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The opening concert of ESTO 2025, this time entitled "Windows of Time", will take place on 26 June. In addition to folk dancers and choirs, professional musicians and gymnasts will also be taking part. In total, there will be around 400 choristers, 200 folk dancers and gymnasts on stage. In addition, Estonian choristers from Australia, Canada and the USA are expected to take part in the General Song Festival.

30.06 at 14:15–22:30 in Estonian / English Tickets: 40 EUR - buy a ticket at Piletitasku ticket office HERE >>  Free for ESTO passport holders - register...

30.06 at 14:15–22:30 in Estonian / English Tickets: 35 EUR - tickets available at Piletitasku ticket office HERE >>  Free for ESTO passport holders - register here...

30.06 at 11:40–22:00 Estonian / English Tickets: 45 EUR - tickets available at Piletitasku ticket office HERE >>  Free for ESTO passport holders - register here by...

Narva-Jõesuu lighthouse is Estonia’s easternmost lighthouse, located on the west bank of the Narva River. The present lighthouse with its white and red stripes was built in 1957. The previous lighthouse, which was built in 1808 and enlarged in 1886, was destroyed in World War II. The lighthouse has been open to visitors from 3 August 2024. Visitors can climb to the upper platform and enjoy views of Estonia's longest sandy beach, the Narva River and its neighbouring country.

Those born in the 1930s will remember Narva-Jõesuu as a settlement where vodka shots flowed freely on the beach, and where Swedes, Finns and the Estonian intelligentsia were the predominant holidaymakers. This settlement has suffered a lot in its history and has experienced repeated ups and downs.

You can get an insight into historical Narva-Jõesuu at the Narva-Jõesuu Museum. The Ethnography Museum is located in the summer cottage where the family of the writer A.H.Tammsaare used to spend summers in the 1930s, and where the writer himself spent many summer days.

Summer networking event for enterprising people

From the ESTO Folk Festival you can cruise to Narva-Jõesuu on the comfortable and modern double-decker and spacious passenger vessel Caroline Tore. During the cruise, you can enjoy summer evening views of the riverbanks both here and on the other side of the European Union border.

The vocal group SweedEst Song has been performing in Stockholm in various formations since 2013. All members have been involved in music from an early age and have sung together in several choirs and ensembles. Almost all of the singers are second-generation Estonians living in Sweden and therefore the repertoire of the group has strong Estonian influences.

Nothing equals the Kreenholm factory - this enterprise, which roared between Narva's foaming rapids with more than 10,000 workers, was unrivalled in Russia or Europe.

Pastor Urmas Karileet of the EELC Narva St. Mary’s Congregation will give a presentation on the history of Alexander’s Cathedral, Narva and its current status.

After the church service and the performance of C. Kreek’s Requiem, audience members are invited to recline their seats and watch a video installation projected onto the ceiling of Alexander´s Cathedral (approx. 520 m²). The video story is composed of three chapters (3 x 5 minutes).

As part of the XIII Global Estonian Festival (ESTO), we will present world-class choral music and offer listeners one of the beloved masterpieces of Estonian music – Requiem by Cyrillus Kreek. Conducted by Hirvo Surva.

The Vaivara Sinimägede Museum's exhibition is dedicated to the 1944 battles on the Narva River and in the Sinimäed. The museum displays weapons, uniforms, wartime photos, propaganda posters of the warring sides, and more. In addition to anti-tank guns, mortars and hand-held weapons, the museum displays soldiers' personal items, from portable cooking pots to felt boots.

From June 2023, Narva Town Hall re-opened its doors after a 24-year break. Built in the 17th century and recently renovated, the building awaits guests! During the tour, you will learn about the history of the construction of the town hall and its main changes in the context of historical events in the city, as well as current work in the building.

In the restored Narva Town Hall building, you can explore a virtual reality exhibition. This exciting attraction brings pre-World War II Narva to life with the help of VR headsets and touchscreens. The virtual exhibition allows visitors to travel through centuries-old Narva using VR glasses, discover what life was like in the city before the war, hear stories of colourful Narva residents, and experience history through the eyes of the people who lived there at that time.

The renovated Narva Castle opened its doors to visitors in the summer of 2020. The new permanent exhibition is dedicated to the Narva Castle, situated on the border between East and West, and its more than 700-year-old history. Spread over two floors of the building, the exhibition features a wealth of interactive discoveries and multimedia solutions, closely interwoven with historical exhibits.

The Victoria Bastion casemates are underground bastion passages built in the late 17th century. During the tour, you’ll learn about the history of Narva’s defence system, the role of bastions in times of war and peace, legends of hidden treasures that only the bravest dared to seek, and the mysterious inhabitants of the bastions—whom you might even get a chance to meet!

The tour is dedicated to the period 1581-1704, when the city of Narva was part of the Swedish Kingdom.

Imagine a secret disco in August 1985 in Narva, where Estonians from home and abroad, Estonians from all over the world, have come together. Vinyl records are spinning on the turntable, playing only Estonian music from Estonia, Sweden, Canada, USA, Germany, Australia and Argentina! This is exactly what the evening of 28 June 2025, will be like at the Vaba Lava Narva theatre, with music from the Psühhoteek record store and DJ Ahto Külvet spinning the records.

What doors or opportunities does multilingualism open? For the individual, society, country ...

