Arvamusfestival
Festival of Opinion Culture ("Arvamusfestival" in Estonian) is an opinion festival held on Vallimägi Hill in Paide, Estonia. The object of the festival is to provide an open platform for the discussion of society and culture, free of any political ambition. The festival will provide the opportunity to listen to inspiring speeches, exchange opinions about social and political issues, gain new knowledge and fresh ideas, participate in workshops, meet new people and enjoy the social program.
The Festival of Opinion Culture was first held in 2013, when around 50 discussions and workshops took place over two days, involving 200 active speakers and 2,000 visitors. The next festival was held on August 15–16, 2014 on Vallimägi Hill in Paide and offered participants more than 150 different discussions about the present and future of Estonia. Third Festival of Opinion Culture 2015 will be held on 14–15 August.
The Festival of Opinion Culture was inspired by the 45-year-old Almedalsveckan festival in Sweden, as well as other similar events in Finland, Norway and Denmark. Festival of Opinion Culture was born as a civil initiative, and it can be held because of the work done by dozens of volunteers and the support of sponsors.
About the Festival
The object of the festival is to provide an open platform for the discussion of society and culture, free of any political ambition. It is a cross-community, self-developing festival open to everyone. The aim of the festival is to get alert and active people to discuss issues important to them and to Estonia. The words "cross-community" mean that the festival welcomes representatives and interest groups from all walks of life. "Self-developing" means that those organisations and associations bringing issues to be discussed will do so using their own resources. "Open to everyone" means that anyone interested in sharing his or her ideas is welcome to take part. It also means that the festival is free of charge for participants, with the initiators of topic-based stages organising everything.
The Festival aims to
- bring people together from all corners of Estonia, including political and non-political institutions;
- give participants an opportunity to discuss the issues vital to the present and future of Estonia – something that is normally done behind the closed doors of conference rooms;
- create a platform for people to exchange opinions regardless of their position or title;
- leave visitors motivated with a sense of wellbeing and desire to return next year.
Festival of Opinion Culture 2013
The Festival of Opinion Culture was first held in 2013, when around 50 discussions and workshops took place over two days, involving 200 active speakers and 2,000 visitors.
Estonian first Festival of Opinion Culture proved, that sharing of opinions is necessary and possible. Estonian people want to talk along about important topics for Estonia. In the first Festival there were over 200 speakers and a lot of spontaneous discussions also arose.
Festival of Opinion Culture 2014
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The Festival of Opinion Culture 2014 will be held on 15–16 August on Vallimägi Hill in Paide. It will offer participants more than 150 different discussions about the present and future of Estonia, as well as radio shows, cultural events, workshops and festival clubs. Political movements and parties will set up their own ‘world view cafés’, and the media will be there with their stages and on-air studios.
There are only two stages where the programme has been established by the festival organisation team - Hilltop Stage and Lowland Stage. All other discussions will be held in cooperation with various organisations and associations. The Hilltop Stage and the Lowland Stage will see almost 20 discussions on the topics most important to Estonia. Participants will consider whether it is sensible to try to stop emigration and what to do with our mineral resources, investigate where the joy of school days has gone and discuss the role of the state in entrepreneurship. The discussion topics also include security, life in the countryside, the health of Estonian residents and the wise and soft authorities of the state. The question of what the future holds for the century-old Republic of Estonia is also on the agenda. The festival will start with a discussion by former prime ministers “What would we have done differently today?” The heads of political parties will meet in the last discussion.
Apart from the invited speakers, anyone wishing to express their ideas at the Festival of Opinion Culture can do so at the open microphone. It is an opportunity to speak about topics that are not covered on the Hilltop Stage, the Lowland Stage or any thematic stage.
The Festival of Opinion Culture is a meeting place for interesting thoughts, new ideas and new initiatives; a place that will boost people’s courage and self-esteem and make them ask themselves ‘what is it that I can do?’. The organisers hope that Vallimägi Hill in Paide will become known as the birthplace of new ideas and a place where people expect to gather in the third week of August, helping to turn our country’s 45,227 square kilometres into a better place.
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