Tallinn Maritime Days 2010, the largest free family event in Estonia welcoming all Tallinn residents and visitors, will take place from 16–18 July. The highlights of the festival will be the regatta of Olympic sailboats and the tugboat dance show. This year’s programme will span three ports – come (or sail in) and see!

In addition to Admiralty Inlet and the Seaplane Harbour, the festival programme now covers Peetri Harbour, situated in the territory of the BLRT shipyard. This will be the venue for the exciting street art project “Urban Seashells”.

On the evening of 16 July the Noblessner foundry building (Tööstuse 48) will host the summer symphony concert of the Nargen Festival. There will also be tours of the BLRT shipyard. The new Admiralty Marina and Peetri Harbour can now also be accessed by water.

One of the major attractions of the Maritime Days in Tallinn this year is the regatta of the 49ers, the large Olympic sailboats originating in Australia. The international three-day regatta commemorates the 30th anniversary of the Tallinn Olympic Regatta. This new regatta on Tallinn Bay is to become an annual event. The “Tallinn 1980 Olympic Regatta” exhibition will open on 16 July in the lounge of the Clarion Euroopa Hotel next to Admiralty Inlet.

Another exciting highlight that is sure to attract adults and children alike is the unprecedented dance show of the tugboats. On the afternoon on Saturday 17 July, everyone is invited to witness this amazing performance from the Seaplane Harbour pier.

According to Eva Saar, Maritime Days Project Manager with the Tallinn 2011 foundation, nothing like this has ever been attempted in Estonia. “Two bigger tugboats will move by stern and bow, spin and perform other dance moves, and the dancers are, naturally, Estonian ships,” Saar explained.

The party will begin at 8.00 pm on 16 July with the concert “Words on the Wind” on the Admiralty stage with the Estonian Dream Big Band, Hedvig Hanson, Hanna-Liina Võsa, Mikk Saar and Robin Juhkental. Music during the Maritime Days will of course be played all day long.

Among other good Estonian jazz, pop and folk musicians to perform at the festival, Sofia Rubina will take to the stage in the jazz area of Terminal C on the evening of 17 July. This will be her first concert back home in Estonia after lengthy studies in the USA.

The programme of the Tallinn Maritime Days was compiled to cater for the tastes of all family members, big and little. Open to all during the festival will be the Estonian ships Suur Tõll, Lembit, Tarmo, Kalev, Turm, Blue Sirius, Runbjärn and Jõmmu, the minehunter Admiral Cowan, a police and border guard vessel, a police launch, the Tallinn University of Technology’s training ship Salme, several tugboats, a pilot’s boat and fishing vessels.

You can test your skills on Robinson and dugout boats and on the Aurik and Haipoiss trampolines, and also try diving and remote-controlling model ships. At Seaplane Harbour you can view the exhibitions of the Maritime Museum, pop into tents of the Estonian Maritime Administration and Estonian Maritime Academy’s Maritime School and grab a bite to eat and have a drink on the harbour pier.

Younger visitors will also enjoy the first children’s water carnival of the Nargen Festival at the Admiralty stage on 18 July.

"Results of a recent survey commissioned from Media House indicate that three-quarters of all residents of Tallinn and many people living in other regions of Estonia would like to participate in the Maritime Days this year,” said Jaanus Mutli, Director of the Tallinn 2011 foundation.

“We would therefore like to use the programme this and next year, when Tallinn becomes the European Capital of Culture, to attract people – both local residents and tourists – to the waterfront in the city centre.”

The Tallinn Maritime Days 2010 are a joint undertaking of the City of Tallinn, the Port of Tallinn, the Estonian Maritime Museum, the Estonian Historic Ship Society and the Tallinn 2011 foundation, and are being led by the foundation. By 2011, when Tallinn is the European Capital of Culture, the festival will form the biggest event on the city’s waterfront. Viking Line Eesti OÜ and the BLRT Group are contributing to the successful organisation of the Maritime Days as major sponsors.

The cooperation partners for the event are the Clarion Euroopa Hotel, Estonian Maritime Administration, Estonian Yachting Union, Jazzkaar, Nargen Festival, Energy Discovery Centre, Aviation Squadron of the Police and Border Guard Board, Estonian Swimming Federation, Estonian Pilot Company, Estonian Maritime Academy’s Maritime School, Information Centre for Sustainable Renovation, Estonian Sport Museum, Independent Dance Agency, PKL, Alfons Hakans, the ship Admiral and City Bike.

You can view the Tallinn Maritime Days programme online at www.tallinnamerepaevad.ee. Around 50,000 people attended the Tallinn Maritime Days in 2009.