Grand Parade of the Song and Dance Celebration

Text Stewart Johnson
Photo Andrei Chertkov

Every five years the greatest, most important event in Estonia takes place in Tallinn: the Song and Dance Celebration. Featuring tens of thousands of choir singers and dancers performing national music and dance, this event has attracted global attention, and tickets can be very difficult to get at the last minute. Fear not, however, everyone can still enjoy the parade immediately preceding the opening concert.

On Saturday, 5 July at approximately 13:00, it will certainly be worth the time and energy to head downtown in Tallinn. The rongkäik, or Grand Parade, will officially begin at Freedom Square, but you won’t need to know exactly where to head to, as the entire city will be alive with the sounds of cheering, music, and singing. The procession moves down Narva mnt toward the Song Festival Grounds, so pick any spot you choose, and cheer on the individual choirs and dance troupes as they make their way to the opening concert.

The thousands upon thousands of performers get organised for the event in the general vicinity of Charles Church, and it is quite a sight to behold, as while the parade itself has not yet begun, there is an electricity in the air that is impossible to miss. In the parade itself, all the performers are grouped according to their county, or maakond, and then further divided into their individual region, or vald, and then by village.

Each village has their own national folk costume style, called rahvariided in Estonian, and this is the ideal opportunity to see them all up close, and not lost among the united choir or on a television screen. Cheer with the onlookers as they cheer “Elagu! Elagu!” and each individual village name.

What is special about this parade is that usually parades celebrate nationalism in a somewhat proud, or even militaristic way. The Song and Dance Celebration rongkäik simply celebrates being Estonian, and being free.

Tickets for this year’s events are sold out by now, and there are many scalpers and even scammers offering tickets, so if you choose to buy from them, be careful.

Watching the Song and Dance Celebration on television is always a good option as well, due to the close-ups of the singers and dancers, which are not available live at the actual event. There is a unique opportunity to enjoy this view, while still being part of a large audience, by watching the event on a massive screen in Tartu’s Pirogovi Park.

To learn more about this and similar topics
Concert Events in Estonia Laulupidu parade rongkäik Song and Dance Celebration Tallinn Tartu