Tallinn Song Festival Grounds

The Estonian song festival tradition began in 1869 and the grounds themselves were built for it in 1960 - a concrete arch open to the sea, designed so that a choir of tens of thousands can stand under it and be heard across the field. In 1988, during what became known as the Singing Revolution, several hundred thousand people gathered here to sing songs that had been effectively banned, and the site has carried that meaning ever since.

What you actually see

A very large sloping grass field facing a curved concrete shell, with a torch tower to one side. Empty, it is a strange and slightly overwhelming space: the scale only makes sense once you know what fills it. There are information boards on the history, and the tower can be climbed in season for a view over the field and the bay.

The song festival itself, Laulupidu, happens every five years and fills the grounds completely; a dance festival runs alongside it.

When to go

• Festival years - the actual event, held in early July. Tickets and accommodation go very early.
• Any other time - the grounds are open and free, and usually near-empty.
• Large concerts - international acts use the site through the summer.

Honest expectations

Outside the festival there is not much to see in the conventional sense. This is a place you visit for what happened here, and if that history means nothing to you it will read as a big empty field with a bandshell.

The grounds are exposed to the sea wind, which matters more than the temperature suggests.

Nearby

Kadriorg and KUMU are ten minutes back towards the centre. Pirita beach, the yacht harbour and the ruins of the convent are just up the coast.