XIIIth Youth Song Celebration has ended

The 13th Youth Song and Dance Celebration, which started in the blazing sunshine, reached its final chorus, performed by singers wrapped in raincoats but still wet from the rain. Lit on the shortest night of the year on Lake Viitina, the Song Festival fire in the lighthouse of Tallinn Song Festival Grounds went out at 21.32 last night.

Even the fury that swept over the field around 16:00 could not dampen the serious Song Festival spirit. The downpour hit just as the small children’s choirs had finished their performance. The show was suspended for a while and then the boys’ choirs resumed, inviting the sun to come out again.

This year’s youth celebration took longer than usual to prepare, as the corona crisis meant the event had to be postponed for a year. Pärt Uusberg, artistic director of the Song Festival concert “Holy is the Land”, said the singers were exceptionally well prepared and the choir leaders did an exceptionally good job. “I am very grateful to everyone for surviving the difficult moment when it started to rain today,” he added.

More than 58,000 tickets and invitations were issued, according to provisional figures. According to the latest figures, just over 51 000 audience members attended the event. Tickets continued to be sold even after the first major downpour.

The 13th Tallinn Song Festival was attended by 778 ensembles, 23 139 choristers and orchestra musicians. The choirs and orchestras were led by 657 conductors. There were 362 choirs and 11 900 singers in the opening section and 326 choirs and 10 700 singers in the closing section. The Song and Dance Festival had 31 415 participants.

Pärt Uusberg was the artistic director of the XIII Youth Song Festival. The theme was “Holy is the Land” and Uusberg based the idea for the theme on Hando Runnel’s poem “Light!”.

The next Song and Dance Celebration will take place from 3 to 6 July 2025.