XXVIII Song Celebration and XXI Dance Celebration in Estonia: “Iseoma” – when the whole country sings and dances together
In July 2025, Estonia will once again become the center of one of the greatest cultural events in Europe – the XXVIII Song Celebration and the XXI Dance Celebration. This is not just a festival – it is a deep dive into the soul of the Estonian people, their history, traditions and modern times. This is a holiday that Estonians come to not only from all over Estonia, but from all over the world. For the citizens of this country, the festival is more important than Christmas and New Year, because it gives a sense of community, a sense that all Estonians have common roots, that they are all connected. And wherever a person lives, a part of his soul is always at home. in Estonia.
History of the festival: from national awakening to global recognition
The first Estonian Song Festival was held in Tartu in 1869, when Estonia was still under the rule of the Russian Empire. The event was organised by Johann Voldemar Jannsen, and his daughter, Lydia Koidula, wrote the lyrics for two songs that are still performed at the festival.
The festival was a manifestation of the national awakening of Estonians who wanted to preserve their language, culture and identity. After that, such events became regular, and since 1928 the festival has been held on a specially built site in Tallinn.
In 1934, the first Dance Festival took place, which became another important element of Estonian cultural heritage. By the way, in 2003, the tradition of the Song and Dance Festival was included in the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Theme of 2025Iseoma: what does it mean?
The theme of the festival is “Iseoma”. Translated from Estonian, this word means “My own” or “Native”. It embodies the idea of a deep connection with one’s own culture, language and traditions. The organisers aim to highlight the uniqueness of each region of Estonia, its dialects and customs, bringing them all together at the festival, as if it were a real big family gathering.
The Iseoma festival will be a platform for expressing individuality and community at the same time, where each participant will be able to feel like part of a big cultural family. That is why not only Estonians come to the festival, but also guests of the country. They are very popular because they give the opportunity not only to get acquainted with the culture, but also to immerse themselves in it, to feel it and begin to understand at least a little the true Estonian soul.
Dance Festival: 21st Estonian Dance Festival
From 3 to 6 July 2025, Tallinn will host the 21st Dance Festival, one of the most exciting events in the cultural life of Estonia. This festival, which takes place every five years, brings together thousands of dancers from all over the country and from abroad. They gather together to show the richness and diversity of the Estonian dance tradition.
For the first time in the history of the festival, dance groups will be distributed on a regional basis. Estonia is divided into eight regions, each of which will present its own unique dances, music and costumes. In addition, a separate category for groups from abroad, “Üleilma”, has been created, which emphasizes the global unity of the Estonian diaspora.
The main director of the 21st Dance Festival is Helena-Mariana Reimann, an experienced choreographer and teacher. Under her leadership, the festival takes on a new form, combining traditional elements with modern approaches to organization and staging.
Song Festival: XXVIII Song Festival
More than a thousand choirs from all over the country are preparing for the XXVIII Estonian Song Festival. Rehearsals began in January with the participation of the artistic directors of the festival, who actively work with the groups to ensure the unity of style and spirit of the performances. In each county, in the premises of schools, singers, dancers and musicians are diligently preparing for the big performance in Tallinn.
The main theme of the song festival is the dialects of the Estonian language. On the first day, songs in Virus, Seto, Kihnu and other Estonian dialects spoken and sung in different counties of the country will be performed on stage. The second day will be dedicated to the classical repertoire with songs known and loved by several generations of Estonians.
The artistic director of the song festival, Heli Jürgenson, noted that the combined choir will be the largest – more than 10,000 singers. If all the steps on the stage and the space in front of it are used, all the participants can be accommodated. This will be a very large common celebration, where the choir will take up so much space that the first rows will be directly in front of the audience.
By the way, about 40 thousand people are taking part in the festival. This number gives an idea of what a wonderful, breathtaking and truly amazing performance awaits the audience this summer.
Procession of Fire
The 28th Song and 21st Dance Celebration Flame of 2025 Estonia will be lit on 15 June in Tartu, the city where the first Song Celebration took place in 1869. Afterwards, the flame will go on a symbolic journey across the country, passing through every county stolaEstonia. One of the key points of the route will be Narva, where the ESTO SING concert will be held in Narva Castle on June 29 as part of the XIII World Estonian Days.
