Tens of thousands of people have had the chance to visit Tallinn's museums free of charge during the year since the city's Museum Sundays programme was launched in 2022.The most important cultural investment this year is the construction of the Tallinn City Theatre, which will be completed in 2023.

According to Deputy Mayor Kaarel Oja, accessibility is the most important keyword in the field of culture. "We have to make sure that cultural disruptions during the pandemic do not last and that economic worries do not create new ones. The most exemplary example of this is the Museum Sundays, which attracted nearly 60,000 visitors to the museums that joined the initiative during the year," said Oja."With this programme, we have been able to reach a lot of people who might not otherwise get to museums."

The biggest cultural investment for the year is the development of the Tallinn City Theatre. Construction will last until the end of December next year, and the installation of fittings and equipment will continue in the first half of 2024. The renovation of permanent exhibitions in Tallinn's museums also continued this year, with a contract signed at the end of the year for the renovation of the Miiamilla children's museum. The Undi and Tammsaare museums at the Tallinn Literature Centre and the Kiek in de Kök Insurance Museum are next in line.

After a couple of years' hiatus due to the corona pandemic, this year's Birgitta Festival, with Tõnu Kaljuste as artistic director for the first time, and Tallinn Maritime Days were held again. The two events also piloted the city's own environmental-friendly principles.

Support for live music venues in Tallinn, a UNESCO City of Music network, was also launched. "In a city of music, it is essential to have as much live music as possible," added Oja. "One of the important initiatives we have launched is the support measure for live music venues. This is to ensure a dense and varied programme."

In November, the city opened the first calls for proposals in the field of culture for 2023, with a stronger focus on the environment. The calls also pay special attention to the location of events - the city wants more events to take place outside Tallinn city centre. In addition, a separate call for applications for youth cultural projects will be launched in the spring, which will give 16-26 year olds the chance to realize their ideas as part of the Tallinn Culture Night festival at the end of August.
For an exciting, holistic and vibrant urban space, the Tallinn City Art Commission, together with the Centre of Excellence for Spatial Design, developed ten principles to create high quality and varied artistic and spatial experiences.

At the end of the year, a new tradition was launched, whereby Tallinn held a reception to thank volunteers from the city's cultural institutions. This year, nearly 250 volunteers donated their time to Tallinn's museums and libraries.