On Saturday, 18 January, the theme year, which began a year ago and is dedicated to all the residents of Estonia – the Cultural Diversity Year – will come to an end. For this occasion, we invite everyone to the Cultural Diversity Gala, which will be held at Viru Keskus in the heart of Tallinn in cooperation with Estonian and other national communities from all over Estonia. 

The gala offers unique experiences and exciting discoveries, through which we will celebrate our cultural diversity. The programme which is planned for between 12 a.m. and 9 p.m., can be attended free of charge with your loved ones. The most meaningful is the gala concert starting at 2 p.m.:

11.00 – 19.00 Cultural Diversity Handicrafts

In the atrium of Viru Keskus

Representatives of national cultural societies will offer the opportunity to get acquainted with and purchase unique handicrafts. Each item is crafted with love, carrying with it a centuries-old heritage. 

12.00 – 13.30 Cultural Diversity Guided Tours

Starts in Tallinn's Old Town and ends in Viru Keskus

Historians Jaak Juske (EST), Aliis Hazlehurst Palo (ENG) and Josef Kats (RUS) will tell you about the wealth of cultural diversity in the center of Tallinn. Up to 40 people can participate (up to 120 people in total).

Meeting Point: In front of St. Olaf’s Church main entrance, Lai Street at 12:00 p.m. Participants should arrive 10–15 minutes earlier to collect their radio guide set and provide a signature to confirm receipt. End Point: Viru Keskus at 1:30 p.m., followed by a break and the gala concert at 2:00 p.m.

Important Information: The weather forecast suggests around 0°C, cloudy, and humid. Please dress warmly for the 1.5-hour tour. Registration is required to provide each participant with a radio guide set. Participation and the use of radio guides are free.

Please register by 16 January 4:00 p.m. at the latest: https://forms.gle/2TKkaYoVXofARTzbA.

12.00 – 14.00 Cultural Diversity Lunch Concerts

Viru Food Court

Culinary masters will offer the opportunity to dine in the Indian, Chinese, American, Korean, Italian, Japanese, Uzbek, Latin America and European traditions. At the same time, you will be enchanted by music from various musicians living in Estonia and brought together by the Estonian Union of National Minorities and the Union of National Cultural Associations “Lüüra” (“Lyre”).

14.00 – 15.55 Cultural Diversity Gala Concert

In the atrium of Viru Keskus

At the grand gala concert, Alika Milova, Ant Nurhan Uku Suviste, Rute ja Ruslan Trochynskyi and many other shining stars of the Estonian music scene will highlight the diversity of cultures. At the end, all the performers will join together with Reet Linna, Peeter Vähi and the Port of Tallinn Choir. Between musical numbers, representatives of dozens of communities will dance and display their folk costumes. Ženja Fokin will contribute to the success of the unique concert as the host.

The participants and guests of the gala concert will be greeted by the Minister of Culture Heidy Purga.

Gala Concert programme:

13.30 Neemo Saareväli 

13.55 Korean ensemble Arirang.

14.00 Opening remarks by moderator Ženja Fokin

14.02 Welcome speech by Heidy Purga, Minister of Culture.

14.07 Welcoming speech by Dmitri Moskovtsev, Director of the Integration Foundation

14.10 Estonian Nationalities Association, Estonian Folk Culture Centre, RRÜL Lüüra cooperation agreement signing ceremony 

14.15 LED show 

14.22 Mexican Stephanie Rendon + Alika Milova band 

14.26 Estonian Folk Arts and Crafts Association fashion show

14.30 Mixed dance group Tammed and Toomed

14.36 Milana Fayzullova + Uku Suviste

14.42 RRÜL Lüüra + Maštots" Armenian Sunday School fashion show

14.52 Alika Milova and band + Uku Suviste, Ant Nurhan

15.37 Estonian Commonwealth of Nationalities + Union of Ingerisooms fashion fashion show

15.41 Dance studio Graatsia

15.45 Estonian Congress of Ukrainians and Narva Polish Society fashion show 

15.49 Ruslan (trombone) & Rute (violins) Trochynskyi 

16.03 Alika band, Alika, Peeter Vähi, Reet Linna, Ant Nurhan, Uku Suviste, Ruslan and Rute Trochynskyi, Milana Fayzullova and Tallinn Harbour Mixed Choir singing together.

16.00 – 18.00 Cultural Diversity Disco

In the atrium of Viru Keskus

DJs from different parts of the world will captivate you with the rhythms they have created while living in Estonia. Needless to say, there will be dancing!

16.00 – 17.45 Debate: What is the legacy of the theme years?

The Rahva Raamat bookshop in Viru Keskus

At the initiative of the Ministry of Culture, key figures in cultural policy will summarize the practice and legacy of a quarter-century of theme years. The moderator of the discussion is Erle Loonurm, head of the ERR Culture Department.

18.00 – 19.00 Cultural Diversity Dance Class

In the atrium of Viru Keskus

The stars of the world of dance will teach you the steps from Estonian, Mediterranean, Latin and other dances so that you can enjoy the rhythms of different cultures and move with joy.

18.00 – 19.30 Presentation of books reflecting cultural diversity

The Rahva Raamat bookshop in Viru Keskus

Researchers of the Estonian Literature Museum Mare Kõiva, Nikolai Anisimov, Nikolai Kuznetsov and Sergey Troitsky present the books which will transport you to the world of your ancestors and provide worthy reading for future generations. Among the books presented, for example, is a unique collection "Literary café of Finno-Ugric peoples New translations" and a special issue of Mäetagused magazine dedicated to the Udmurts. The presentations will be held in Estonian and Russian.