The exact schedule and sequence of cities through which the torch will pass have not yet been published. However, as in previous years, the route will cover all regions of the country, including such cities as Viljandi, Pärnu, Rakvere, Võru, Haapsalu and others. Each city will host its own events, so for almost a month all of Estonia will sing and dance, reminding the world of its incredible culture, music, language and traditions.
The culmination will be the arrival of the flame in Tallinn at the beginning of the festival on July 3. On July 5, a ceremonial procession of participants will take place along the streets of the city to the Song Festival Grounds, where the most important concerts of the festival will take place.
Festival program: what to expect
Although each city will have its own interesting events, all the main events are concentrated in Tallinn. They will be held on July 3-6.
July 3 – the first dance show at the Kalev Stadium.
July 4 – the second and third dance shows, as well as a folk music concert at Freedom Square.
July 5 – a ceremonial procession of participants from the center of Tallinn to the Song Festival Grounds, the opening of the Song Festival.
July 6 – the main concert of the Song Festival.
Tips for guests
It is recommended to buy tickets in advance through the official website of the festival.
It is also recommended to book hotels in advance, as there may not be any free places during the festival. As for clothing, the weather in July can be changeable, so you should bring both light clothing and something warmer for the evening. Guests of the festival are also asked to sort waste, especially plastic, and always follow the rules of the festival: do not litter, do not sing along with the bands and do not take umbrellas to the stadium so that other spectators can enjoy the performances.
Where and how to buy tickets
There are two options for purchasing tickets:
online – on the website piletilevi.ee;
Physical points of sale – in Piletilevi offices all over Estonia.
Additional information on the official website of the festival 2025.laulupidu.ee.
Traveling with ArtSanTaxi to the festival: why it is convenient, comfortable, fast and modern
Since a huge number of people go on trips during the festival, it is often very difficult to buy tickets for buses and trains. Therefore, many are looking for alternative means of transportation, and ArtSanTaxi is always ready to provide them.
Our transfers take people on any routes, so you can always find a suitable option. If our clients want, for example, to follow the fire, stopping in each city for a day or two, we can create a suitable route and assign a car to them. Thanks to this, you do not have to constantly look for transport. Clients can be sure that they will have a permanent driver and a comfortable car that is always waiting at the specified location. Our drivers are ready to pick up passengers from anywhere in the city, including airports, train stations (if passengers arrived by intercity and international transport). And thanks to the fact that our taxi operates 24/7, clients will never have to wait, spend extra money to spend the night in a hotel. Our drivers are ready to meet passengers at any time of the day and immediately go on a trip. This is very convenient, especially if there is a need to be on time for a specific event in a specific city.
Our taxi fleet has cars for different numbers of passengers. Therefore, we can select a car for both a traveler who went on a trip alone and for a large group. We can also offer our comfortable modern minibuses to dance groups and choirs. The fact is that artists and athletes often have to go to rehearsals in preparation for the event. And since there are a lot of people, problems with finding a taxi begin. Therefore, our ArtSanTaxi offers a driver service for several days. That is, when clients order a car from us, it is assigned to them and carries passengers during the agreed days, whenever and wherever they want. Accordingly, you no longer have to worry about how to get to or after a rehearsal. Especially if it is late evening, night, early morning. Our driver will always wait for passengers at the agreed place and time.
We offer passengers only modern comfortable Nissan cars or minibuses that regularly undergo technical inspection. Thanks to this, traveling with ArtSanTaxi is not only fast, but also safe. All drivers of our taxi fleet have the highest category and extensive driving experience, so they guarantee our passengers maximum comfort.
Each car has unlimited water, wet wipes, terminals for convenient payment for services (you can also pay for the trip in cash). We also have child car seats so that small passengers feel as comfortable and safe as possible during the trip. If our clients have pets – we are always happy to see them. The main thing is that the pets are in a carrier.
During the trip, drivers always make technical stops, stop at comfortable gas stations. Therefore, passengers can have a snack, stretch their legs, and so on.
If you want to visit the incredibly beautiful and large-scale Song and Dance Festival, be in time everywhere, see amazing things, while traveling with maximum comfort - contact us, at ArtSanTaxi. We guarantee the most pleasant and fastest trip around Estonia (and not only) to every client!