Tallinn hosted Estonia’s longest festival – the Tallinn Fringe. Over five weeks, the audience experienced a rich cultural programme that included burlesque, theater, comedy, music, poetry, dance, and stand-up from both local and international artists.
For the first time in the history of the Tallinn Fringe, the programme exceeded 100 performers. The festival featured 160 performers from over 20 different countries. The 31-day programme included 209 performances, attracting a record-breaking 9,200 visits. This year, the festival took place in 17 different venues across Tallinn, setting a new festival record.
For the second time, the popular Tallinn Fringe street program was held in Tallinn’s Town Hall Square, featuring world-renowned artists from Ireland: the revolutionary circus collective Tumble Circus, the physical improvisation duo Bill and Fred’s elderly lady performance, and the clown Shiva Grigs with the clown show “Pigeon Chaser.” This year, the street programme attracted 4200 visits, that is 700 visits more than 2023.
“This year, I could really feel how the Fringe brought life to Tallinn: there was always somewhere to go, friends waiting somewhere, or someone had seen something unexpected. That’s how it should be,” said Fringe artist and spokesperson Kaisa Ling. “Fringe democratizes culture. It gives artists the freedom to perform and the audience the chance to experience something new – whether they like it or not, it definitely gives people something to talk about.”
The Tallinn Fringe is a self-curated festival that follows the principles of the world’s largest cultural festival, the Edinburgh Fringe. The festival has no organizing committee, and anyone who wishes to perform can use the platform.
The next Tallinn Fringe Festival will take place from August 18 to September 18, 2025.
The festival is organised by Hoplaa MTÜ and Fringe Festival OÜ, with support from the City of Tallinn, the British Council, Culture Ireland, the Embassy of Ireland, and the Embassy of Australia.
