The HeadRead literary festival that ended on Sunday 2 June offered a programme with more than 50 literary performers from Estonia and beyond, discussions, concerts, literary walks, a premiere of a documentary film, theatre performances and stand-up comedy. Nearly all events enjoyed a full house and in some cases, part of the audience had to enjoy the talks via a screen outside the main festival venue.
The biggest draws included the talk of historian Lucy Worsley, and conversations between Estonian authors Erkki Koorti and Taavi Kangur, Sven Mikser and Urmas Vadi, Piret Jaaks and Sveta Grigorjeva, and Tiit Aleksejev and Meelis Friedenthal. Crowds also descended on Theatrum’s café Ait during the event for female poets and the show of Latvian women’s stand-up comedy, when the comedians were not the only ones to stand up.
The festival ran from 29 May to 2 June at the Estonian Writers’ Union, the Estonian Children’s Literature Centre, Ait, the National Library of Estonia, the Church of the Holy Spirit, the Estonian Theatre for Young Audiences, Von Krahl Theatre and the Sõprus Cinema. Information about the festival is available on the festival’s website, and Facebook and Instagram, and a engaging charming gallery of events (by Dmitri Kotjuh and Kaisa Kaer) is available on the festival’s Flickr account.
The main supporters of the festival are the Cultural Endowment of Estonia, the City of Tallinn and the British Council. HeadRead would like to thank all performers, partners, volunteers, and last but not least, audiences.
The next HeadRead literary festival takes place from 28 May to 1 June 2025.