Rahva Raamat presents a sample of books reflecting cultural diversity.

18.00 – 21.00 Cultural Diversity Evening Concerts

Viru Food Court

Culinary masters will offer the opportunity to dine in the Indian, Chinese, American, Korean, Italian, Japanese, Uzbek, Latin America and European traditions. At the same time, you will be enchanted by music from various musicians living in Estonia and brought together by the Association of Nationalities of Estonia and the Union of National Cultural Associations “Lüüra” (“Lyre”).

Please consider 

If possible, come in folk costumes or enhance your outfit with themed accessories to further highlight our cultural diversity.

Viru Keskus is accessible to people with limited mobility. During the day, sign language interpreters will provide support as needed.

More information

You can read about the idea of ​​the Cultural Diversity Gala at this link. You can find the event on social media at this link.

For more detailed queries, please contact the Cultural Diversity Year working group: e-mail 2024@integratsioon.ee, tel. 58162318.

On Saturday, 18 January, the theme year, which began a year ago and is dedicated to all the residents of Estonia – the Cultural Diversity Year – will come to an end. For this occasion, everyone is welcome to attend a free cultural diversity gala, which will be held by the theme year working group in Viru Keskus in cooperation with various communities.

The gala offers an opportunity to celebrate the cultural diversity that is born from the cultural differences and similarities of the people living in Estonia. Our country has been home to communities of Estonians and other peoples for centuries, and there are currently more than 217 such communities. The resulting cultural diversity is expressed, for example, in languages, customs, clothes, food, songs and dances.

At the cultural diversity gala, you can participate in a number of unique activities with family and friends. For example, to highlight our cultural diversity, Alika Milova, Ant Nurhan, Uku Suviste, Rute and Ruslan Trochynskyi and many other stars of the Estonian music scene will give a unique gala concert. For the finale, all the performers will sing together with Reet Linna, Peeter Vähi, the Port of Tallinn Choir.

In addition, you will make several discoveries at the gala. For example, Jaak Juske, Aliis Hazlehurst Palo and Josef Kats will conduct guided tours showing the cultural diversity that can be found in Tallinn’s city centre. Members of dozens of national cultural societies will display their national costumes and enchant you with songs, dances and handicrafts. During the event, you will be able to sample from a culturally diverse menu.

The gala programme has been prepared in cooperation with the Integration Foundation and the Ministry of Culture, which is leading the Cultural Diversity Year, and the Estonian Centre of Folk Culture, the Estonian Union of National Minorities and the Union of National Cultural Associations “Lüüra” (“Lyre”).

This gala of cultural diversity will offer free group events on January 18, from 12 a.m. to 9 p.m. It will take place primarily at Viru Keskus, where the guided tours starting in Tallinn's Old Town will end. The full programme and other information can be found on the website of the Cultural Diversity Year: kultuuririkkus.ee/gala.

Once again, we are inviting adults who have lived in Estonia for at least five years or who have returned to Estonia to attend free Estonian language courses. You can sign up from 23 January 2025 at 10 a.m. in our self-service environment.

We welcome permanent residents and returnees to enrol in courses that teach Estonian at the beginner (A1 and A2) and intermediate levels (B1.1 and B1.2). It is possible to learn in groups, which we run in the Estonian Language House and in language schools in different regions (e.g. Tallinn, Narva, Tartu) as well as online. There are 75 courses to choose from, starting in January, February, March, or April of this year (with 512, 464, 176, and 48 places respectively, for a total of 1,200 places).

In addition, we invite permanent residents and returnees to specialised courses that help to develop their Estonian language skills in a specific field and support the everyday use of the language. For example, you can take a writing course, a pronunciation course, and courses that support communication and introduce Estonian culture. Learning takes place online or on site in Narva and Tallinn starting from January, February, or March. There are 17 courses to choose from, starting in January, February, or March of this year (340 places in total).

Similar opportunities to learn Estonian will be offered to permanent residents and returnees again at the end of the summer, just before the courses starting in August or September.

Registration

Permanent residents and returnees are invited to select a suitable course or specialised course and sign up for it from 23 January at 10 a.m. via our self-service environment: https://iseteenindus.integratsioon.ee/login.

> To find the right course for you, we recommend that you pre-select on the basis of three aspects: the name of the service, the level of the service, and the location. This pre-selection will help you to find and sign up for courses of interest more quickly. One can not take the same level course twice!

> For registration to specialised courses please choose "specialised courses" from the Menu and then find a suitable course from the list.

> Registration will remain open as long as there are places available and closes the day before the course starts.

> Registering for any course comes with an obligation to study diligently all the way through the course, actively participate in lessons, and also learn independently. You can cancel your registration and withdraw from the course up to one day before the course starts.

> We no longer offer Estonian language courses at levels B2 and C1. However, we provide advanced language learners with opportunities to improve their language skills through our specialized courses and language-learning support activities. You can find the relevant information and register in our self-service portal

Additional information

If you have any further questions, please contact our consultants: email – info@integratsiooniinfo.ee, free phone line – 800 9999 (Mon.–Thu. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Fri. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.).