Four days, 35 concert nights, thousands of music lovers – and a city briefly remade by sound; from 9–12 April, Tallinn hosted the 18th edition of Tallinn Music Week, the international festival and conference that brought 203 artists from 37 countries to the Estonian capital, drawing more than 22,000 visitors.
The festival spilled across Tallinn’s stages, clubs and concert halls, from Telliskivi Creative City to the Old Town and the Rotermann Quarter. Its programme moved restlessly between genres – folk and metal, jazz and digipop, club music and contemporary classical – turning the city into a walkable map of new music.
The opening conference, held at the Nordic Hotel Forum, focused on two urgent themes: the role of music and culture in shaping cities and regions, and the mental health and wellbeing of the creative sector. Highlights included a public debate on the future of Linnahall, Tallinn’s monumental brutalist seafront complex, as well as appearances by Magne Furuholmen, a founding member of a-ha, and representatives from some of Europe’s leading music organisations.
Photographer Andrea Forlani followed the festival through the streets and venues of Tallinn.
Tallinn Music Week is, above all, a reminder of what music can do to a city – and to the people who move through it. For four days, Tallinn became more than a capital: it was a meeting point, a creative hub where artists, industry professionals and audiences from around the world shared stages, streets and conversations.
As Magne Furuholmen said during the conference, TMW stands as a testament to what passionate optimism and relentless perseverance can achieve – while never losing sight of the reason for it all: the joy, force and immeasurable value that creative artists bring to our lives.
The next edition is already on the horizon, scheduled for 8–11 April 2027. It is worth marking the date.
