Best folk music festival in Europe

The Viljandi Folk Music Festival is an Estonian annual music festival that focuses on European folk music. It is traditionally held on the last weekend of July, when the normally quiet town of Viljandi is completely transformed as the small town center is suddenly flooded with people. Every year, over 200 performers perform about 100 concerts, and up to 25,000 people attend them, but many more come just to enjoy the festivities over four days. As such, it is Estonia's largest annual music festival and one of Europe's largest folk music festivals.

The event has evolved from a more traditional Estonian folklore festival to a massive undertaking with an increasing number of international participants. Even some of the festival's main stage native bands could be classified as folk rock or even folk metal. The modern and popular music influences make it very appealing to young people, particularly Estonian university students. Workshops, film screenings, exhibitions, a fairy tale room, a handicraft yard, a musical instrument fair, and other activities will be part of the festival.