Viljandi Folk Music Festival opened with a festive start
The opening day of the 32nd Viljandi Folk Music Festival, in the most beautiful city of Estonia, welcomed 5,000 visitors to the festival area, along with 2,000 performers, vendors, guests, and individuals with children’s wristbands.
The celebration kicked off on Thursday afternoon with a parade and an opening ceremony. Former President Toomas Hendrik Ilves extended his greetings, sharing the thought that one of the “cathedrals” of the Estonian people is the Song Celebration held every five years, and the other — a place we come to annually as if to a church — is the Viljandi Folk Music Festival.
As is tradition, the mayor of Viljandi, Johan-Kristjan Konovalov, symbolically handed over the key to the city for four days to the festival organizers. Building on the president’s metaphor, the mayor highlighted the theme of intergenerational connection, noting that both events have succeeded in unlocking the key to bridging generations.
“For the city of Viljandi, the folk music festival is a landmark, a symbol, a shaper of our image. We deeply love and trust this festival — and this key represents that trust,” Konovalov affirmed.
Before declaring the festival officially open, the head of the festival Ando Kiviberg stated that a festival is, at its core, a celebration.
“A celebration is a time of reverence and joy. At the Viljandi Folk Music Festival, we honor everything that embodies the strength of that spiritual safety net President Ilves spoke of. For a small nation, the foundation of national confidence and love lies in everything that is uniquely its own — customs, patterns, heritage, and music. And at this festival, we celebrate it all, because tradition lives only when it is used. The Folk Music Festival was created to remind us — at least once a year — how powerful and essential our heritage is. Especially for a small nation like the Estonians.”
The festival runs until late Sunday night. As the largest festival at the end of July, it will feature approximately 70 concerts in the main program and 100 free performances in the Old Town side program.
The photo gallery can be found here.
The celebration kicked off on Thursday afternoon with a parade and an opening ceremony. Former President Toomas Hendrik Ilves extended his greetings, sharing the thought that one of the “cathedrals” of the Estonian people is the Song Celebration held every five years, and the other — a place we come to annually as if to a church — is the Viljandi Folk Music Festival.
As is tradition, the mayor of Viljandi, Johan-Kristjan Konovalov, symbolically handed over the key to the city for four days to the festival organizers. Building on the president’s metaphor, the mayor highlighted the theme of intergenerational connection, noting that both events have succeeded in unlocking the key to bridging generations.
“For the city of Viljandi, the folk music festival is a landmark, a symbol, a shaper of our image. We deeply love and trust this festival — and this key represents that trust,” Konovalov affirmed.
Before declaring the festival officially open, the head of the festival Ando Kiviberg stated that a festival is, at its core, a celebration.
“A celebration is a time of reverence and joy. At the Viljandi Folk Music Festival, we honor everything that embodies the strength of that spiritual safety net President Ilves spoke of. For a small nation, the foundation of national confidence and love lies in everything that is uniquely its own — customs, patterns, heritage, and music. And at this festival, we celebrate it all, because tradition lives only when it is used. The Folk Music Festival was created to remind us — at least once a year — how powerful and essential our heritage is. Especially for a small nation like the Estonians.”
The festival runs until late Sunday night. As the largest festival at the end of July, it will feature approximately 70 concerts in the main program and 100 free performances in the Old Town side program.
The photo gallery can be found here.