PRESS RELEASE

1 June 2026

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From 1–7 June, Tallinn will host Baltic Pride 2026, bringing the largest LGBT+ event in the Baltics back to Estonia. This year's Pride message, "Silence Won't Defeat Hate", highlights that hate does not grow only through major conflicts, but also through silence, looking away, and moments when people choose not to act.

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Over the course of the week, the Baltic Pride programme will feature more than 50 cultural, community, and discussion events in Tallinn and Tartu. The programme includes exhibitions, workshops, drag events, film screenings, parties, discussion evenings, guided tours, and much more.

 

Baltic Pride 2026 Project Manager Keio Soomelt believes this year's Pride demonstrates particularly clearly how important community and visibility remain at a time when LGBT+ issues continue to provoke strong reactions in society. "It is very meaningful for us that this year's Baltic Pride programme includes more than 50 different events. It shows that people care about Pride and that the community itself wants to contribute, create, and take part," said Soomelt. "Over the past months, we have witnessed strong opposition towards LGBT+ people and Pride. That is exactly why it is important to talk about values such as care, equality, and human dignity. Pride is not only about the LGBT+ community – it is about the kind of society we all want to live in," he added.

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Pride Week will culminate on 6 June with a march through Tallinn's Old Town, followed by a free open-air concert at Telliskivi Creative City. Performers include Vikerlased, Rīgas Kvīru koris, sjonauki and friends, while Valge Tüdruk will close the evening. The event will be hosted by drag performer Delfi Oraakel.

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"At this year's concert, we wanted to highlight young and talented emerging queer artists whose work does not always reach the large audiences it deserves. This idea gave birth to the project 'sjonauki and friends', which creates an opportunity for these artists to share their work with a wider audience and showcase the diversity and richness of Estonia's queer music scene," explains Eke Allikvere, who performs under the name sjonauki. Joining him and his live band on stage will be TikTok creator Cät, Jan from the band su/mi, young singer-songwriter Kat, drag artist Labia Koidula, and IMvares, vocalist of the band kes.

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Valge Tüdruk believes Pride helps people understand that difference is neither negative nor frightening. "I grew up in an environment where I did not even know that people could love someone of the same gender. When a classmate came out to me, I did not know how to react simply because I had never encountered these topics before," she said. "For me, Pride is an opportunity to see and understand that people are different, and that is completely okay. Just as our bodies are different, so are our love and our identities. The more we learn to notice and accept these differences, the better life becomes for everyone."

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Since 2009, Baltic Pride has rotated between Tallinn, Riga, and Vilnius and has become one of the most important LGBT+ visibility and community events in the Baltics.

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Baltic Pride 2026 is organised by the Estonian LGBT Association together with its partners. The programme is made possible by numerous partner organisations, cultural institutions, and community groups whose events help promote visibility, strengthen community, and contribute to a safer society for everyone.

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For more information:

Keio Soomelt
Project Manager, Baltic Pride 2026
Estonian LGBT Association
keio@lgbt.ee
balticpride.ee

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Press contact:

Kristel Rannaääre
Communications Manager, Baltic Pride 2026
Estonian LGBT Association
kristel@lgbt.ee