Pärnu, Estonia’s seaside resort city and unofficial summer capital, wants the country’s planned multifunctional arena to be built there, arguing that its location between Tallinn and Riga, future Rail Baltica connection and strong tourism infrastructure make it a suitable host for major international events.
The Estonian Olympic Committee began the preparatory phase for the arena project in 2025, aiming to identify a suitable and economically viable solution for Estonia to host international sports events, concerts, conferences and other large-scale gatherings.
Pärnu City Council has formally expressed its interest in taking part in the development process and location selection – and has appealed to the Estonian Olympic Committee and the the country’s culture ministry to include the city as a candidate.
The city argues that while Pärnu is one of Estonia’s leading tourism, cultural and sporting centres, it lacks a large indoor venue capable of hosting major events throughout the year. According to the city, such an arena would help extend the tourism season, support local businesses and strengthen Pärnu’s role as a regional centre.
Pärnu says it already has the necessary hospitality infrastructure, including more than 5,000 hotel beds, a developed guest-apartment market, spas, restaurants and experience in hosting large events.
The proposed location is a 76,957-square-metre site near the Pärnu River and close to the future Rail Baltica passenger station. Pärnu City Government initiated the detailed planning process for the arena on 16 March 2026.
The city also highlights Rail Baltica as a key argument. Once completed, the railway is expected to improve Pärnu’s connections with Tallinn, Riga and the rest of Europe, making the city more accessible to international visitors, performers and sports teams.
Supporters of the Pärnu bid say the arena would also serve Estonia’s regional development goals by bringing a nationally important investment to western Estonia, rather than concentrating major infrastructure in Tallinn or Tartu.
Tallinn and Tartu have also expressed interest in hosting the arena. Tallinn argues it is the only Estonian city with sufficient scale to support such a venue, while Tartu has reserved a possible site in the Raadi district, near the Estonian National Museum.
The Estonian Olympic Committee has said it will not build the arena itself, but will lead the process of analysing the need, impact, possible size, functions and funding model. The aim is to prepare a concrete brief by 2026 and a business plan by 2027.
The final location and funding model remain undecided. The culture ministry has indicated that the final decision will most likely be made by the government.
