Alphaville Headlines as Õllesummer Opens
Rock festival meets Oktoberfest for the 18th time as Õllesummer opens in Tallinn on Wednesday..
Bllled as the biggest annual festival in the country, the 18th installment of the event kicks off at 17:00 at the Song Festival Grounds and will treat fans of suds and live music to four days of beer-soaked summer fun.
This year, over 2,000 glass steins were imported from Germany for a outdoor area, sponsored by a major German brewer, that seats 1,000.
As far as the beer goes, Beer Summer remains unabashedly positioned as an old-timey lager lover's delight even as a taste for craft beers sweeps many cities. But the name is somewhat of a misnomer, more about live music and atmosphere than tastings, although there is a more intimate wine garden as well where "unplugged" acts will perform.
The out-of-town headliners will take the main stage at 23:00 each night. Manic Street Preachers on Friday, Mika on Thursday and tonight, Alphaville.
On Saturday, though, it's a golden oldie - Ivo Linna, who goes on at 22:30. Other names to watch - and listen to - among the 100 or so performers are Ott Lepland of Eurovision fame, who takes the Estrella stage at 22:30 on Thursday.
There are also plenty of foreign artists on the other stages - most notably Australia's Happy Endings on July 5 and guitar virtuoso Joe Gomm from the UK in the wine garden on July 7.
Kristopher Rikken