Tallinn Music Week staged Estonia’s finest music at Hooked on Estonia festival in Stockholm
Estonian music, food and design find a home in the blooming grounds of Royal Djurgården
The second edition of Hooked on Estonia festival made its home at Rosendals Trädgård in Stockholm’s Royal Djurgården on Saturday 23 May, for a day of Estonian music, food and design. Organised by Visit Estonia, with Tallinn Music Week (TMW) and Music Estonia among its partners, the festival is establishing itself as one of the most distinctive showcases of Estonian culture in the Nordic region. TMW curated the Hooked on Estonia live stage, presenting The ROCKET, Anna Kaneelina, Erki Pärnoja and Duo Ruut.
In perfect spring sunshine, Rosendals Trädgård provided an extraordinary backdrop for over 6,000 visitors to get hooked on Estonia. Beyond its idyllic orchards, this biodynamic garden is a renowned pioneer in sustainable agriculture — a natural fit for a programme built on discovery and shared forward-thinking creativity.
The festival opened with the Estonian and Swedish Creative Industries Mix & Mingle. The gathering began with welcoming words from Margus Laidre, Ambassador of Estonia to Sweden, and Xenia Joost, Deputy Secretary General for Creative Industries at the Estonian Ministry of Culture. Following the opening remarks, Music Estonia, TMW and the Estonian Association of Designers introduced their respective sectors alongside the day’s programme.
The TMW stage opened with The ROCKET — the boundary-pushing jazz collaboration between Estonian Tuulikki Bartosik and the Swedish Svante Söderqvist Trio, restless invention from first note to last. Anna Kaneelina and Erki Pärnoja brought a quietly spellbinding intimacy, her voice carried by his guitar layer by layer, before Pärnoja returned with his Estonian-Swedish band to perform his album Himmelbjerget — Nordic psychedelia meets Morricone, stadium-ready. Duo Ruut closed the live programme, their zither-and-voice folk stylings filling the garden and proving that they have gone global for a reason. TMW’s Indrek Migur and Ingrid Kohtla took to the decks to spin Estonia’s weird and wonderful, with DJ Kerttu closing out the event.
Ragnar Berthling, Director of Musikcentrum Öst/Sweden, who introduced the TMW stage, noted that the bonds between the two countries’ music communities have never been stronger: “Musikcentrum Öst has a long line of fruitful collaborations with the vibrant music communities of Estonia — from the gender equity project Keychange, where both TMW and MCÖ are founding partners, to a long range of musical collaborations between Swedish and Estonian artists. The Estonian scene is more vibrant than ever and it was a true pleasure to host the music programme at Hooked on Estonia. The bonds between the countries are strong and I really hope to see growing opportunities in the coming years.”
Agnia Nast, Head of Visit Estonia, underlined the power of music as a tool for inspiring travel and cultural curiosity: “One of the most powerful things about music is its ability to spark curiosity in a natural way. By bringing Estonian artists into the festival experience we created an atmosphere that felt creative, emotional and authentic — qualities that reflect Estonia very well today. As travellers increasingly seek meaningful experiences and cultural connections, music is one of the strongest ways to inspire people to connect with a place and discover more of what it has to offer.”Before the festival, on 21–22 May, TMW’s strategic partner Music Estonia led the Estonian delegation on a tour of Stockholm’s music venues and companies. Coordinated by Marii Reimann and Greete Paršin from Music Estonia, representatives from TMW, Moon Management, Main Character Agency, Tier Music Publishing, JVPromotion, KIKUMU Festival and MYM.EE visited Export Music Sweden, Kollektivet Livet, Slaktkyrkan, Birds Will Sing For You, Luger and Stallet, deepening the ties between the Estonian and Swedish live music scenes and their makers.
In addition to the TMW stage, the I Land Sound Secret Garden brought the spirit of Saaremaa island to Rosendals Trädgård, with selectors noa, Paap and MHKL. Hooked on Estonia also brought the tastes of Estonia to Stockholm through regional restaurants, including the TMW partners Fotografiska Tallinn and VLND Burger, and a Michelin-recognised chef collaboration. The Estonian Association of Designers presented a curated selection of contemporary Estonian design and a Fashion Walk with Kirill Safonov. An IgluCraft sauna, curated design spaces and a Tallink Silja kids’ area completed the picture.
