Vaino says first Literary Street Festival drew crowds despite rain

Maarja Vaino, the chief organiser of the Literary Street Festival, told ERR’s Radio 2 that large crowds attended the event’s first edition despite rainy weather.

“The greatest anxiety was during the first festival because we had no idea how people would receive the format of bringing literature into the street,” Vaino said. “Our nightmare also came true because the weather was rainy.”

She said the response nevertheless brought the organisers “a sense of happiness” that has continued through the following years. Vaino added that the festival has been organised for the past 10 years largely because of the joy created by its first edition.

One of the organisers’ biggest challenges, she said, has been preserving the festival in its existing form. The event is held broadly on Koidula Street, and organisers have been asked why it does not expand to other locations or last for several days.

“We stubbornly say that in that case the festival would become something else,” Vaino said.

Discussing school education, Vaino said Estonian language and literature should unquestionably remain a priority. She pointed to the declining population and the growing influence of the English-speaking world as challenges to the strength of the Estonian language.

Vaino also said decisions about education should not be based solely on what children want, arguing that parents and more knowledgeable adults must take responsibility for them.