22–24 October | 19:00–23:00

The Tartu Light Biennale TAVA, or Tartu in Light, is a comprehensive, international festival of light and lighting art that unites various fields. The biennial takes place every other year, and TAVA26 is the fifth edition.

The main program of TAVA26 consists of light educational workshops, outdoor light installations, concerts, indoor exhibitions. In addition, there will be a side program developed in collaboration with Tartu cultural institutions and businesses. Together, they transform Tartu into a world of light, which, like a beckoning beacon, attracts culture enthusiasts to Southern Estonia during the darker times of the Nordic region.

Along with workshops, exhibitions, and the side program, various TAVA26 events will last for a month, but the main events will only take place on three evenings on 22–24 October 2026, from 19:00 to 23:00.

PS! At the request of families with children, the area will open at 18:00, but the greenhouse installations can only be viewed from 19:00.

The central location for the TAVA26 light installations is in the Botanical Garden of the Tartu University and will move through the old town up to Toomemägi, the ruins of the Tartu Cathedral.

Save the dates in your calendar and come experience Tartu in a different light.