Europe Day in Estonia on 9 May

Text Timo Raussi

Photo EU Representation / Jelizaveta Gross

On the second Saturday of May, 9 May, Europe Day will once again be celebrated in Estonia and elsewhere across Europe. Events related to the occasion will be held throughout the country during the preceding week. For example, in Tallinn, an open-air exhibition titled “Staying” by German photographer Sophie Kirchner will be on display at Freedom Square until early June. The exhibition explores the social changes that took place in East Germany after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

In the choice of event locations and programming, one can sense a certain orientation of Western European messaging toward the Russian-speaking minority in Estonia. For instance, on 4 May, the Narva Central Library will open an exhibition of travel and cookbooks titled “Tasty Europe”, while visitors can also learn how to make Belgian waffles. At the same time, Narva Castle will host an exhibition from 7 May to 7 June titled “Mariupol—City of Happiness, Ghost City”, which, through photographs and letters written by children, depicts the destruction suffered by Mariupol as a result of the war.

Europe Day itself on 9 May will be celebrated in Tartu with events such as the 44th Tartu cross-country running marathon and spring fair, as well as the UMA MEKK food market held in the central square of the city of Võru.

In Tallinn, at Freedom Square, starting from 12:00, embassies of EU member states, EU-related organisations, and Estonian government agencies will present their activities. There will be various activities for children and young people, and the audience will be entertained with local and European music. The evening will culminate in a free concert featuring popular Estonian artists An-Marlen and Boipepperoni, Clicherik & Mäx, and Lexsoul Dancemachine. After the concert, the celebrations will continue at Paavli Culture Factory, where European DJs will perform.

In Narva, Saturday 9 May will begin with a family day at Town Hall Square, and the renovated Stockholm Square behind the town hall. Youth bands from the Ida-Viru region will perform at the festival area, and the evening concert will feature the Narva City Symphony Orchestra with Ott Lepland and Tanja Mihhailova. Later in the evening, the stage will be taken over by NOËP, also known from this year’s Eurovision national selection. Both the Narva and Tallinn concerts will be broadcast by Estonia’s public broadcaster ETV.

More information about Europe Day and the events during the preceding week can be found at www.euroopapäev.ee.

To learn more about this and similar topics
Concert European values Europe Day Narva Photography Exhibition Russian-speaking Estonians Tallinn