UNESCO

After a two-year break, last week saw the Birgitta Festival, one of Tallinn’s signature music festivals, organised by the Tallinn Philharmonic. This year's spectacular music event, which took place in the ruins of Pirita Convent from 6 to 14 August, focused on the creation of the Finnish-Estonian musical bridge and attracted 4,244 music lovers to the unique concert venue.

Held every year on 21 May, UNESCO leads the celebration of World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development highlighting not only the richness of the world’s cultures, but also the essential role of intercultural dialogue for achieving peace and sustainable development.

The United Nations General Assembly adopted the resolution to celebrate this day on 27 April 2017

With an aim to emphasise the role of creativity and innovation in different aspects of human development, the United Nations celebrates World Creativity and Innovation Day. The day is observed on 21 April, and the main idea is to push creative multi-disciplinary thinking among different countries, at both the individual and group level.

The day is part of the World Creativity Week celebrations, which last from 15 to 21 April every year.

The main purpose of this day is to boost recognition of diverse art forms and to highlight artists' contributions to environmental sustainability

World Art Day is observed across the globe on 15 April to promote the development and appreciation of art. The day was established by the International Association of Art (IAA), a UNESCO partner, to raise international awareness about fine arts.

Held every year on 21 March, World Poetry Day celebrates one of humanity’s most treasured forms of cultural and linguistic expression and identity. Practiced throughout history – in every culture and on every continent – poetry speaks to our common humanity and our shared values, transforming the simplest of poems into a powerful catalyst for dialogue and peace.

The so-called "visoko" multipart folk singing from the villages of Dolen and Satovcha, Blagoevgrad region, South-western Bulgaria, has been listed by UNESCO as part of the world's intangible cultural heritage.

The decision was made at the 16th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. The application was presented by the Institute of Ethnology and Folklore of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.

The Estonian capital, Tallinn, will bear the title of a UNESCO City of Music from 2022

The director-general of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, on 8 November announced 49 new cities that were designated as members of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network. Among them is Tallinn, which will bear the title of a UNESCO City of Music from 2022.