Tallinn Music Week draws 18 814 visits to the Estonian capital Tallinn

The event examined the economic and societal impact of music

• The 17th edition of the international new music and city festival Tallinn Music Week (TMW) took place in the Estonian capital Tallinn last week, from 3rd-6th April. 
• TMW 2025 featured 217 artists from 36 countries and 163 conference speakers, and hosted close to 1300 music & culture professionals from around the world. The event drew a total of 18,838 visits.
• TMW 2025 focus countries were Ukraine, Canada, Sweden, Finland, Poland, Taiwan and the Baltics.
• The next edition of TMW is scheduled to  take place from April 9th-12th in  2026. A limited amount of TMW 2026 Early Bird passes are now on sale at the TMW webshop until 30th April.

The 17th edition of TMW, the festival of “tomorrow’s music, arts and ideas” filled Tallinn with music from around the world, explored the evolving music industry and its societal significance, and offered to explore the music and arts scene of diverse neighbourhoods across the capital of Estonia.

TMW 2025 focus countries were Ukraine, Canada, Sweden, Finland, Poland, Taiwan and the Baltics.

President of Estonia (2016-2021) and President of the Estonian Olympic Committee Kersti Kaljulaid spoke in her opening address at the TMW conference at Nordic Hotel Forum on 4th April about how music and culture help cope with fears during difficult times.

“It’s extremely important that we do not shy away from the challenges we face as a society. Culture does not shy away from such challenges, it is a tool which helps us in Estonia, Northeast NATO, Ukraine, also in Taiwan, Canada, and Denmark.” Addressing the international music sector representatives, Kaljulaid said, “I’m really grateful that you have gathered in Tallinn to create solutions.” She further emphasised that economists and people like herself could in turn help analyse culture’s impact and value in such a way that banks would not see cultural initiatives as risks, but rather as investments worthy of the positive impact they offer to society.

In her opening address, Estonian Minister of Culture Heidy Purga quoted Estonian writer Arvo Valton: “By reading a good book, you become a few years younger; by listening to good music, you become better at heart; by looking at a good painting, you become more beautiful.” The Minister added that Tallinn Music Week brings together ideas and people who dare to create, dream, and take action. “I am delighted to see TMW continuing to enrich its mission, providing a space for discussions that are crucial not just for the music sector, but for culture and society as a whole,” she said.

Ukrainian Ambassador to Estonia Maksim Kononenko gave weight to the importance of culture in resistance: “Culture and art are a foundation of freedom, of our unbreakable spirit, also powerful weapons against indifference. Ukrainian musicians are not just surviving in the war, they are creating. In doing so, they are defending something far greater than themselves — a culture, a voice, a future. Ukraine is not just defending its territory, it is defending its voice — clear, strong and unbroken. The participation of Ukrainian musicians at Tallinn Music Week is more than a performance, it is an act of solidarity — a moment for Estonia, Europe and the whole world to witness resilience.”

At the opening reception, the international gender equality initiative Keychange presented its Inspiration Award to Berlin cultural activist Nicky Böhm, social arts project manager and host at the community radio Refuge Worldwide.

The 3-day TMW music festival from 3rd to 5th April, featured 217 artists from 36 countries, from Europe to Canada and from African diaspora to Taiwan. The cross-genre programme ranged from folk to digipop, from jazz to metal, and from choral music to performance art. The festival also paid tribute to the preeminent Estonian composer Arvo Pärt, who celebrates his 90th jubilee this year. Showcase nights were promoted by, among others, Estonian festivals and music organisations Viljandi Folk Music Festival, Jazz Estonia, Fenno-Ugria Society, Heavy Music Association, Funk Embassy and Kurvad Uudised record label. International curators included, Europe’s leading classical music showcase festival Classical:NEXT, Swedish talent platform ÅÄÖ…Sounds Swedish, European Capital of Culture Oulu2026 in collaboration with Estonian club culture festival UNDA, nomadic platform Yugofuturism with event series Vikendica, and more. 

TMW conference, held at Nordic Hotel Forum on 4th and 5th April, was attended by 1,300 music industry professionals from around the world. The conference featured over 160 professionals and trailblazers from the music and cultural sectors. Speakers included The Human League and Heaven 17 founding member Martyn Ware, Rammstein’s European promoter Scumeck Sabottka, Grammy-winning sound engineer Haydn Bendall, Finnish musician Kimmo Pohjonen,  Director of A Greener Festival (AGF) Claire O’Neill, Managing Director of ESNS Anna van Nunen, Programme Director of the World Music Festival in Taiwan Peiti Huang, Estonian music industry legend Jüri Makarov, Member of the European Parliament Urmas Paet, Director of Live Nation Baltics Eva Palm, musicians Mari Kalkun, Karl Killing, David Reiterer from Lucy Dreams and others. The festival was attended by over 150 journalists, including from European public broadcasters, Euronews Culture, and music and general interest publications from The Guardian to Louder, Electronic Sound, Jazzwise and more

Several upcoming music industry events unveiled their future strategies at TMW, including Latvia’s Riga Music Week and Music Week Poland, both launching later this year, and WOMEX Tampere, returning to Finland for its second edition. Additionally, Oulu2026 marked its forthcoming European Capital of Culture designation in Finland through a collaborative showcase with Estonian club culture festival UNDA.

