Estonian theatres attract more visitors with fewer new productions

Estonian theatres drew 1,288,403 visits in 2025, slightly more than the previous year, while the number of new productions fell by 47, ERR reported.

Theatres staged 7,281 performances and offered 709 productions in their repertoires, including 238 premieres. The statistics covered 91 organisations, including 10 state-founded foundations and local-government performing institutions, as well as private repertory theatres, performing arts centres, project theatres and production projects.

Compared with 2024, the number of productions in repertory fell by 21 and the number of premieres by 47. The number of performances remained almost unchanged, rising by 11. Despite this, theatre attendance increased by 19,599 visits.

On average, 3,530 people went to the theatre each day, with an average of 19.9 performances available daily. Each performance drew an average of 179.8 spectators, while a premiere took place every 34.2 hours. In 2024, the record year for new productions, a premiere took place every 30.7 hours.

In addition to regular performances, Estonia hosted 28 performing arts festivals in 2025. Foreign artists from 26 countries staged 51 productions in Estonia, while Estonian performing artists presented 48 productions in 31 countries. The 207 performances abroad accounted for 2.8 percent of the year’s activities and 3 percent of annual theatre visits, indicating a slight increase in international activity.

Most visited theatres and productions

Vanemuine was the most visited theatre in 2025, with 144,273 visits, followed by the Estonian National Opera with 128,734 and the Estonian Drama Theatre with 128,009.

Attendance at the 10 state and municipal theatres fell by 11,428 visits compared with the previous year, although they still received 848,679 visitors in total.

Among private theatres, the largest audiences were recorded by VAT Theatre with 25,053 visitors, Theatre Nuutrum with 24,854, Kellerteater with 21,419, Piip ja Tuut Theatre with 21,357 and Theatre Sõber with 19,295. Thors Theatre attracted 20,636 visitors to just 14 performances of two productions.

The summer stage erected on the shore of Kiidjärv has regularly placed its productions among the most watched in recent years. In 2025, its production Green Meadows ranked second with 16,960 visitors.

The most watched production was the Estonian Drama Theatre’s Moneyland, which attracted 22,123 visitors to 38 performances. Vanemuine’s Kinky Boots ranked third, with 15,332 visitors to 23 performances.

Gains and losses

Compared with the previous year, Vana Baskin Theatre recorded the largest increase in attendance, gaining 10,273 visits, or 205.5 percent. Theatre Nuutrum added 9,485 visits, a 61.7 percent increase, while the Estonian Drama Theatre gained 6,691 visits, or 5.5 percent.

Kinoteater recorded the third-largest percentage increase, attracting 42 percent more visitors than in 2024.

Südalinna Theatre saw the sharpest decline, with 13,517 fewer visits than in 2024, a drop of 20.4 percent. The Estonian National Opera followed, attracting 8,303 fewer visitors, or 6.1 percent less than a year earlier.

Ticket prices rise

Over the two-year comparison, the average ticket price rose by 3.3 euros to 23.3 euros. The calculation excludes value-added tax.

Because attendance also increased, theatre ticket revenues grew by more than three million euros. Ticket sales accounted for 26 percent of the income of the 30 theatres that provided financial data.

The differences between ticket prices for different types of productions were more pronounced, ranging from an average of 46.3 euros to 5.7 euros. Differences between Estonian regions also continued to widen.

For example, the average ticket prices for performances in Harju County and Tartu County ranged from 24.3 to 26.4 euros.