On the eve of the XIII Global Estonian Festival, we bring world-class choral music to the stage and offer the audience Cyrillus Kreek's Requiem, a beloved piece of Estonian music. We dedicate this performance with gratitude to those bearers of Estonianism who are no longer with us.

The entire Stockholm Estonian House will be open to ESTO participants. In the Scala jazz club, music will be played by DJ Christian Riiser. In the social rooms, singing and dancing will be led by the Seto folk choir Leelokandjad and the St. Petersburg folklore group Neevo.

Tiiu Valmet is an accredited tour guide with many years of experience. She arrived as a refugee in Sweden in 1944 on her 6th birthday. Tiiu studied at the Stockholm Estonian School and later worked as a teacher there. Tiiu will take you from Estonian House to the Estonian School, from there to the Estonia Memorial at Fjällgatan and then back to Estonian House. You will use Stockholm public transport.

Piia Paljak Särlefalk, Principal of Stockholm Estonian School, will show you around Stockholm Estonian School and will talk about the history of the school as well as its current activities.

The violin ensemble is comprised of violin students from two schools – Tallinn Kanutiaia Hobby School and Rae Hobby School – who are taught by one teacher, Riina Lõhmus. This time, parents will also help out with singing, as learning to play an instrument requires significant cooperation within the home, and it is especially fun to make music together.

The entire Stockholm Estonian House will be open to ESTO participants. In the social rooms, singing and dancing will be led by Violin ensemble Viiulised and Rae Hobby School Folk Music Ensemble from Estonia. Bars will offer cold beer and light snacks.

We will walk in the Forest Cemetery, where we will visit graves of Estonians. We will light candles on the graves of Estonians associated with Estonian song festivals.

July 2 2025 9:00 am – 4:00 pm, Radisson Collection Hotel, Rävala 3, Tallinn. You can also participate online.

The Global Estonian Diaspora Networking Day is a great opportunity for members of diaspora organisations and representatives of Estonian communities around the world to connect, share their successes and challenges, and discuss what is needed to support sustainability and further development. The main aim of the day is to bring together Estonians from different countries who are working in similar fields, so that they can get to know each other, exchange experiences, and draw inspiration from each other.

On 4th July, the Foundation for Estonian Arts and Letters in the USA invites all Estonians living abroad, those participating in ESTO, and their friends to the USA night ‘SecretSongAndDanceParty’. The event will begin immediately after the last Dance Festival performance from 21:00 -01:00 at Fotografiska (in the hall on level 1), which is located in the Telliskivi district, next to the Old Town.

Narva was a very beautiful city before World War II. With its baroque old town, its cultural life and its people, it was a true Nordic gem. It was a city of trade and merchants, factories and workers. A border town, where you could hear Estonian, Russian and Swedish spoken on the streets. What became of this Narva? What happened on 6 and 7 March 1944? Who made the decisions to bomb Narva and raze it to the ground, replacing the unique historic buildings with only memories of them? The city was reduced to ashes by a sea of fire and became a pile of building rubble. But who were the people who lived in Old Narva and what were their stories?

The most glamorous event of the XIII Global Estonian Days ESTO 2025 “Together” – the ESTO Gala Evening with dinner and dancing will take place in Tallinn’s Seaplane Harbour on July 2 from 19:30

Participating in ESTO is your chance to be part of something extraordinary! This unique event unites youth and communities with Estonian roots worldwide to share experiences, build connections, and strengthen our global Estonian community. At the previous ESTO, 50 brilliant young delegates from 18 countries participated. The delegates engaged in significant discussions and formed lifelong friendships. The successful youth program led to the founding of the Global Estonian Youth Network (ÜENV). 

The ESTO volleyball tournament (both indoor & beach) will take place on July 1st in Tallinn. We welcome representative teams as well as individual interested participants from all countries. Where required, we are willing to assist in the formation of the representative teams. Participant teams may include men as well as women, of all ages and skill levels.

Dear ESTO friend! Sign up for participation in the organization of ESTO 2025! For this purpose, we have created a registration form where you can choose in which committee you want to participate in the organization of ESTO 2025 and let us know if you want to be a member of the Main Committee of the NGO ESTO 2025.

ESTO laulupeo dirigendid on Ida-Virumaalt pärit Hirvo Surva ja Kirill Gorjušin ning eluaegne koorijuht Jaan Seim Stockholmist, kes praegu juhatab seal sega- ja naiskoori. Nemad kolm panevad kokku repertuaari ja käivad ka Kanadas, Ameerikas ning mujal koore ette valmistamas,

ESTO 2025 toimumiskoha valikuks korraldati demokraatlikud kärajad, kus kõik huvilised said oma sõna sekka öelda. "Enamuse hääl kaldus Stockholmi-Narva poole. Eks see ole Rootsi ja Narva ajalooline taust ning praegused väljakutsed, mis teevad Narva atraktiivseks," ütles ESTO 2025 peakorraldaja, Rootsi eestlaste liidu esimees Sirle Sööt

A youth congress dedicated to multilingualism will be held in Narva in cooperation with the global Estonian youth network and local youth organizations. In addition, a high-level business forum, cultural events and religious services are planned in Narva.

The 2025 Global Estonian Cultural Festival, ESTO, will be hosted in Stockholm, Tallinn and Narva between June 26-July 2, 2025.  The ESTO Festival has called together Estonians from around the world since 1972, to celebrate their shared culture, heritage, and achievements – and to promote unity and reinforce the bonds between Estonians around the world.