The Song Festival has grown steadily since , when the first festival was held in Tartu under the leadership of Johann Voldemar Jannsen, and has kept pace with the times. Only male choirs and wind orchestras, with a total of a thousand performers, participated in the first song festival. Over time, mixed, children's, women's, and boys' choirs, hobby symphonies, and toddler choirs were added.
The party moved to Tallinn, where the first dance party took place in Since , song and dance festivals have mostly been held together. Song and dance festivals have been constantly evolving. Several traditions have become a part of this party. A torch is lit in Tartu , the birthplace of the festival. Like an Olympic fire, the torch travels throughout Estonia to Tallinn , where thousands of folk dancers first wait for that fire for a dance performance at Kalev Stadium.
An integral part of the dance festival is the authentic Estonian folk costumes that make the dance stadium shine beautifully. All the party participants will come to the song festival in a festive procession.
The procession is followed by a song festival, which always begins with Aleksander Kunileid's song "Dawn".
The special feeling of the song and dance festival is also sought between the parties, and smaller regional song and dance festivals are held for this purpose. Thus, the song and dance festival has become a sail, which has helped the Estonian people to move towards common goals through very different times. On the other hand, a song and dance festival is often an anchor that brings Estonians from around the world together and connects them with their homeland.
