What's on in Tallinn, Estonia through the year

Busy — Christmas market on Town Hall Square, school holidays in 7 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in January.

Still on: Christmas market on Town Hall Square (20 Nov – 6 Jan)

Busy — Independence Day, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Holiday

  Independence Day

  24 FebNational holidayClosures

  A military parade and flag-raising at dawn on 24 February in the coldest week of the year, and shops and museums shut for the day. The city takes it seriously. Source ↗

Shoulder season — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in March.

Shoulder season — school holidays in 6 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in April.

Shoulder season — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in May.

Peak crowds — Day-trippers from the sea, Jaanipaev

• Festival

  Old Town Days

  5–7 JunMajor festival

  Three hundred-odd events across the walled town over one weekend at the start of June — theatre in courtyards, markets, and buildings that are normally shut standing open. Source ↗

• Season

  Day-trippers from the sea

  1 Jun – 31 Aug · usuallyCruise seasonCrowded

  Helsinki ferries land several thousand people a morning and the cruise ships add to it, so the old town between eleven and four is not the old town. Early and late it empties completely.

• Holiday

  Jaanipaev

  22–25 JunSchool holidaysClosures

  Estonia leaves for the countryside for midsummer bonfires and the city shuts on the 23rd and 24th. If you have no invitation, the emptiness is the experience. Source ↗

Busy — Day-trippers from the sea, school holidays in 7 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: Day-trippers from the sea (1 Jun – 31 Aug (usually))

Busy — Day-trippers from the sea, school holidays in 7 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Day-trippers from the sea (1 Jun – 31 Aug (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in September.

Shoulder season — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in October.

Busy — Christmas market on Town Hall Square, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Black Nights Film Festival

  6–22 Nov

  Two and a half weeks of cinema in the darkest part of November, the only competitive festival of its rank in northern Europe. It is named for exactly what the weather is doing. Source ↗

• Festival

  Christmas market on Town Hall Square

  20 Nov – 6 JanChristmas & New YearCrowded

  Huts around the tree on Raekoja plats from late November to Epiphany, selling blood sausage and hot wine rather than novelties. The town claims Europe's first public Christmas tree. Source ↗

Busy — Christmas market on Town Hall Square, school holidays in 7 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in December.

Still on: Christmas market on Town Hall Square (20 Nov – 6 Jan)