Your Tallinn hit list: the top 5 events this week

18 May 2026 – 24 May 2026

Not sure where to be this week? Every week, in partnership with Gamma, we present a hand-picked selection of the five most compelling events taking place in and around Tallinn – it’s time to plan your week with purpose.

Introduction to portraiture in oils

Learn to draw and paint from life the Old Masters’ way. This small, focused workshop is for anyone who wants to develop their craft the way the Old Masters did – by working from a live model, slowing down, really looking and building an image with patience and intent.

Sessions usually last three hours, giving participants time to move well beyond quick sketches and create something more considered and personal. Instruction is individual and tailored to each participant’s level, goals and preferred medium – whether drawing or painting. That makes the workshop just as useful for beginners finding their footing as for experienced artists looking to sharpen their technique.

The workshop is led by Kaspar Tamsalu, who trained in rigorous easel painting at the Repin Academy of Fine Arts in St Petersburg, previously headed the Painting Department at Pallas University of Applied Sciences and now works professionally as an art director and visual artist in the video game industry. In other words: academic discipline meets contemporary visual culture.

Easels and tape are provided at the venue. A full materials list for both painting and drawing is available in the event details.

International Dog Shows “Estonian Winner 2026”

The Estonian Winner 2026 & CACIB International Dog Show is one of the biggest canine events of the year, bringing together dog lovers, breeders and four-legged showstoppers for two days of pedigree glamour, serious competition and plenty of tail-wagging theatre.

With more than 2,000 dogs registered, the event offers a rare chance to meet breeds you may never have encountered before, talk to experienced breeders and see first-hand the dedication, training and polish that go into showing a dog at international level.

Doors open at 8:00 AM each morning, the official opening ceremony takes place at 9:45 AM, and judging in the rings begins at 10:00 AM.

Full details on the schedule, programme and entry restrictions are available on the event page.

EBS Padel x Pilates x Poké Bowl

The final combo event of the year from EBS Spordiklubi brings together movement, friendly competition, good food and blessedly little fitness martyrdom.

The afternoon starts with a 50-minute pilates session – an easy-going dose of movement and energy before things get a touch more competitive. After that, participants move straight into a padel tournament, with courts divided by level: Beginner, Beginner/Intermediate and Intermediate/Advanced, so everyone gets a fair and genuinely fun game, whatever their experience.

When energy levels begin to dip, a fresh poké bowl will be waiting on site to bring everyone back to life.

This is not a deadly serious tournament or a rigid fitness class. It is an afternoon of movement, laughter and good company, rounded off with food and the quiet satisfaction of having done something actually enjoyable with your Friday.

Bring workout clothes and a good mood – the rest is taken care of. Places are limited, and since this is the last one of the year, the “maybe next time” excuse has officially expired.

Writing in Tallinn meetup

Writing in Tallinn is back – this time in a place with excellent coffee and the sort of atmosphere that makes you feel you should probably be working on something important.

The group meets for a two-hour writing session built around a beautifully simple idea: show up, write, talk a little, write some more and leave feeling like a person who has their life at least partly together.

The format is friendly and lightly structured: a short chat to ease in, two focused writing blocks with a break in between, and a noon finish that leaves the rest of the day gloriously guilt-free.

All styles are welcome, whether you are working on a novel, a journal, a screenplay, a deeply personal essay no one may ever read, or that mysterious half-formed thing you have been meaning to start for months.

Web3 Community Brunch

Whether you are already deep in the Web3 world or simply curious about what all the fuss is about, this brunch offers a low-pressure way to meet the people building things in Estonia’s blockchain and crypto community.

Expect coffee, good food and the kind of informal conversation that is often far more useful than a stiff networking event with name tags and haunted small talk.

Attendees also get a permanent 10% discount on the menu at Basiilik with the code EW3, thanks to the venue partnership – so the brunch pays for itself a little, which feels very on-brand.

And for those still around in the afternoon, the same venue will host a Bitcoin Pizza Day celebration from 4:00 PM, with free pizza, drinks and more chances to talk shop.

Reserve your place for the brunch on the event page.

Tallinn Whisky show 2026

Tallinn Whisky Show 2026 is back – and if you have ever wanted to spend an entire day sampling exceptional whisky in the company of a thousand like-minded people, this is very much your moment.

With more than 100 whiskies and premium spirits available to taste, the show brings together expert-led masterclasses and seminars, brand ambassadors ready to talk you through their selections, a premium cigar corner, gourmet food and a charity lottery. Somehow, it manages to be educational, indulgent and genuinely entertaining all at once.

Every ticket includes a tasting booklet to help visitors navigate the selection, entry to masterclasses and full access to the tasting floor – making it equally worthwhile for curious newcomers and seasoned connoisseurs who think they have already tried everything. They probably have not.

Full details on the schedule, masterclass registration and tickets are available on the event page.

Brought to you in collaboration with Gamma. Want more like this? Get Tallinn’s best events delivered straight to your inbox – three times a week, totally free. Just hit subscribe to join the Gamma newsletter.