17-20 july 2025
Illiku, Saaremaa
17-20 july 2025
Illiku, Saaremaa
17-20 july 2025
Illiku, Saaremaa
17-20 july 2025
Illiku, Saaremaa
17-20 july 2025
Illiku, Saaremaa
17-20 july 2025
Illiku, Saaremaa
First of all, getting to Orissaare or Saaremaa is not difficult at all. The Tallinn-Saaremaa route has a working flight connection and a bus reaches Saaremaa from all of the biggest cities in Estonia. Just head to one of the bus stations in Tallinn, Tartu, or Pärnu and hop on the bus heading to Kuressaare! Just keep in mind that the festival is still happening in Orissaare, which is the first bus stop after reaching Saaremaa. Your bus ride already includes the ticket for the ferry ride, so everything should go nice and smoothly.
Estonia is small and distances between places are short. Whether you’re coming from Finland, Latvia or Lithuania, the trip to Virtsu shouldn’t take you longer than 5 hours. The ferries from Kuivastu have quite a frequent schedule so you shouldn’t have to wait for a ferry for too long.
Just wait for the green light in your ferry line and you’re ready to get on board! Make sure you didn’t leave anything on the mainland. We recommend getting some food on the ferry as it tastes great and it takes the pressure off finding some food once you arrive.
Right after making your way over the Väike Väin Straits dam you’ll see the Orissaare TV tower, so keep and eye on it and head towards it. We recommend visiting the festival site on the illiku islet and the marina straight away, take a deep breath full of fresh countryside air, and check out the oldest and greatest oak in Orissaare, which coincidentally is in the middle of the Orissaare stadium and was assigned as the European Tree of the Year in 2015! The center of the tree is hollow so if you manage to fit yourself inside, take a photo, send us and we will send you back something interesting!
Moving on through the beautiful curves of Ranna road, we catch a glimpse of the sea through the trees. We suggest to make a stop at the Pulli cliff which leads you on to the windmills of Angla. If you head north again from the windmills you’re close to reaching the famous Panga cliff. You have now seen some of the best gems of Saaremaa’s nature!
If you didn’t manage to grab something from the ferry or you are just hungry again, head towards Kuressaare and have a taste of Saaremaakera’s amazing local pizzas. If pizza is not your thing, try out the Kuressaare marina and restaurant Hafen where a good meal is guaranteed for everyone. Kuressaare is filled with great accommodations and jacuzzis so we’re not even going to try to recommend any of them specifically. If you happen to visit Kuressaare during the weekend then don’t get your hopes up regarding the nightlife. Do find one of the local surf bars though, named Uim, that will hosts you with great people, delicious drinks, and good music!
Good morning! Time to check out other great sightseeing destinations in Saaremaa. The Kuressaare castle is a legendary spot and always worth a visit but how about trying something new and visiting the KEK museum, which could be hosting a cool exhibition or show. At last nights party, did you manage to get a hold of our local Pillirookõrs straws? They are made right here and if asked nicely, you could take a peek into their production rooms and buy yourself a nice souvenir.
It’s not a real trip to Saaremaa without a cool glass of beer (without a straw of course). Visit the Pöide brewery in Kuressaare or Pihtla beer kitchen just outside of the city. Another great spot for delicious food and drinks is the Ideafarm where they bottle syrups, produce wine, and so much more. The Ideafarm produce is also used in the I Land Sound cocktail menu.
If you happen to be a history fan, take a visit to the Military Equipment Museum of Saaremaa where you can find an epic set of machinery and an awesome man of the house!
I guess it’s time to grab some food again as well as head back home. After reaching Muhu, keep an eye out for the bright yellow edge of the Liiva Coop shop parking lot. There you will find the awesome Muhurito Burrito crew. A yummy bite of island street food, a loaf of Muhu bread for the relatives, and you’re all set to head back to the mainland.
“Trust the whale” or affectionately illiku’s forest whale will be born for the I Land Sound 2023 festival. With its life-size 5-metre body length it is a little bit bigger than a newborn humpback whale. The sculpture is covered in fishnets and cigarette butts that are one of the biggest sources of pollution in the oceans. Huge amounts of plastic, including cigarette butts, have been found in the stomachs of whales and other aquatic animals, and fishnets that are left adrift in the sea are a major threat to whales because they can get stuck.
A whale in the middle of the greenery looks a bit odd, maybe even a little magical, bringing a part of the deep sea into the daylight. The area of the body of water on planet Earth is unfathomable. And most of the time people don’t think about the fact that our activities on land will reach distant places in the world’s oceans. Just like that, litter and plastic travels with rainwater into the rivers and seas straight to oceans, where only 40 years ago huge garbage islands were discovered. These garbage islands are spread out over hundreds of thousands of kilometres and still collect more and more plastic. Inevitably this pollution also affects all sea animals, including the world’s biggest – whales.
It is estimated that since the beginning of the whaling industry about 3 billion whales from different species have been hunted, and because of that the population of some whales has become endangered.
Whales have an important role in preserving the Earth’s ecosystem. Even though they are far from our cultural space, they keep us alive by feeding the phytoplankton, that feeds on whale excrement. Phytoplankton is just like a rainforest that floats in the ocean and produces at least half of the planet’s oxygen. It helps to maintain the fish population and helps to fight climate change by binding immense amounts of CO2 from the atmosphere.
The more whales, the safer our planet!
