The Song Celebration begins today – how to get there and where to park?

This evening at 19:30, the opening concert of the XXVIII Song Celebration “Iseoma” will begin. Here’s a reminder of how to get to the Song Festival Grounds.

Please allow plenty of time to arrive, as traffic will be disrupted and there will be many participants. Entry to the Song Festival Grounds opens on Saturday, July 5 at 13:00 at the Oru and Mäe gates, and at 19:30 at the Mere gate. The concert starts at 19:30 and will end around 23:00.

As is tradition, the opening concert will be preceded by a procession of around 45,000 participants, starting from central Tallinn. The first groups in the procession will begin heading toward the Song Festival Grounds at 13:00. As a result, the city center area and Narva Road will be closed to regular traffic from 08:30 to 18:00. Traffic will be redirected via Reidi Road and Pirita Road, where the seaward lane of Pirita Road will operate in both directions. Narva Road will be closed to regular traffic between Petrooleumi Street and Smuuli Road until 01:00 on July 6. Roads will reopen gradually after the procession and concerts end. Due to the procession, it will not be possible to enter through the Mere gate until the concert begins.

How to get to the Song Festival Grounds?

To make it as convenient and safe as possible for visitors to attend the opening concert, city traffic and public transport have been rearranged — public transport is free for everyone and will run more frequently than usual. Nevertheless, the City of Tallinn recommends coming on foot or by bicycle if possible. During the Song Festival, rental scooters can be parked near Russalka monument or at the intersection of Turba Street and Narva Road, and there are bike parking areas near the Russalka monument and the Mere, Mäe, and Oru gates. As bike parking areas are unattended, all cyclists should bring their own locks.

During the Song and Dance Celebration week (July 3–6), Tallinn public transport is free for all passengers, and the same applies to Elron trains within Tallinn. To handle large crowds on concert days, the schedules for main transport lines have been made more frequent. Bus lines with increased frequency include 1, 5, 8, 35, 42, 60, 81, and 83, and tram lines 1 and 3. When heading back to the city from the Song Festival Grounds, Tallinn recommends using trams — they are fast, spacious, and not affected by traffic jams. Tram line 1 also connects with the special late-night trains departing from Balti Station.

In addition to regular lines, shuttle buses will operate to bring attendees to and from the Song Festival. Shuttle line 80 will run frequently on the route Estonia (Opera) – Bus Station – Sossimägi – Kivimurru – Song Festival Grounds on July 5 from 12:00 to 24:00 using long buses. Shuttle line 90 will operate between Kumu Art Museum and the Song Festival Grounds on July 5 from 12:00 to 24:00, serving the Laagna Road Kumu bus stop and the parking area near Kumu Art Museum, where buses for participating groups will be directed.

On Saturday and Sunday, after the concert ends, additional buses will be available near the Song Festival Grounds gates for routes toward Viimsi and Lasnamäe. Buses to Viimsi will depart from near the Mere gate, and those to Lasnamäe from the Mäe gate.

Parking

For those who must drive, vehicles can be left at larger parking lots arranged through agreements by the Estonian Song and Dance Festival Foundation. From these lots, regular or shuttle buses will provide further transport. The occupancy of nearby city park-and-ride lots can be monitored in real-time via surveillance cameras. Tallinn has compiled all transportation information and maps related to the festival on a dedicated website. The most accurate, detailed, and up-to-date information on schedules, detours, and temporary stops is available on Tallinn’s transport website: https://transport.tallinn.ee/#tallinna-linn/map/en.