Tallinn Old Town Days (Tallinna vanalinna päevad) has been held every year since 1982, when the sailor Sulev Roosma proposed a festival modelled on Kiel Week to draw attention to the then-neglected Old Town; the only gap was 2020, when the pandemic forced a cancellation. It is run by the City of Tallinn and normally occupies the first weekend of June. The 2026 edition ran from Friday 5 June (from 16:00) to Sunday 7 June (until 22:00) and took theatre and the performing arts as its theme.
The programme listed around 300 events spread across the lower town and Toompea: concerts on open-air stages on Harju street and in Toompark, balcony concerts above the streets, puppet theatre and children’s workshops, craft and heritage demonstrations, guided walks, and open doors to buildings that are normally closed, including towers, courtyards, embassy residences and the Knighthood House. The 2026 opening show, ‘Reval in Search of a Troubadour’, was staged in Toompark on the Friday evening (Reval is the old Danish and German name of the city).
The festival is a celebration of the medieval town rather than a costumed re-enactment. The heritage element is strongest in the open-doors programme, the tower visits and the craft demonstrations. Visitors looking for a full medieval market with costumed traders and a children’s knights’ tournament should note that Tallinn’s Medieval Days (Keskaja päevad), organised by the Estonian Folk Art and Craft Union on Town Hall Square, are a separate event held from Thursday to Sunday in the first full week of July (10–12 July in 2026).
Most events are free; some concerts, tours and workshops are ticketed or need registration. The programme and map are published on the city’s website and in the Ela app a few weeks beforehand. The Old Town is a 10–15 minute walk from the main railway station (Balti jaam), the ferry terminals and the bus station, and every venue is inside the walls or in the parks immediately around them.