For the second time, TMW partner Telliskivi Creative City, in cooperation with Selektor Studio, is awarding a unique studio prize to a TMW 2025 artist interested in recording new music in Telliskivi Creative City. More information

The TMW city festival guided visitors on journeys of discovery through Tallinn’s art and culinary scenes, public talks, kids’ and youth festivals and Record Fair, and offered tours  to the Arvo Pärt Centre in Laulasmaa.

TMW 2025 in numbers:

• 217 artists from 36 countries
• 163 conference speakers
• 1,297 PRO delegates / music industry representatives
• 28 music showcase events 
• 18 814 festival visits

The next TMW festival is scheduled to  take place from 9th-12th April 2026. .

TMW 2026 passes are on sale in the TMW webshop. Until 30th April, the Festival Pass and PRO Pass are available at Super Early Bird prices of 49 euros and 125 euros respectively.

TMW 2025 and 2026 PRO pass holders can watch the conference panel recordings on TMW DigiPRO platform from next week.

TMW 2026 artist applications open via TMW homepage on Tuesday, 15th April.

TMW 2025 and 2026 PRO pass holders will have access to this year’s conference panel recordings via TMW PRO platform from next week.

---

TMW 2025 festival was organised by Muusikanädal NGO and Shiftworks together with various partners and curators.

TMW’s strategic partner in the music sector was Music Estonia. Main supporters were PLG Group, Nordic Hotel Forum, Telliskivi Creative City, Viru Center and Visit Estonia, partners Go Travel, Go Hotel Shnelli, MyFitness, British Council, Tallink Hotels, A. Le Coq, SÜNK, Valge Klaar, Woolish, Tallink, Selver, Kai Art Center and ECADC, PROTO Invention Factory, North Tallinn Youth Centre, e-Residency, and Sorainen. International partners were the Embassy of Canada, Women in Music Canada, Mundial Montreal, Talentcoach, Oulu2026, WOMEX Tampere, Ukrainian Institute, and Music Export Ukraine, Music Week Poland. 

Media partners were Postimees, Raadio 2, Radio Helsinki, and Bobe.me.

The festival was supported by the Ministry of Culture, City of Tallinn, Cultural Endowment, Visit Estonia, Visit Tallinn and UNESCO City of Music Tallinn.

The European Cohesion Fund supported TMW’s marketing work promoting Tallinn and Estonia as attractive cultural tourism destinations.

TMW music festival’s Estonian curators: Art of Mosh, Backstage Records, Damn.Loud, Dark Disko, Dreamscape Festival, Estonian Jazz Union, Estonian Choral Society, Estonian Heavy Music Association, Fenno-Ugria Society, Funk Embassy, HUNGR, JV Production, Club HALL, Kurvad Uudised, OOPUS, Paavli Culture Factory, Reivile Minuga, Roots Session, Station Narva, UNESCO City of Music Tallin, Uus Laine, Viljandi Folk Music Festival, unda, Võnge Festival. International curators: Blowup Festival, Classical:NEXT,, Cindy & Kate,  Oulu2026 – European Capital of Culture, The Women in Music Canada, Mundial Montreal and Estonian Music Week, Wind Music, Yugofuturism Vikendica series, ÅÄÖ…Sounds Swedish.

City festival partners: Arvo Pärt Centre, ECADC,  Kai Art Centre, Record Fair, Terminal Records&Bar, PROTO Invention Factory, North Tallinn Youth Centre, Viru Keskus

Conference centre: Nordic Hotel Forum

Music festival venues: D3, Different Rooms Club, F-Hoone Black Hall, Fonoteek, Fotografiska Tallinn, HALL, HUNGR, Kivi Paber Käärid, Paavli Culture Factory, Telliskivi Green Hall, Uus Laine, Von Krahl

Art galleries: EKA Gallery, Kai Art Center, Tütar Gallery, Temnikova & Kasela Gallery, Punctum Gallery, Juhan Kuus Documentary Photo Centre, Fotografiska Tallinn, Vaal Gallery, Telliskivi Creative City Gallery, Telliskivi Creative City Outdoor Gallery, Three Trees Gallery, Dome Gallery, Street Gallery

City stages: Viru Keskus, Nihe, Terminal Records&Bar

TMW Tastes restaurants: Aarde Pagar, F-hoone, Fika – Leib ja Kohv, Fotografiska Tallinn, Karjase Sai, LEE Brasserie, LORE Bistro, Mikkeller Tallinn Old Town, Nihe, Noho, PROTO Café, SAI! (Kurja Koera Võiku), SANGA, SLAVA Resto, The Kurze, TURBO, Viru Food Court, VLND Burger, ÜLO. 

Technical partners: Backstage Records, RGB Baltic, Sonorus, Strikken, Soundhouse, Akustik Audio, Stereo Sound, Meeskond, Funrent. 

TMW website and DigiPRO platform: Raik Ilves 

Visual identity and design: Vello Lutter and Uku-Kristjan Küttis (AKU Collective)

TMW is a founding member of the international Federation of Music Conferences and Showcase Festivals (FoMC), a member of the European Talent Exchange Programme and a partner festival of the global gender equality initiative Keychange and the European global music platform UPBEAT.