FAQ

TMW works in cooperation with the clubs, bars and promoters of Tallinn. Like all other local promoters, we have to follow the Estonian law. The vast majority of the venues serve alcohol, and as such are not able to admit under-age customers. The general rule is that venues and programmes that run after 23.00 have age limits of 18 yrs, children under 18 are allowed with a parent or legal guardian. However, we also follow the individual house rules of each venue.

However, we have the City Stage programme, taking place during the daytime in various venues all over the city (cafes, shopping malls, galleries, music & book shops, etc.), free of charge and accessible to everyone.

The 2025 edition of TMW will take place in various venues, clubs and bars across the Estonian capital Tallinn.

A list and map of TMW venues can be found here.

Tallinn Music Week strives to provide an enjoyable experience for all visitors, including those with accessibility requirements, with inclusivity of all people at the heart of our festival.

The festival takes place across various venues and clubs in Tallinn, with varying levels of accessibility. We do our best to make as many locations as possible accessible but recommend checking our venues and locations page, with relevant accessibility icons for detailed information.

Visitors requiring personal assistance are welcome to bring a companion, who will be granted free entry to the festival. To arrange this, please contact us in advance at ticket@tmw.ee and present a valid disability card upon arrival.

We are committed to continuously improving accessibility at TMW and welcome your suggestions and feedback. If you have ideas on how we can make the festival even more comfortable and accessible, please contact us at info@tmw.ee.

Find detailed info about the Passes & Tickets here.

Festival passes are on sale at the TMW webstore. Single tickets are on sale at Piletilevi, as well as at each venue on the night of the show.

Passes must be exchanged in advance for a wristband at the festival information desk. Information about the location of these desks is available usually about a month before the festival in the Practical Information section of our website.

All questions: infodesk@tmw.ee

All festival passes and PRO passes must be exchanged for a wristband at a TMW info desk, locations and opening times here.

You will not be able to gain entry to any show without a wristband.

No, not if the venue is full. We can guarantee that there will always be spare capacity at some of the venues, but not at all of them all of the time. Some of the participating venues have a capacity as low as 50-100, making a guarantee of entry impossible. However, the delegates’ pass and festival pass owners + people who have purchased a single ticket in advance, have priority in the queue at the door.

It is important to arrive early if there is a band you absolutely must see. There is usually quite a bit of traffic flow from venue to venue, so if one band’s show is full, it is quite possible that people will leave after their set, enabling you to get in to see the next band, so sometimes it pays to queue a little.

To help everyone see a particular artist, some acts will play two shows on different days and/or at City Stage programme.

The first step in securing a slot at TMW begins with registering your interest. TMW application usually runs 5-6 months before the festival at tmw.ee/apply

The programme jury, made up of leading Estonian and international promoters and organisations, representing virtually every genre and scene, from avant-garde to pop and from folk to classical music, select the artists from the long list of applications. We also collect suggestions from a wide variety of people, and, like any festival, we also book some carefully selected acts in addition to the ones who apply, to ensure a program of the highest and most current grade.

Selection / programming starts right after the application deadline and we will contact you by email to let you know whether your act has been confirmed to the festival line-up. Those acts that are not selected will also receive notifications by email. Some acts will be on a reserve list until all the slots are filled.

Generally speaking – there are over 1000 applications for around 100 – 150 performance slots. There is always a fierce debate amongst the demo jury as to which acts are picked and often tough choices have to be made. Factors that come into play include live experience, artistic development, uniqueness, genre represented by an act etc. The reason you were not picked, doesn’t necessarily come down to taste – more likely the jury had to make other choices this time around. Unsuccessful applicants are welcome to reapply next year as the jury often takes note of acts to check out next time around and sometimes a band is booked to TMW only after their third or even fourth application.

No, TMW is for acts from all around the world. As one of the missions of TMW is to promote and introduce new and promising Estonian music, majority of the acts performing at TMW are Estonian, but we have plenty of bands from the neighbouring countries, Scandinavia and elsewhere. At least 30 per cent of the final festival line up comprises of international acts.

It has never been the plan to put on only unsigned and unestablished artists, although over the years we have introduced a fair amount of such acts. Our main priority is to put on acts that are interesting and relevant, both for the Estonian and Baltic industry/media and audience.

The TMW 2026 programme will be announced in January. Apply here.

As a rule, TMW does not pay performance fees or cover travel costs to the artists, although at some festival editions we also book international headliners whose costs we cover. All ticket income (that forms around 10 percent of the festival’s funding) and other private and public resources are needed to cover the costs of: venues, sound & light, conference, invited delegates’ travel, hotels, marketing and production.

