Estonian fan from China: Song Festival a celebration for everyone in Estonia

Yilin Wang, who is originally from China and a big fan of Estonia, said in an interview with Oliver Reimann that he really enjoys Estonia's calm pace of life and also finds the Estonian language very beautiful. Yilin Wang said he had not imagined...

Member of Brisbane folk dance group: The farther we are, the more Estonia matters

Heleri All caught up with Kätriin Vinkmann and Piret Vaughan during the Song and Dance Festival parade. Both have lived in Australia for ten years and came to the festival with the Brisbane folk dance group. For most of their time in Australia,...

Estonia Song and Dance Festivals

Ott Tänak wins South Estonia Rally

On Friday and Saturday, the South Estonia Rally — part of the Estonian Rally Championship series — was held on the roads of Võru and Haanjamaa. As expected, Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja took the win, competing in the only Rally1 car in the field....

Watch live: Opening performance of Estonia's 'Iseoma' XXVIII Song Festival

The opening concert of the XXVIII Song Festival "Iseoma" will take place on Saturday evening from 6.50 p.m. You can watch the broadcast on ERR News. More than 31,000 singers and instrumentalists from 990 groups will gather under the Song Arch at...

Estonia’s 2025 Song Celebration unites 130,000 voices in Tallinn

When the ceremonial flame is lit beneath Tallinn’s iconic Song Arch on 5 July, it will signal the return of one of Europe’s most remarkable cultural gatherings: Estonia’s Song Celebration. Held every five years, this event is no ordinary festival....

Estonia's PPA increases patrols after Poland imposes checks on Lithuanian border

The Police and Border Guard (PPA) has increased patrols at Estonia's borders after Poland imposed checks on the Lithuanian border to combat the movement of migrants illegally crossing into the EU from Belarus. Poland will introduce increased...

Over 34,000 people sign petition to lower Estonia's VAT rate on food

Tens of thousands of signatures have been added to an online petition calling for a lower VAT rate on food in Estonia. On July 1, the rate was raised to 24 percent. The petition was posted on the Citizen Initiative Portal (Rahvaalgatus.ee) by TV...

Song Festival brings road closures, public transport changes to Tallinn

The Song and Dance Festival procession and concerts will close streets, reroute buses and suspend tram traffic on Saturday and Sunday. "While the Song and Dance Celebration is a proud national moment, it also means unavoidable changes in traffic,"...

Estonia declines airBaltic stake offer amid airline's financial challenges

Estonia has decided against purchasing a stake in Latvia's flag carrier airBaltic, Infrastructure Minister Kuldar Leis announced on July 3, as the Baltic airline faces ongoing management changes and financial uncertainty, ERR.ee and LSM.lv...

Estonia’s Dance Celebration returns as a national family reunion

Estonia’s beloved Dance Celebration returns not just as a performance, but as a national family reunion – bringing together 11,000 dancers in a vibrant expression of regional identity, tradition and belonging. From 2 to 4 July, nearly 11,000...

Estonia Industrial Output Growth Slows To 0.9%

Estonia's industrial production growth moderated in May amid a sharp contraction in the mining and quarrying segment, data from Statistics Estonia showed on Friday. The volume of industrial production rose a calendar-adjusted 0.9 percent...

Estonia Gives Green Light To Tallinn Airport Expansion Plans

(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 4. In a cabinet meeting held on Tuesday, the Government of Estonia discussed the country's air connectivity strategy and approved key measures to advance the development of Tallinn Airport, Trend...

Estonia turns down airBaltic investment proposal

The government of Estonia declined to buy a minority stake in airBaltic (BT, Riga), after the government of Latvia, the carrier's majority shareholder, sent a formal offer with terms identical to those previously offered to Lufthansa Group. "We...

Estonia’s cyber ambassador on digitalization, punching upwards and outing GRU spies

Over the best part of the last four years, Tanel Sepp, Estonia’s inaugural ambassador-at-large for cyber diplomacy, has helmed a surprisingly effective diplomatic enterprise. Estonia has an outsized footprint among international efforts to address...

Estonia to host a Ukraine reconstruction conference in 2027

Estonia is planning to host an international conference dedicated to the reconstruction of Ukraine in 2027. On 3 July, the Estonian foreign minister, Margus Tsahkna, presented a memorandum on Ukraine’s reconstruction to the government. The...

Sõprus Cinema to show 4 open-air movies a week in Tallinn this summer

Throughout July and August, there will be four outdoor movie screenings in the central square of Tallinn's Rotermann Quarter. The program begins with the premiere of U.S. filmmaker Mike Flanagan's "Life of Chuck" on July 10. "The film program...

Rise: Moldovan Nationals Recruited by Kremlin Agents to Carry Out Arson Attacks in Estonia

Two Moldovan nationals with criminal backgrounds in ATM theft and organized crime in Russia were recruited by Russian secret services to carry out arson attacks in Estonia, according to an investigation published by RISE Moldova. The first...

Estonia to host a global Ukraine reconstruction conference in 2027

On Thursday, Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200) presented a memorandum on Ukraine's reconstruction to the cabinet, which will be the basis for Estonia's reconstruction and development cooperation with Ukraine over the...

Kaimo Kuusk, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defense of Estonia

Kaimo Kuusk assumed the role of Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defense of Estonia in September 2024, bringing a wealth of experience from both the diplomatic and intelligence sectors. In 2019-2023, he served in Ukraine as an Ambassador,...