More than 50 artists will perform at the XXX Viljandi Folk Music Festival

  • 2023-05-18

The XXX Viljandi Folk Music Festival, which will take place on July 27-30, published this year’s detailed programme with dates, stages and exact concert times. The lineup includes 11 artists from abroad, many international projects and 36 Estonian performers. Several new venues are also added to the festival area. 
“The four-day programme on nine stages will be colourful and varied and fitting for the festival’s 30th birthday, fulfilling both the expectations of partygoers and those wishing to delve deeper,” says the programme manager Tarmo Noormaa. “This year we have a chance to see exceptional foreign artists, for example Le Diable à Cinq from Canada, Djely Tapa from Mali and El Khat from Israel, plus a whole myriad of Estonian performers. And we have old audience favourites Vägilased and Paabel who will give exclusive comeback concerts which is truly remarkable,” noted Noormaa.

In addition to well-known names, like Trad.Attack!UntsakadAngus and Mari Kalkun, the programme also includes young talents Kert Krüsban, who has won the title of the best solo player in Estonia, EHALELõõtsanøøbid and Fylgja, to name but a few. “I’d like to particularly highlight the concert Folk 30, dedicated to the festival’s big birthday, and the performance of Pärt Uusberg’s composition “Regiväli” in the Baptist Church,” added the programme manager.

The head of the festival Ando Kiviberg says that the Viljandi Folk Music Festival, which has reached its 30th time, demonstrates all the potential that Estonia has managed to build up in these last 30 years and the audience can expect utterly delightful reunions alongside exciting and compelling new discoveries. “After many years, we have decided to use Viljandi song festival grounds as one of the main programme venues again – that’s where the story of our festival began on 15 May 1993. The song festival grounds will not replace any of the previous venues, it’s a new addition that makes this year’s programme even richer than usual. It's going to be quite a party, just like in the good old days,” said Kiviberg.

This year’s festival will continue with the pass-only system, allowing the festivalgoers to move smoothly from one concert to another. All the different pass types are available in limited numbers. The evening passes are available only during the festival, if there’s enough room, and they give access to all the concerts on the same evening, from 9 pm until the end of that day’s programme

The author’s songs programmeafterpartyworkshops and many extra and special programmes are yet to be announced

The main programme encompasses more than 70 concerts and features performers from Estonia, Georgia, Ireland, England, Israel, Canada, Greece, Latvia, Mali, Poland, Sweden, Slovakia, Finland, Denmark, Tibet and Hungary.

The detailed programme can be found at viljandifolk.ee