Ice-Breaker: Väike Till event centre @ Aparaaditehas (Apparatus factory)

Tuesday, 16 June 2026, 19:00 – 23:00 @ Väike Till event centre Kastani 42, Tartu, 50410 (openstreetmap, google maps)

  
© Väike Till event centre

Food and drinks will be offered to all registered participants at the Ice-Breaker. Situated in a former factory complex which used to house manufacturies for producing parts for Soviet submarines, zippers, and non-functional umbrellas, it has now been converted into a space for cafes, restaurants, events, exhibitions, workshops, and performances.

Guided city tour

Wednesday, 17 June 2026, 19:00 – 20:00 @Town Hall Square, next to the fountain (openstreetmap, google maps)

 
A cropped version of “Plan of Tartu, Estonia. Probably 19 century”. Original via wikipedia.org under CC-BY-SA-2.5  

On 17 June evening it’s possible to take 1 hour stroll with a guide through the city of Tartu to discover some of the town’s history and its hidden gems.

Participation is free but registration is needed. 

Conference Dinner at Lodjakoda (Barge Hall)

Thursday, 18 June 2026, 19:00 – 00:00 @ Ujula 98, Lodjakoda (openstreetmap, google maps)

© (1) Lodjaselts, (2) Merli Neito, (3) Lodjaselts

The conference dinner will take place next to the river Emajõgi in Lodjakoda (“Barge hall”) for a glimpse of Estonian culture, some food, and beverages. Lodjakoda is a traditional wooden shipbuilding yard where a new two-mast river barge was recently built.

In addition, right before the dinner starts participants are able to join for a 1-hour ride on the river Emajõgi on the newest barge "Suur Sume" which is 23 m long and 9 meters wide. The barge fits a maximum of 120 travellers. The Emajõgi-Peipsi barges were unique wooden sailboats, relatives of the Hanseatic logs, which began to be built for the waters here in the 14th century, when Tartu and Peipsi passed through international transit - the Hanseatic trade.

Barges were used on Peipsi after the Hanseatic era until the second world war. In 2006, the first born-again barge - 12m long and 7.5m wide - was launched from the hands of the shipmasters of the Barge Society. It was named Jõmmu. After years of hard work, in 2024 second barge in the world - two masted Emajõe-Peipsi barge "Suur Sume" was launched. Participation is free but registration is needed. 

Time: 20:00 – 2:00 Ujula 98, Lodjakoda (openstreetmap, google maps). 2nd ride 21:00-22:00 if enough interested people. 

© (1) Kristi Kuuse, (2) Lodjaselts, (3) Kristi Kuuse

Organisers