From Eight Performers to an International Festival: Tallinn Fringe Celebrates Its 10th Anniversary

Tallinn Fringe Festival celebrates its 10th edition this year, transforming Tallinn into a month-long celebration of independent performing arts from 18 August to 18 September. Over 31 days, audiences can discover 77 unique shows across more than 160 performances, featuring theatre, comedy, circus, dance, music, burlesque and many other art forms in venues across the city.

This anniversary marks ten years since a small group of artists came together with a simple idea: to create more opportunities to perform. The festival began in December 2016 under the name Boom Chika Wau Wau, when theatre, circus, dance, music and fire performers came together in Telliskivi Creative City. There was no public funding, no large organisation behind it. Artists simply wanted a space to perform, collaborate and experiment together. 

The first edition of the festival lasted just three days and featured eight performers presenting eight performances. Everything was organised independently, driven by enthusiasm rather than funding or institutional support. 

What began as a small grassroots initiative soon grew organically as more artists wanted to participate, more venues opened their doors, and audiences kept returning year after year. Today, Tallinn Fringe Festival is part of the international World Fringe network while remaining true to its original open-access philosophy.

Unlike many traditional arts festivals, Tallinn Fringe is an open-access festival. Rather than being selected by a programming committee, artists work directly with venues to become part of the festival, creating a programme that reflects the creativity and diversity of the artists themselves. 

Tallinn Fringe transforms venues across Tallinn into a month-long celebration of performance, creativity and artistic discovery, bringing together local and international artists working in comedy, theatre, music, dance, circus, cabaret, spoken word and many other art forms. 

Tallinn Fringe Festival takes place from 18 August to 18 September 2026. More information, the full programme and tickets are available at fringe.ee.