Tartu Christmas City and the ice rink will open this Sunday
Tartu City Government Press Release
/ Tartu Christmas City and the ice rink will open for the season at 10:00 on Sunday, 30 November. Christmas City will welcome visitors until 4 January, and the ice rink will be open until 1 March.
At 12:00, Christmas City’s partners will introduce the pavilion exhibitions. These will feature exciting exhibitions from the Tartu Art Museum, the Estonian Sports and Olympic Museum, and the TYPA Print and Paper Arts Centre. The School of Architecture’s climbing pavilion is back with new content, and the children’s favourite, the straw house, is even larger than last year.
The Advent candle will be lit on Town Hall Square at 18:00, and Tartu residents will be greeted by Mayor Urmas Klaas and Kristjan Luhamets, pastor of Tartu’s St. Paul’s Congregation. Students from the Fa-Diees singing studio will be performing at the ceremony. The lighting of the Advent candle will be followed by a concert by Maarja-Liis Ilus, accompanied by Joel-Rasmus Remmel on keyboard and Marek Talts on guitar. The Advent candle will then be lit at 18:00 on the next three Sundays, followed by a Christmas concert featuring a beloved Estonian artist.
This year, food and drink will be available from two pavilions: the Christmas Café and Ice Rink Café. The Christmas Café will offer hot food and local flavours from Lihuniku Äri, while the Ice Rink Café will serve pastries and other sweet treats from OÜ Väike Mahedik.
This season, instead of a third café, visitors will find a Christmas shop offering handicrafts, local designs and souvenirs from Tartu. This is a pilot project to test the concept of a shop curated by local entrepreneurs in Christmas City.
The skating rink around the Kissing Students Fountain is open daily from 10:00 to 22.:00, until March 1. Admission to the rink is free of charge, and you can also bring your own skates, helmet, and protective gear. Skate rental is available every day from 10:00 to 21:00. Free skating lessons are held at the ice rink on Wednesdays from 18:00 to 19:00, and Sundays from 11:00 to 12:00.
Tartu Christmas City is organised in accordance with the guidelines for environmentally friendly events, with the aim of reducing the event’s environmental impact. Cafés offer food and drinks in reusable Ringo containers, which cost EUR 1. Returning the container is easy: simply scan the QR code and place the container in the yellow return box. Containers can also be returned to the Christmas and Ice Rink cafés, where you can get your deposit back in cash. An additional return point will be available in Christmas City on Sundays.
Information and programme for Tartu Christmas City: tartukorraldab.ee
More information: Tartu Christmas City project manager Maarja Liba, [email protected]
Last changed 15.12.2025
