30 November from Vanemuine Concert Hall to the Toome Hill
16:15
The traditional torchlight procession starts in front of Vanemuine Concert Hall. The university flag and the flag of Estonia lead the procession. After the flags are the representatives of faculties, administration and support structure, as well as institutions of the university. They are followed by academic student societies in the order of seniority, and other student organisations and students.
The torchlight procession is organised as follows:
- Torches are handed out at 15:30 in the tent next to the monument to Juri Lotman, outside the University of Tartu Library.
NB! If you have a torch from a previous year, you can have it refilled in the cloakroom of the academic building at Vanemuise 46 on Friday, 29 November, 15:00–17:00.
- Participants gather for the procession in Vanemuine street in front of Vanemuine Concert Hall.
- The procession sets off at about 16:15–16:30, i.e. after the premiere concert by Pärt Uusberg ends in Vanemuine Concert Hall.
The head of the procession starts moving at the intersection of Vanemuine street and Ülikooli street. The participants march along Ülikooli street to the main building, where the rector and the president of student body say their greetings.
After the speeches, everyone will sing Gaudeamus igitur.
The procession continues around the main building: turns left at the University of Tartu cafe and proceeds to the back of the main building.
Then it moves to Jakobi street at the former church of the University of Tartu at Jakobi 1, passes the academic building at Jakobi 2, turns right to Ülikooli street and then again right to Lossi street. Next, the torch march goes along Lossi street to K. E. von Baer street, turns right and follows K. E. von Baer street up to the tennis courts.
As marchers reach the tennis courts, they must extinguish their torches before the beginning of the light show and put the extinguished torches in containers provided specifically for that purpose in the street.
The light show “The Spirit of Tartu” on the towers of Tartu Cathedral starts at 17:30. The audience gathers on the tennis courts, in K. E. von Baer street and on the slope of Kassitoome valley to watch the show.
See the full programme on 100.ut.ee/events/. Please note that most of the events are held in Estonian.