Tallinn Bun Fest to celebrate Estonia's Shrove Tuesday traditions and café culture

From February 14 to March 4, the Estonian capital is set to be taken over by Tallinn Bun Fest will – a winter food festival that blends Estonia's Shrove Tuesday traditions with modern day café culture.
In Estonia, Shrove Tuesday traditions remain vibrant – and enjoying delicious Shrove Tuesday buns (vastlakuklid) is a time-honored way for families, friends, and colleagues to come together. The festival will feature Tallinn's most renowned cafés and bakeries, offering both classic and innovative versions of these beloved treats.
Tallinn Deputy Mayor Margot Roose emphasized that the festival is not only aimed at locals but also plays a key role in boosting tourism.
"Tallinn Bun Fest brings a fresh take on Shrove Tuesday traditions, allowing both locals and visitors to enjoy these seasonal delights for an extended period," Roose said.
"This first-ever festival is designed to showcase Tallinn's rich food and café culture. At the same time, it is part of a broader strategy to extend the peak winter tourism season beyond the Christmas period into March. We hope that Bun Fest will become an annual event that also helps stimulate Tallinn's hospitality sector," she added.
"For the first time, we are transforming the Shrove Tuesday tradition into a food festival and testing how this format impacts marketing efforts targeting key neighboring markets," explained Evelin Tsirk, Head of Tallinn's Tourism Department.
"Shrove Tuesday buns are not only a treat for those with a sweet tooth but also an eye-catching element in international destination marketing. The festival is centered around the genuine joy of locals celebrating Shrove Tuesday and the world-class offerings of Tallinn's cafés, making the city an even more attractive winter destination in the long run."

The Shrove Tuesday buns tradition is not unique to Estonia – they are also enjoyed in Finland, Sweden, and Norway.
"The role of cafés and bakeries is to make the most delicious buns possible, while the job of locals and visitors is to enjoy them," Tsirk said.
"Tallinn's tourism team focuses on international outreach and engaging tourism professionals from nearby markets. While future editions of the festival may target Scandinavian tourists more broadly, this year we are primarily expecting visitors from Finland. That's why the festival's ambassador is Henna Mikkilä, a Finland-born travel influencer living in Tallinn, with over 100,000 followers," she added.
A wide range of cafés and bakeries across Tallinn are participating in the festival, including Crustum, the Estonian Open Air Museum, Faehlmanni Café, Fotografiska Café, Gelato Ladies, Karjase Sai, Kohvik Lummus, Kohvik Maiasmokk, La Boulangerie, Levier, Patarein Pagar, Pelgu Pagar, PROTO Invention Factory, Puffid, Reval Café, and the Tallinn TV Tower Café-Restaurant.
More information about the festival and participating venues is available here and here.
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Editor: Michael Cole