Culture Night on Friday in Tallinn
Text Timo Raussi Photo Tallinn Culture and Sports Department
Inspired by the concept of Helsinki’s Night of the Arts and Reykjavik’s “Menningarnót”, Culture Night, in Estonian Kultuuriöö, will be held in various parts of Tallinn this Friday, 28 August, for the tenth time. The one-evening cultural event is organised by the city’s Culture and Sports Department, whose aim is “to showcase Tallinn’s diverse cultural life and bring into the spotlight artists and creative professionals who do not normally receive space in the mainstream media or among wider audiences.”
Judging from the event website and social media accounts, the city authorities seem to regard locals as the only audience, as none of the information has been translated even into English, with the exception of a brief general overview on the Visit Tallinn website. That text does, however, claim that all programme items are free, which is no longer true, unlike in the event’s early years, for several of the concerts. Fortunately, automatic translation functions in web browsers make it possible to get an idea of the evening’s programme, and which venues can be entered spontaneously from the street and which programme items, on the other hand, require tickets to be purchased online in advance.
This year’s theme for Culture Night is “We Create Together”, meaning an inclusive approach to experiencing culture that focuses not only on the end result but also on the creative process itself. There are numerous ceramics, drawing and painting workshops, as well as such special attractions as a stand-up performance and a detective play improvised from keywords provided by the audience. At the Museum of Kalamaja, visitors can take part in a fun painting and decorating project involving the museum’s stools. South of the city centre, in the vicinity of Tondi, visitors can explore a mini-labyrinth built as an installation from planks and clotheslines in the courtyard of the ARS Kunstilinnak arts community.
As for music, Culture Night allows visitors to move between clubs and stages located in different parts of the city, with everything from jazz and electronic ambient and DJ music to classical music performed by the Sibelius Academy Symphony Orchestra conducted by Susanna Mälkki. At Põhjala Factory, visitors can also dance from 20:00 onwards in the “silence” of a silent disco.
At its longest, Culture Night can be enjoyed from 14:00 until as late as 4:00 at the Manufaktuur factory quarter, located between Kalamaja and Kopli, near the former Krull factory properties. Other venues offering cultural experiences for almost the entire evening include, for example, the Laagna community garden in Lasnamäe, the House of the Blackheads in the Old Town, Paavli Culture Factory, Fotografiska, Philly Joe’s jazz club, the courtyard of Patarei Sea Fortress, the EKKM Museum of Contemporary Art next to Linnahall, Kai Art Center in Noblessner, as well as the aforementioned Põhjala Factory and Manufaktuur quarter.
To learn more about this and similar topicsCulture Night events House of the Blackheads Manufaktuur Museum of Contemporary Art EKKM Patarei Põhjala Factory Workshop
