Tartu folk festival brings performers from the Faroes to Muhu
Wednesday 30th September 2026 on 15:01 in
Estonia
The 11th Tartu folk festival will bring folk communities from Estonia and the Baltic and Nordic countries to Tartu from November 12 to 15, ERR reports. The festival aims to build connections, share knowledge and keep regional traditions of singing, dancing, instrumental music and folk costumes alive.
The festival’s most distant guests will travel 1,900 kilometres from the Faroe Islands. The youth group Ung í Dansi, part of the folk dance organisation Sláið Ring, works to preserve traditional circle dances accompanied by ballads.
Lithuania will be represented by Dolija, a youth group from Vilnius Žvėrynas Gymnasium. Latvia’s Skandinieki, one of the country’s oldest folklore communities, will attend under the leadership of musician Julgī Stalte, who has Liv roots.
Estonia’s islands will be represented by Uijee, a folklore group from Muhu named folk group of the year. The festival’s organising group, Tartu’s folklore club Maatasa, will perform traditional songs, dances and instrumental music from southern Estonia.
The festival opens late on Thursday, November 12, with folk songs by the Emajõgi River. Community parties in Tartu and Tartu County follow on Friday, featuring visiting groups and local traditional culture ensembles. The Tartu event will bring together young folk musicians from the city and southern Estonia.
The main festival day is Saturday, November 14, at Vanemuine Concert Hall. The gala concert will feature visiting groups performing traditional songs, dances and instrumental music from their home regions. Three Estonian dance groups will also present choreography inspired by tradition: Tarbatu, Vassakule and Pistandi.
After the concert, an international dance club will teach traditional dances from the Faroe Islands, Lithuania, Latvia, Muhu and southern Estonia. Other groups from across Estonia will also lead dances, while smaller folk music ensembles perform on a cafe stage. The evening ends with an etno-disco led by Finnish performers Eveliina and Mitja Pilke.
The festival concludes on Sunday, November 15, with a concert in the bridge area of the Estonian National Museum. Its theme is mythological beings and stories about supernatural figures from different cultures. The concert will feature Ung í Dansi, Skandinieki, Dolija, Uijee and Maatasa, and will be hosted by Tuule Pihlap and Kaarel Pogga.