As a joint decision of the Tallinn Music Week (TMW) team and partners, TMW decided to postpone the event, scheduled for 25 – 29 March, due to risks related to the spread of the COVID-19 virus and following a recommendation issued by the Estonian Health Board. TMW 2020 has been rescheduled and will take place on 26 – 30 August.
TMW 2020 Paldiski Sunday, at the heart of the Lääne-Harju Parish, will take place as scheduled on 29 March as an event targeted at the Estonian audience.
Due to the epidemiological situation changing rapidly around the world as well as in Estonia, and taking into account the Estonian Health Board’s recommendations, the organising team of TMW decided to postpone the festival until the end of August.
Although the likelihood of the coronavirus spreading locally in Estonia is not high, organising an international event like TMW entails several risk factors. In addition to considerations concerning the health of artists, festival employees and the public, the decision was also informed by the fact that travel restrictions imposed by states and airline carriers can arise with very short notice, meaning the arrival of artists and guests at the festival may prove to be impossible.
Director of TMW Helen Sildna explains, “While a week ago we believed that by following the recommendations by the Health Board, we could still go on with the festival, the circumstances have now changed. We are confident that we can offer a more fulfilling and safer experience for all participants in August. The decisive factor for the decision to postpone, was first and foremost, the large number of international participants. Our team believes that during this period, it is better for us all to minimise travel. I am immensely proud and grateful to our team and partners – thanks to their fast action, empathy and sense of responsibility, we can confirm already today that the festival will take place at the same scale, scope and quality as it would have in March. Also, for the first time in our history, TMW will take place at the end of summer – in August.”
All TMW festival and conference partners, venues and programme curators are prepared to contribute to organising the festival in August, while maintaining the scope and content of the festival programme to a large extent. All artists that were announced for the March event have received invitations for August, and acts who cannot attend will be replaced with artists of an equal profile. The first set of performers for August have already been confirmed, among others, by the best-known foreign acts A Place To Bury Strangers from the US, Shortparis from Russia, Luna from Ukraine, Finnish Jesse Markin and Suistamon Sähkö, German pianist Kai Schumacher and Latvian indie rockers Carnival Youth. The few dozen Estonian acts confirmed so far also include Duo Ruut, I Wear* Experiment, Lexsoul Dancemachine, Mart Avi, Mick Pedaja, Modulshtein, Puuluup, Rita Ray, Ruum and YASMYN. International programme partners in August include Tampere Hall and the Tampere 2026 team, as well as Sevkabel Port and the festival Stereoleto from St. Petersburg.
Changes in schedule do not affect Paldiski Sunday, on the Pakri Peninsula in the Lääne-Harju Parish, which will take place as scheduled on 29 March. The event in the port town will include concerts in churches, a pelmeni lunch at the Peetri Toll tavern, and sightseeing tours. Additional information.
TMW 2020 Festival Pass, Conference + Festival Pass and single tickets that have been purchased, will also be valid on the new TMW dates in August. Single tickets will be valid on the same weekdays (Thursday, Friday, Saturday) at the same venues.
The updated music programme and main conference speakers will be announced on 30 March. Requests for the exchange and return of tickets will be accepted during 1 – 12 April. Additional information and instructions will be announced on 31 March.
TMW 2020 is presented by Telia.
The TMW festival is organised by Shiftworks OÜ in cooperation with many partners and co-organisers. The TMW 2020 conference music industry programme is created in collaboration with the Estonian music development and export office Music Estonia.
The TMW 2020 music programme is organised in cooperation with the Damn.Loud agency. Music festival’s co-curators are Jazzkaar & Estonian Jazz Union, Viljandi Folk Music Festival, GROM, Intsikurmu Festival, Sõru Saund, Üle Heli, Manka Boutique Pop Festival, Station Narva, Made In Baltics & Sony Music, IDA, Estonian Choral Association, TIKS Rekords, LAGI, 311.ee, House of Acid, Funk Embassy, Kivi Paber Käärid and international partners Tampere Hall, Tampere 2026, Sevkabel Port, Stereoleto Festival, CIMA, Nova Scotia Music Week.
The international activities of TMW, aimed at introducing Estonia as an attractive destination for those interested in music and culture, are supported by funds from the European Regional Development Fund.
Tallinn Music Week would like to thank all partners and supporters!
Partners: Telia, Nordic Hotel Forum, Telliskivi Creative City, Visit Estonia, Estonian Academy of Arts (EKA), Viru Keskus, Noblessner, Go Travel, Go Bus, Go Hotel Shnelli, Hektor Container Hotel, Hotell Economy, British Council, Embassy of Finland, Embassy of Canada, Estonian Contemporary Art Development Center, Fotografiska Tallinn, PROTO Invention Factory, Kai Art Center, Lasnamäe Municipal Government, Lasnaidee, Baltic Station Market, Raadio 2, Postimees, Edasi, Velvet, IDA, Moe 1886, Tanker, Vita Pictura, AKU, Velvet, Festivality, Soundhouse, RGB, Meeskond Security, Piletilevi
Partners abroad: Tampere Hall, Tampere 2026, Sevkabel Port, Stereoleto, ETEP, Keychange, EMMA, Classical: NEXT, Bime, Radio Helsinki, Noise Unit PR, Ebba Lindqvist PR, Doing Great Agency
Festival supporters: Ministry of Culture, Tallinn Culture Department, Cultural Endowment, Tallinn City Enterprise Department, and Enterprise Estonia (EAS)
Special thanks to the Estonian Health Board
TMW 2020 Paldiski Sunday is organised at the initiative of the Lääne-Harju Parish municipality and in cooperation with Alexela, Port of Tallinn, PAKRI Science and Industrial Park, and the event series Paldiski Fusion. Paldiski Sunday contributors also include G4S, MV Wool, Ecomari and ELMO Rent.