Here are few more links of AFP press coverage and I am really thankful to everyone who gave their input to the success of the Estonian song and dance festival - thousands of people. Merci also to all the journalists who responded positively to my spring attack at Facebook via journalists groups of some dozen thousands journalists. The number of singers singing in same choir was even bigger than 22 000 - it turned out as big as 24 700. Global links to AFP story "Tiny Estonia tunes up for giant national-pride choir" about Estonian song festival are here: Google news, France 24, it was also up for one month at Yahoo news page, few hundred other Google links to same AFP story, AFP after-festival-story, in full the story (original headline "Echoes of 'Singing Revolution' banish Baltic recession blues") s here , it was published also by Kuwait Times, also at Brunei Times, and is on many other sites plus the article was also sent out by AFP in French ("Les Baltes affirment leur identité nationale en chantant par milliers"). In addition AFP also made a shorter story when the Estonian song festival started.
(The list of sites above that used these stories about song festival is far not complete - AFP articles reach thousands of media organizations in over one hundred states and we never know in full how many of them use some particular story, bcs most media sites dont allow public access to stories they use.) Plus, according to Kersti Luha, Spokeswoman to Estonian Foreign Ministry, Estonian song festival attracted this year journalists also from many other major media organizations, including CNN, AP, Reuters, BBC (the article, in Estonian only).
And dont worry in case you missed it - although the biggest song festival is organised only every 5th year, there is similar and as nice song festival meanwhile, called kids and youngsters song festival that includes almost as much performers and is hold at same ground and also starts with huge parade, followed by huge concerts and is beloved by Estonians like the main festival. Estonians just cant wait 5 years to have the singing joy again, so that festival gives a chance to enjoy it all more frequently. Next kids and youngsters song festival that will be attended also by thousands of adult singers is already in summer 2011 (July 1-3, 2011) when Tallinn shares together with Finnish town Turku the title of Cultural Capital of Europe. p.s. the last photo is from previous festival. Links to giant photos from the festival at site here.
