In the second half of 2017, Estonia takes the helm of the presidency of the Council of the European Union for six months and in 2018, it will celebrate its 100th anniversary. For that period of time, the country will arrange a series of events throughout Europe to show what Estonia is about and to give local talents a venue to introduce themselves to the rest of the continent.
Initially, the Estonian centenary and the country’s EU presidency were supposed to both take place in 2018. Estonia celebrates its 100th year of independence on 24 February 2018, and the presidency was supposed to take place in the first half of the same year. Since the United Kingdom, however, decided to leave the EU, Estonia’s presidency got bumped up by half a year, it was decided to start with the international programme earlier than initially planned.
According to Jorma Sarv, the head of the international programme for the country’s EU presidency and centenary, the purpose of the events is to demonstrate Estonia as a tourism destination that has something to offer for everyone, but also give a chance to Estonian talents who deserve to be introduced outside the country.
When the year 2017 mostly concentrates on Europe, then in the year after that, Estonia will try and reach farther destinations. “At the end of January, the Estonian Museum of Art and the National Gallery in Washington, DC, will arrange an exhibit of Michel Sittow’s artwork; the ERSO orchestra and the Estonian National Men’s Choir go on a tour in China; Toronto will host a week dedicated to the Estonian music; etc. I hope there will be more such activities in farther destinations,” Sarv declared.
Restart Reality: Digital Street Art – All over Europe, unique and distinctively Estonian characters from about a hundred years ago are brought to new life by Edward von Lõngus and augmented reality technologies, exploring life & people around them.
All Around Europe: Kaustinen festival – The Estonian band, Trad.Attack!, is celebrating the grandest event in Estonian history with a concert tour “All Around Europe”, performing in every EU member state – including Finland at the Kaustinen festival.
A virtual reality conference in Helsinki – The aim of the conference is to connect different VR developers, investors, incubators, accelerators and enthusiasts from Estonia and other Nordic countries.