Viljandi Folk 2024 breaks records

Text Mark Taylor
Photos Martin Kosseson / Estonian Traditional Music Center,
Kirke Kuiv / Estonian Traditional Music Center

Trad.Attack!

The XXXI Viljandi Folk Music Festival wrapped up its festivities on Sunday night. Despite a rainy final evening, the festival attracted a remarkable 27,000 visits over its four-day run, making it one of the most successful editions in its history.

The festival kicked off with a bang on Thursday, setting two records on its opening day. A record crowd of 9,000 visitors attended the festival, and 7,000 of them gathered to watch the popular Estonian band Puuluup, making it the most attended concert ever. However, this single-concert attendance record was short-lived. On Friday, Trad.Attack! drew an even larger crowd of 8,000 to 9,000 people. Friday’s overall attendance was estimated at around 11,000, showing a steady increase in the festival’s popularity.

Saturday was the busiest day of the festival, with nearly 12,000 visits. The most talked-about performance of the evening came from the Mexican band Kumbia Boruka, whose lively tunes attracted a crowd nearly as large as Puuluup’s. Even though a storm warning threatened Sunday’s events, the day still saw a good turnout, with the band Zetod delivering the most popular performance, enjoyed by approximately 4,000 festival-goers.

Ando Kiviberg, the head of the festival, expressed his satisfaction with the event’s success. “I feel that we have once again managed to offer festival-goers a lot of fun. This year’s festival programme even surpassed last year’s anniversary edition in terms of diversity and quality. I was particularly impressed by the performances of young local tradition bearers, such as the girls and women of Sõrve and Pillilapsed from Kihnu. The high number of young people in the audience shows that we are on the right track, and it’s a positive sign for the future.”

The festival area covered nine hectares of land and featured nine stages, hosting nearly 500 performers throughout its programme. The main stage saw 70 concerts by 65 different groups, including 11 international acts. In addition to the main events, another 70 concerts were held free of charge on the Green Stage in the Old Town and in the Friends’ Courtyard.

Festival-goers travelled from various countries to experience the event, with the largest numbers of international visitors coming from Finland, Germany, and Sweden. The festival’s campsite was also more popular than ever, accommodating 250 tents and between 500 and 600 overnight guests, with 30 glamping tents set up to meet the growing demand. Many of those who opted for glamping came from Estonia, but there were also visitors from Germany, Finland, Belgium, Latvia, Sweden, Switzerland, and Austria.

Looking ahead, Viljandi will host an autumn festival in early October, and the next Viljandi Folk Music Festival is already scheduled for July 24-27, 2025.

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Events in Estonia Folk Music Music Festival Puuluup Summer 2024 Trad.Attack! Viljandi Viljandi Folk