This festival was founded with an aim to help artists to develop their careers and to introduce good music to new audiences. As long as there will be acts who think TMW could be useful to them, we’ll be happy to make it happen.

TMW OFFERS

To all artists:

• TMW 2026 PRO Passes for all performing artists (band or collective members on the stage), and 1 representative (manager, tour manager, or similar), granting access to the music festival, conference, and artist education programme (workshops, mentoring sessions). PRO Passes need to be registered 1 month before the start of the festival (exact instructions and deadline will be communicated to all performing artists)
• Exposure to over 1,000 music industry professionals and over 100 music journalists,  and an audience of 18,000+ people
• Access to the TMW PRO digital platform with networking opportunities, including key regional and international industry professionals. PRO Passes need to be registered 1 month before the start of the festival (exact instructions and deadline will be communicated to all performing artists)
• National and international promotion
• The chance to highlight new releases with international potential
• Sound, lighting, and basic backline equipment according to your submitted technical rider in the most suitable showcase and venue, with professional production support. TMW will not guarantee the provision of screens for visuals
• A preparatory info session via Zoom with the TMW team

ADDITIONAL OFFERS

To international artists:

• Opportunities to collaborate with the festival’s promotion and production team to showcase and market new releases
• Transfers from airport or ferry terminal to the hotel upon request (exact information and deadline for requesting will be communicated to all performing artists)
• Twin-room accommodation in a 3* hotel for the night of the performance for each performing artist (band or collective members on the stage) and 1 representative (manager, tour manager, or similar)
• Catering (1 hot meal per artist collective member) on performance day

To Estonian artists:

• Opportunities to invite relevant international industry professionals to your TMW showcase
• Opportunities to work with the festival team on the presentation and promotion of new releases

CONDITIONS OF PARTICIPATION

• TMW does not cover international travel costs or performance fees
• Upon confirming their participation in the festival, the artist enters into a mutual binding contract with the festival on the basis of the conditions offered. Once confirmed, a performance cannot be cancelled without a valid reason (e.g., health issues, international travel restrictions). In the case of cancellation without a valid reason, the artist may be required to reimburse the festival for costs related to the performance, as well as face restricted opportunities to perform at the festival in future. Therefore, before confirming your participation in the TMW programme, we ask you to calculate your costs, risks and make a decision accordingly.
• All performances may be photographed, recorded, or broadcast by TMW media partners for promotional use.

 

Both. And more. It is also one of Europe’s leading city festivals and one of the major meeting points for Eastern, Western and Central European music and creative communities.

TMW 2026 Conference will take place in Nordic Hotel Forum in Tallinn on 10-11 April.

You must be either a registered delegate and your registration paid up in full or the owner of TMW PRO Pass or Conference Pass. Artists playing at the festival will also get PRO passes for each band member and the artist representative.

You can pick up your pass/wristband at a TMW info desk.

Our digital home is pro.tmw.ee, where you can network and watch live streams of the panels.

When logging in for the first time:
– click “Sign in with PRO ticket”
– click “Send new password”
– enter your ticket ID from the email received when buying a pass
– you should receive a password (check your spam folder)
– use the ticket ID and received password to log in

Try using a different browser or the incognito mode. Make sure there aren’t any spaces in the ticket ID or password that you have accidentally copy-pasted. If you have forgotten your password, you can re-send it to your email from the log in screen.

If these tricks didn’t solve your problem, contact info@tmw.ee.

Unfortunately not. More info on Passes & Tickets 

TMW offers an early bird rate and lower prices to those who register early. There is also a limited amount of student passes available with 50% discount from each price range. More info here.

Admission to the conference-only areas where both Estonian and international delegates congregate, all the seminars and other TMW activities as well as TMW music festival. The pass also grants priority access to all the festival concert venues, full PRO programme throughout the festival amd access to online PRO base area which includes full contact details of the TMW delegates. More info

All the TMW artists (each band member and artist representative) will get a TMW PRO Pass that grants access to the TMW conference, festival and delegates’ online database.

To get a PRO pass, make sure to register before the deadline communicated in emails from our team ahead of the festival.

TMW  is organised by NGO Muusikanädal and Shiftworks Ltd. with various programme partners. TMW’s strategic partner is the industry development centre and export office Music Estonia.

The event is financed with a help of various public supporters and private sponsors.

Yes! We need plenty of volunteers right before and during the event. The work itself is generally associated with marketing support, day-time seminars, ticket sales, production assistance in festival venues, logistics, transportation, artist hosts etc. Volunteers get free access to all TMW’s events during the festival.

The applications to volunteer at TMW 2025 are now closed.
Join us next year! Keep your eyes on our socials, we will open the applications for 2026 in February.