Festival Tartu Buzz brings life to historic Old Town in summer
Tartu City Government Press Release
/ Tartu’s Old Town will be the focus of special attention this summer. From 26 July to 9 August, the first-ever Tartu Old Town Festival Tartu Buzz will see the historic streets buzzing with creation, live music, and warm encounters.
For two weeks, the Old Town area will be transformed into a pleasant and diverse meeting place. The festival area will stretch from Town Hall Square to Lai Street, and from Jakobi Street to the Emajõgi River. The heart of the Buzz Festival will be the green space around St John’s Church, but the programme will also direct festival-goers to wander the side streets, where fewer and fewer people go every day.
According to Tartu City Architect Jiri Tintera, this area deserves special attention and inclusion in Tartu’s everyday life. ‘Officially, the Old Town is one of Tartu’s many settlements, but in essence it is the heart and starting point of the city. If culture lives in the Old Town, people will come here to find it.’ he said.
That is why Buzz will be focusing on the Old Town as a unique part of Tartu that brings together history and the present day. Tartu’s Old Town began at the Emajõgi River crossing in the early Middle Ages. Until the beginning of the 19th century, the city remained within its historical boundaries, which makes the Old Town the bearer of Tartu’s identity and pride. The Old Town is home to all of Tartu’s oldest surviving symbolic buildings, which tell the story of the city through the centuries.
The festival’s programme is structured to highlight the most exciting corners of Tartu’s Old Town and the best places to spend time. ‘The festival is born out of a partnership with the cultural institutions and businesses of the Old Town. It is this cooperation that creates a pleasant atmosphere for the festival and helps to highlight the diverse life of the Old Town as a whole. We are not just creating a new event, but inviting people to experience what the Old Town already has to offer today,’ said Maarja Liba, the festival’s project manager.
The programme includes evening chats and small concerts, a day of Old Town flea markets and open courtyards, curated walks and workshops, and activities for young people. Buzzing about in the Old Town at the same time as the festival will be the romance film festival Tartuff, and the Tartu Food and Wine Festival, all of which together will bring some summer fun to Tartu.
The exact programme for the festival will be unveiled in June.
Last changed 06.05.2025
