The Tallinn Music Week, Veteranirock and Jazzkaar festivals may be behind us now, but over the coming months, there is a particularly well-stocked itinerary of gigs, major festivals and other music-related events to look forward to.
May
While not quite summer proper, the rest of May brings several events worth mentioning.
Dance music producer Nikki Nair, who gained major attention for his 2023 collaboration with Hudson Mohawke, is set to perform live at Tallinn’s Paavli Culture Factory on Saturday, May 16.
Noted American singer-songwriter Tori Amos, a classically trained mezzo-soprano, who has released 18 solo albums so far in a career spanning 35 years, is to appear at the Alexela Concert Hall in Tallinn as part of her European tour on Wednesday, May 27.
Three days later on Saturday, May 30, it will be the turn of dance music megastars Swedish House Mafia, who will give their only 2026 performance in the region at the Tallinn Song Festival Grounds (Lauluväljak).
June
The first full month of summer, and the momentum builds in Tallinn and Tartu.
On Monday, June 15, hip hop act Black Eyed Peas is set to perform at Tallinn’s Old City Harbor Cruise Area, as part of their European tour.
The following day, June 16, at the Unibet Arena in Tallinn, another mega-famous U.S. act, Kings of Leon, will make their concert debut in Estonia, also their only date in the Baltics in 2026.
Building up to a legendary crescendo, on midsummer’s eve, June 22, this time in Tartu, veteran U.S. act ZZ Top are playing the Song Festival Grounds in Estonia’s second city. This is not the guys’ first appearance in Estonia, but it is the first in 30 years – the last time they played here was in the 1990s.
If you prefer your music with both a hint of classical and a boy band vibes, Germany’s 12 Tenors are appearing at the Alexela Concert Hall on Saturday, June 27.
July
Tallinn is not really built for the high summer and many people escape to the countryside and seaside. Fortunately, there are plenty of events elsewhere in the country, as well as in the capital, in July.
Running July 1-4 at the Tallinn Song Festival Grounds (Tallinna Lauluväljak) the annual Õllesummer, literally “Beer summer” will bring together over 100 artists to perform before around 100,000 visitors.
British synth-pop band Hurts is to play in Estonia in July. With their most well-known number being “Wonderful life,” the Manchester act is appearing this time at the distinctly summery Haven Kakumäe seaside venue, just west of Tallinn, on Wednesday, July 8.
If you’re in Tartu on the same day as Hurts performance, U.S. singer composer and pianist John Legend is set to bring his live show “An Evening of Songs & Stories” to the song festival grounds.
Next up in the major festivals itinerary is the ever-popular Pärnu Beach Grind, taking place in Estonia’s summer capital, July 9-11.
Just days later, Saaremaa hosts two of its annual major events.
I Land Sound is first, taking place on Illiku islet off Orissaare, the first town you get to after driving over the causeway from Muhu, where the ferries dock. The festival runs Thursday, July 16 to Sunday, July 19.
Overlapping with this is the Saaremaa Opera Festival, which starts on July 18. With events taking place in the Kuressaare Castle Opera Hall, offerings include part one (not the whole thing) of Wagner’s Ring Cycle, Verdi’s La Traviata and, for the youngsters, the musical Sipsik. The festival ends on Saturday, July 25.
If you’re still in Tallinn at this time, fear not, multiple Grammy-winning U.S. rock-funk-fusion legend Lenny Kravitz is here, playing the Unibet Arena on Monday, July 20
Later in the month, from Thursday, July 23, to Sunday, July 26, it’s Viljandi’s turn to take the limelight as it hosts its annual folk festival. This is the 26th time Viljandi Folk has been held, and it is centered on the town’s castle and surroundings.
British singer-songwriter John Newman , who has collaborated with the likes of Calvin Harris and David Guetta, is taking over the Paterei Merekindlus (Paterei Sea Fortress) in Tallinn on Friday, July 31.
Estonia’s own Rita Ray is also in concert on the last day of July in another seaside spot, at the Hara sadam (harbor) in Kuusalu municipality.
August
From Friday, July 31 to Sunday, August 2, Tallinn’s Unibet Arena hosts the Tallinn Rock Festival.
Headliners are German rock band Scorpions, making a return to the stage in Estonia, while other bands to appear include Brazilian heavy metal veterans Sepultura.
Happening at the same time in Haapsalu is the annual blues festival. Taking place for the 32nd time, Augusti bluus features an international lineup including U.K. guitarist Toby Lee, as well as home-grown talent such as Estonia’s premier vocal ensemble, Estonian Voices, who will be performing hit numbers from cult musical movie “The Blues Brothers.”
Back in Tallinn, New York punk ensemble Gogol Bordello, led by Ukrainian frontman Eugene Hütz, is set to perform at Helitehas on the first day of the month, too.
Dance musician and singer-songwriter Moby is set to perform a live show at Tartu Song Festival Grounds on Thursday, August 6, as part of his first tour for over a decade.
Fronted by Robert Smith, British legends The Cure will make their first appearance on stage in Estonia on Sunday, August 9, at the Unibet Arena. Better still, folk act Duo Ruut are the support act.
From Iceland, indietronica band Múm play the Paavli Kultuurivabrik in Tallinn on Thursday, August 13.
As summer slowly starts to wind down, you can still catch famed British electronic act Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark (OMD) in the evocative setting of the Birgitta Convent ruins (Pirita Klooster) on August 29. And if romantic atmosphere is your thing, you could also catch the annual White Lady Festival in Haapsalu on the weekend of August 28-30.
September
So the schools are back, the weather – which we can’t forecast at the time of writing – could go either way, but what is certain is concert goers can round off the busy summer’s music events by doing two things.
First, catching top Dutch DJ Armin van Buuren at the Tallinn Song Festival Grounds on Saturday, September 5, and finally, the annual Station Narva Festival is to go ahead September 3-6, with regular British hip hop star Tricky appearing again, among others.
Please note that the above information was correct at the time of writing.
Tickets can be purchased at the major ticketing platform websites, and more information on summer events more broadly is available from the Visit Estonia and Visit Tallinn sites.
—
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source news.err.ee ’
