Fun facts
Passing the flame
The Song and Dance Celebration flame was lit at sunrise on the 15th of June in Tartu near the Estonian National Museum. The procession will last 18 days, during which the fire will pass through 15 counties.
The participants of the XXVIII Song and XXI Dance Celebration „Iseoma“ (“Kinship”)
The “Iseoma” (“Kinship”) Song and Dance Celebration will have 41,192 performers.
A record 10,938 dancers will perform in the three performances of the Dance Celebration, while the total number of dancers will be 11,613.
The Folk Music Celebration will feature 88 groups and 65 individual performers. In total, 765 musicians will take part in the Folk Music Celebration.
There will be 32,022 singers.
45 foreign groups/ensembles will perform in the Song Celebration with around 1500 participants.
38 foreign groups/ensembles will perform in the Dance Celebration, with around 600 participants.
The Song and Dance Celebration was preceded by 550 regional rehearsals throughout Estonia.
For the first time, all three general directors are women: Heli Jürgenson is the artistic director of the Song Celebration, Helena-Mariana Reimann is the main director of the Dance Celebration, and Helin Pihlap is the creative director of the Folk Music Celebration.
Catering and wristbands
Nearly 205,000 slices of Leibur rye bread will be eaten (200,586 slices of bread and white bread were eaten during the 2023 Youth Song and Dance Celebration).
During the celebrations, 178,000 portions of soup will be served to the participants by the Naiskodukaitse (Women’s Voluntary Defence Organisation), making a total of 70 tonnes of soup for the whole week.
This year, nearly 14.7 km of cloth wristbands made from recyclable PET plastic were produced for the participants.
Volunteers
The Naiskodukaitse (Women’s Voluntary Defence Organisation) involves around 170 volunteers.
The medical team has around 100 volunteers.
The police will involve around 100 volunteer police officers.
There are around 40 volunteer rescuers.
Youngest and eldest participants
The youngest participant in the Celebrations is 6-year-old dancer Isabella.
The youngest participant in the Song Celebration is 6-year-old Leeni.
The youngest participant in the Folk Music Celebration is 7-year-old Adeele.
The oldest participant in the Celebrations is 93-year-old singer Lille Õie.
The oldest participant in the Dance Celebration is 80-year-old Peet-Mati.
The oldest participant in the Folk Music Celebration is 81-year-old Kalle.
The average participant
The average age of a singer is 26 years old. The most common name for a singer is Laura or Oliver.
The average age of a dancer is 34. The most common name for a dancer is Katrin or Martin.
The average folk musician is 35 years old. The most common name for a folk musician is Kadri or Indrek.
The average participant is 28 years old.
The most popular female name for the whole celebration is Laura, and the male name is Martin.
Statistics by county
From Harjumaa, there are 3,797 singers, 1,515 dancers, and 216 folk musicians.
From Hiiumaa, there are 166 singers, 141 dancers, and 0 folk musicians.
From Ida-Virumaa, there are 869 singers, 279 dancers, and 14 folk musicians.
From Jõgevamaa, there are 553 singers, 270 dancers and 13 folk musicians.
From Järvamaa, there are 553 singers, 542 dancers and 22 folk musicians.
From Läänemaa, there are 480 singers, 420 dancers and 26 folk musicians.
From Lääne-Virumaa, there are 1177 singers, 470 dancers and 101 folk musicians.
From Põlvamaa, there are 313 singers, 334 dancers and 42 folk musicians.
From Pärnu, there are 1424 singers, 414 dancers and 29 folk musicians.
From Pärnumaa, there are 613 singers, 321 dancers and 32 folk musicians.
From Raplamaa, there are 1006 singers, 546 dancers and 3 folk musicians.
From Saaremaa, there are 771 singers, 434 dancers and 34 folk musicians.
From Tallinn, there are 10,918 singers, 2537 dancers and 94 folk musicians.
From Tartu, there are 4152 singers, 1238 dancers and 70 folk musicians.
From Tartumaa, there are 1209 singers, 420 dancers, and 18 folk musicians.
From Valgamaa, there are 412 singers, 188 dancers, and 11 folk musicians.
From Viljandimaa, there are 1150 singers, 448 dancers, and 70 folk musicians.
From Võrumaa, there are 813 singers, 552 dancers, and 27 folk musicians.
From outside Estonia, there are 546 dancers and 1595 singers.
The busiest conductors and instructors
Elo Üleoja brings the most choirs to the celebration, with 9 choirs.
Heleri Kängsepp and Ulvi Mägi bring the most dancers, with 9 dance groups each.
Joosep Sang, Kadri Mägi, Lilian Kapp and Pille Karras will bring the largest number of folk musicians, with 3 groups each.
Tallinn 21st School will bring the most participants to the celebration, with 433 performers.