XXXI Viljandi Folk Music Festival Set Records
The opening day of the festival set two records – a record for Thursday attendance with 9,000 visitors and a single concert record with 7,000 people gathered to listen to Puuluup. Friday saw around 11,000 visits, and the single concert attendance record, which had only lasted one day, was broken when Trad.Attack! dazzled in front of 8,000–9,000 folk enthusiasts. Saturday was even busier, gathering nearly 12,000 visits, with the most popular concert of the evening being performed by the Mexican band Kumbia Boruka, whose audience size was slightly less than Puuluup's. Sunday's attendance was affected by a storm warning, but the festival's final day only experienced rain in the evening. The most attended concert on Sunday was by Zetod, listened to by almost all of the day's visitors, estimated at around 4,000.
"I feel that we managed to bring a lot of joy to festival-goers again, and I would even say that this year's festival program surpassed last year's jubilee level. In terms of diversity and quality, it touched more deeply. I also want to highlight the young local tradition-bearers, such as the women, young women, and girls of Sõrve and the Kihnu Pillilapsed, who made a very strong impression. The high percentage of young people in the audience was also notable. The growing young contingent shows that we have chosen the right path, and it ensures future prospects," said the head of the festival, Ando Kiviberg.
The four-day largest festival at the end of July covered nine hectares of land, nine stages, and featured nearly 500 performers on stage and in workshops. The main program included 70 concerts from 65 groups, 11 of which came from abroad. Another 70 concerts took place on the free Green Stage and Sõprade Hoov located in the old town area.
Of the festival pass holders, 78% arrived in Viljandi on the first day, and among the international visitors, the largest numbers came from Finland, Germany, and Sweden, similar to the previous year.
Last year, the festival's tent area accommodated 200 tents, while this year there were 250 tents with 500–600 overnight guests. Sixteen comfort tents were also ordered. Interest in glamping was over fifty percent higher, with 30 glamping tents set up this year. More than half of the glamping package buyers came from Estonia, followed by guests from Germany, Finland, Belgium, Latvia, Sweden, Switzerland, and Austria. The caravan park had 22 vehicles, mainly from Estonia, but there were also visitors from Finland, the United Kingdom, Sweden, and Australia.
Viljandi will host another event for festival enthusiasts at the beginning of October with the Folk Music Harvest Festival, and the next Viljandi Folk Music Festival will take place from July 24 to 27, 2025.