Tartu Folk opens with communal singing

The 11th international folk heritage festival Tartu Folk opened in Tartu on Thursday with communal singing and a tribute to ancestral heritage, ERR reported. The festival runs until Sunday, with community gatherings, free workshops, a folk celebration at Vanemuine Concert Hall and a closing concert at the Estonian National Museum.

Guests travelled from the Emajõgi River harbour by boat Suur Sume to the courtyard of Tartu Lodjakoda. Held during the month of souls, the opening brought visitors from different places together in a shared circle of song.

Tartu Folk brings together folklore communities from Tartu County and across Europe to build friendships, share knowledge and keep local traditions of song, dance, instrumental music and folk costume alive. The festival focuses on meeting, making music and dancing together, and sharing heritage with participants and audiences.

This year’s most distant guests have come from the Faroe Islands, about 1,900 kilometres away. The youth group Ung í Dansi belongs to the folk-dance organisation Sláið Ring and works to preserve traditional circle dances accompanied by ballads.

Lithuania is represented by Dolija, a youth group from Vilnius’s Žvėrynas Gymnasium, known for its strong awareness of musical and dance traditions. Latvia’s Skandinieki, one of the country’s oldest folklore communities, is led by musician Julgī Stalte, who has Livonian roots.

The closing concert will take place on Sunday in the bridge hall of the Estonian National Museum. The main performers will present traditions from their home regions, with this year’s theme exploring mythological creatures from different peoples. Tuule Pihlap and Kaarel Pogga will host, and the concert will be streamed on Tartu Folk’s YouTube channel.