This May, Tartu will host its first opinion festival. The program for the 2024 [Pre]opinion Festival, which was made public on Thursday, includes more than thirty different panel discussions over two days, bringing together academics, politicians and experts from a range of different fields.

The festival takes place in Tartu's Central Park (Kesk Park)on May 17-18, and comprises of four discussion areas, each focusing on different themes from societal changes and challenges to visions for the future of Estonia and Europe, as well as community issues close to the hearts of the people of Tartu and Southern Estonia.

According to Maarja-Liis Mereäär, the festival's project manager, the issues covered range from artificial intelligence to cyberbullying and the inactive lifestyles of children. "We will also discuss what kind of life and attitudes prisoners deserve after serving their sentences, why we consume so much clothing, how to improve healthcare for ethnic minorities, and whether preserving small languages is an art of survival," Mereäär said.

According to Mereäär, The Tartu [pre]Opinion Festival will also include something completely new – a live broadcast connecting people from fifteen different European university campuses in a single conversation.

"The Hybrid European Democracy Festival will bring participants debates on everything from European security policy to life in student cities. This will allow participants and listeners to share the wisdom related to their home cities, compare different approaches and together, find the best ways to tackle the challenges," Mereäär explained.

The Tartu [pre]Opinion Festival is one of a traveling series of pre-events to launch this year's Paide Opinion Festiva, which takes place in August.

The festival is free of charge for spectators and is part of the Tartu 2024 European Capital of Culture program.

The full program for the festival is available here.

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