Birgitta Festival switches to biannual schedule, next event in 2026

Estonia's flagship opera and classical music event, the Birgitta Festival, is to switch to a biannual schedule, with organizers citing costs as the reason for the change.
The festival, nearly 20 years old, had up to now taken place on a yearly basis in the summer, mostly at the convent of the same name, in the Pirita district of Tallinn.
"There's no getting away from it: Holding the Birgitta Festival amid the ruins of Pirita Convent has become very costly over the years," Sundja said.
Festival director Lennart Sundja said the rising infrastructure costs have left little room in the budget for content, prompting the change.
Sundja added that a biannual format will allow for a larger budget and more ambitious programming.
"This is where I see the festival's potential for growth because continuing in its current form with the traditional budget leaves the festival's future uncertain," he continued.
Costs have risen exponentially, post-Covid in particular, he added.
"At the same time, once a large, temporary opera house has already been built, it should be used as much as possible to sell tickets and recoup some of the costs," he continued, referring to the facility put in at the convent ruins, which lack a roof.
"Let's be honest: constructing a temporary theater for just ten days each year is overly extravagant," Sundja went on, stressing that even established events like the Birgitta Festival need to rethink their approach from time to time.
"Even long-standing festivals shouldn't shy away from occasionally reflecting on whether their current approach is sustainable," he said.
The festival's budget had remained constant at €800,000, with €600,000 coming from the City of Tallinn's coffers.
The remaining funds have to be generated through ticket sales and sponsorship, Sundja explained.
"Is it too much of a luxury for Tallinn to organize a festival with a budget of €800,000 every year? It's nice to eat cake, but do we need to eat it every day? Maybe the same applies to a musical theater festival," the organizer remarked.
An announcement Thursday revealed Tallinn's 2025 budget would not allocate funds to this year's Birgitta Festival, leading to its cancellation for this year.
Sundja added that this decision was not solely due to a lack of city funding, but rather a question of how to allocate the available resources.
The next Birgitta Festival will therefore take place in 2026; current plans involve collaboration with the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra (ERSO), which will be celebrating its 100th anniversary.
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Editor: Margitta Otsmaa, Neit-Eerik Nestor, Andrew Whyte