Over 10 years Baltic students’ song and dance festival takes place in Tartu. The festival is also celebrating its 50 years since the first students’ song festival that was inaugurated in Tartu in 1956.
During three days Tartu will be full of students, exhibitions, events and concerts. There are 6000 singers and dancers from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania coming together to take part in the jubilee celebrations.

The festival will start with Grand opening ceremony on Town Hall Square and on river Emajõgi. Fire and water will be mixed during the opening festivities, creating resplendent fire patterns on the river.

Saturday starts with the wake-up singing by male choir on river Emajõgi and with early rehearsals for the participants. Starting from 12 the concert on Town Hall Square will start with many performances by musicians, singers and dancers. In addition to Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian performers Gaudeamus will also host quests from Street-Organ festival, United States and Denmark.

The song and dance festival will take place on Sunday on Songfestival Arena that is preceded by traditional Procession through the city of Tartu. The start will be given in Toomemägi with exhilarating singing competition on Angels Bridge.
The patron of Gaudeamus is the President of Republic of Estonia, Arnold Rüütel.


Gaudeamus Jubilee Album

Gaudeamus celebrates its jubilee with an upstanding gift - the album of 220 pages will be printed that contains greetings, comments, photos and cuts from all Gaudeamus festivals, through 50 years. The album is released both in Estonian and English languages. The authors are Alo Ritsing, Ene Puusemp and Ants Nilson.

We are grateful for all the contributors and donators!


Gaudeamus beer

The Sponsor of Gaudeamus Tartu Brewery has released a special Gaudeamus beer that has been labeled with "50 Years of Unity". The back of the bottle reminds to all beer drinkers Gaudeamus traditions with the following words: "The united festival of Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian students is one of the most beautiful symbols of Baltic cooperation."



The quests of Gaudeamus


Street-Organ festival
The best European Street-Organ players are happy to greet Tartu city with their culture and music. Street-Organ festival offers excitement and beauty that has always accompanied with street arts. There will be 26 musicians and street artists participating from many European countries.


The Pentagon Orchestra from Denmark

The Pentagon Orchestra is a symphony orchestra and collaboration between 5 music schools. The orchestra was founded in 1998 and goes on a concert tour abroad every second year. The repertoire covers new Danish composition music as well as more traditional classical orchestra music, light music and musicals, such as Andrew Lloyd Webber, the Phantom of the Opera.


International Folk Dance Ensemble Brigham Young University
With a beautiful array of ethnic costumes the International Folk Dance Ensemble presents a concert program of dances from more than a dozen nations, including Ukraine, Russia, Korea, Poland, Mexico, and the United States.


Gaudeamus festival is Baltic students’ festival that combines both - students and folk culture. For its unique feeling of unity and joy of singing the Baltic dance- and singing tradition has been nominated to UNESCO world heritage. Thus, keep the traditions, so the Gaudeamus song and dance festival could also bring us together for the next 50 years!


Gaudeamus igitur, iuvenes dum sumus!

Gaudeamus Team