This summer, on 22-24 July, the centre of Tartu will live in Dancing Tartu Hanseatic Days. During the same week, from 20 to 24 July, the European biggest festival of folk arts Europeade will roll in Tartu, two festivals filling the whole town with song, dance and instrumental music for five days.
Over few thousand representatives of the European people will perform at the town’s squares, parks and song festival arena, presenting their cultures and traditions in this summertime student town. Tartu Hanseatic Days will add to the folk arts party the excitement of a fair and air of medieval and prehistoric times.
For three days, the already familiar prehistoric River Town, Hanseatic Jaani Town, modern Rae Town and Children’s Town will come to life, plus the reopened Country Town in the Pirogov Park. Besides them, two new Towns will be built: the Science Town on Toome Hill and Iron Town in the area between Tasku, Aura, Ahhaa and Zeppelin.
See you in Tartu!
Dear Hanseatic visitors!
This summer, Tartu welcomes you with two great events at a time. Visitors of the Hanseatic Days can simultaneously enjoy the biggest folk arts festival in Europe! The thousands of dancers arriving from various European countries will add their face and name to this years Hanseatic Days as well. This way, Tartu will become a real dancing capital this midsummer.
In addition to the colourful cultural programme, the days will offer much more exciting to do and see. The heart of town will be totally overwhelmed by the Medieval Hanseatic feel, to which the folk dancers and musicians participating in the Europeade add even more splendour and variegation. The highlight of this summer is here! Let us enjoy together the summery Tartu, beautiful folk arts and the magic of the Hanseatic Era.
Tartu, offering diverse entertainment and cultural events, is a place always worth visiting in summer.
See you in Tartu!
Urmas Kruuse, Mayor of Tartu
The story of Tartu Hanseatic Days is a kind of a sequel to the town’s almost three centuries long membership in the Hanseatic League. In a large part, the modern Hanseatic Days are a central event of Tartu, a midsummer-time colourful fantastical play with history. Still, this event more and more also includes meetings and cooperation between people from different countries – the Days are a good opportunity for mutual learning and development for craftspeople, officials, musicians and artists.
During the 16th Tartu Hanseatic Days, besides the Hanseatic Fair the mood will be set by folk dancers, singers and musicians from all over the Europe who gather for their folk arts festival Europeade in our town this year. In hosting them, let us see not only exotic meetings, but also a chance to show our hospitality, make new acquaintances and connections of work and art.
Ants Johanson
Project manager, Tartu Dancing Hanseatic Days
