Tallinn deputy mayor: Organizers of Linnahall rooftop event breached agreement

  • 2021-08-29
  • BNS/TBT Staff

TALLINN – Andrei Novikov, deputy mayor of Tallinn and chairman of the supervisory board of the company that manages the currently disused Linnahall arena, said that the organizers of the event at the roof of the building on Friday night did not adhere to their agreement. 

"The event at Linnahall last night was not consistent with what the organizer of the event agreed with Linnahall and did not comply with the rules set by the government, which the event organizer committed to observe," Novikov said in a press release on Saturday.

"According to the organizer of the drone fireworks show, up to 1,000 people were supposed to come to the roof of the Linnahall to watch the drone show in the sky, and to ensure that, they promised to cordon off the area and check vaccination passports. Linnahall was not informed about the concert by NOEP on the rooftop. In fact, a totally different kind of event took place, which, judging by what happened, the organizer was not prepared for either," the deputy mayor added.

"It is a great pity that the people who came to the event found themselves in a frightening situation. We must definitely find out under what circumstances such a large crowd was convened and how it could happen that the organizer allowed the event to continue also after an unknown number of people had entered the cordoned-off area without being checked," Novikov noted.

He said that the company has already arranged for an expert to review the structures of the roof of the Linnahall in the near future. Based on the expert opinion given in 2016, it was completely safe to allow 1,000 people on the roof of the Linnahall if the organizer ensures dispersion and control at the entrance.

"If people walk on the roof of the Linnahall, it continues to be safe and there are currently no plans to restrict access to the roof. The bearing structure of the roof of the ice arena is formed of reinforced concrete panels resting on solid steel beams, which means that dynamic activity on the roof can create a so-called bridge effect, which can be felt, for example, on the Nomme Bridge or the Pae Park Bridge," Novikov added.