Artist: Ines-Issa Villido
For millennia on end, people have kindled flames where the earth meets the sea, a signal for those setting sail across the water. Throughout millennia, humanity has kindled fires, letting smoke rise skywards, bearing with it hopes and fears, pleas and prayers. For millenia, men and women have sought to master the flame, yet even after the passage of countless centuries, the fire persists, a testament to the wild, the unbridled, the eternally free.
Metal artist, Taavi Teevet, crafts columns that strive to draw the earth closer to the sky, lifting the primitive and raw power of fire towards the heavens. As twilight cedes to night and the sun plunges beneath the sea’s horizon, these pillars conjure a new fiery twilight, a searing tableau painted against the cosmos. This spectacle is a Nordic symphony, a melody woven from the elements – earth, water, air, metal, and inevitably, the eternal flame.
And as the dawn makes its grand entrance once more, these fiery columns transform, metamorphose. They emerge as sculptures, no longer just bearers of light and heat but entities that simultaneously frame and carry the vista that unfolds with the breaking day.
Artist: Taavi Teevet
The Stop is raw and simple. It is a bus pavillion in the sea, where visitors can have a rest. It’s also the perfect place to see the beautiful sunrise of Illiku – looking towards a new and brighter future.
The installation conveys a powerful message of sustainability and the need to protect our oceans from pollution, as well as do everything in our power to prevent climate change.
An explosion of discarded plastic and cans can be seen flowing out of the bin, in contrast to the other beautiful flower explosions seen througout this year’s festival. The trash is painted gold, because one man’s trash, is our gold! There is too much plastic that we don’t recycle.
We urge you to take pictures sitting on the bench, and share it on social media along with your thoughts on sustainability to help normalise a more green way of living. We hope it inspires people to make small changes in their lives to protect our planet.
Artists: The students of Pallas university Miina Vilo, Monika Teder and Katariina Torm
Supervisor: Maiken Austin
Thank you: Innar Mäesalu from Haapsalu Linnavalitsus and Marju Saar Kuressaare Linnamajandus
ilandphant Ellu was born in 2019 and at the time she was part of the setting of Loojangu stage. Ellu carries the message of taking care of animals and nature and to make us think about the choices we make and how they affect our surroundings. Awareness and care open up opportunities to work with nature. Ellu also aims to raise people’s awareness about the life and destiny of the elephants who are used for hiking trips, rides and other forms of entertainment in tourism. Although elephants are very intelligent and like to learn new things, they are still wild animals and in order to make them obey humans they are subjected to a cruel training process.
Ilandphand Ellu is a life-sized African elephant and by climbing her you can experience the feeling of riding a real elephant without harming the animal. Ellu is all about life and love and wishes that people would choose to admire elephants from afar.
Artists: Kristjan Klemets, Kertu Laanela, Heikki Gross and Eva Reiska
The interpretation of the art was created for I Land Sound 2022. It invites people to look at themselves and understand the twists and turns of their thoughts and actions. The metal heart sits on a chess board and each square of it gives the opportunity to look at the situation from a new angle. Each step gives way to a new point of view, a new idea, a new opportunity, a new person – a new interpretation. And like that everyone has a chance to feel something that touches them deeply, something that resides deep in their heart. Everyone has a chance to find their own truth.
Artists: Mari-Leen Lao ja Enno Innos
Cigarette butts have become the most common litter on Earth and the biggest source of pollution in the sea. One cigarette filter can contaminate up to 500 litres of clean water by releasing toxins like lead, nicotine, acetone and ammonia. In the spring of 2019 we wanted to do something to improve the situation and raise awareness on the issue. So at I Land Sound 2019 we used Kops and custom made buttbins to collect 5.1 kg or about 29, 000 cigarette butts. All were used to make the Buttboard that was completed in July of 2020.
The bottom part of the SUP-board was made by John Kaju, a professional windsurfer and boatmaker from Saaremaa. Ines-Issa Villido, a well-known artist to festival guests, created the top part of the board, including the design, the stand for the Buttboard was designed by Laura Pormeister. The filters are coated with strong epoxy resin, which permanently attaches them to the paddle board and prevents harmful chemicals from being released into the environment. And for your information – yes, the board floats and you can paddle on it; no, it doesn’t smell.
Artists: Ines-Issa Villido, John Kaju and Laura Pormeister
Maria-Liisa Leonidov’s mural is an imagination of a magical-mystical forest that’s inhabited by some odd-looking nocturnal creatures. To make this colourful piece of art even more exciting the artist added lightbulbs as the eyes for the beings and just like that the piece comes alive at night. The mural received an award for the best area design at I Land Sound 2019 and decorates the seaward side of Piidivabrik to this day.
Artist: Maria-Liisa Leonidov
Nestled in the Baltic region, Estonia is a hidden gem waiting to be discovered by all adventurous souls. Although tiny, our homeland is packed with surprises – the wilderness and pure nature, stories of ancient times and mythical creatures, modern innovations and rich culture.
Did you know that Tallinn, our capital city, is home to one of the best-preserved medieval old towns in Europe? There’s nothing quite like taking a stroll through the charming cobblestone streets of our old town, where archaic towers stand proudly alongside trendy cafes. It feels as if you’re stepping back in time, but with all the modern luxuries. And there’s Wi-Fi everywhere!
But Estonia isn’t just about city life and ancient architecture; we’re all about embracing nature’s beauty too. Lose yourself in the serene wilderness of our national parks, where mystical bogs and whispering forests await. Take a dip in the sea, or if you’re feeling brave in a lake at the bog, that supposedly has rejuvenating qualities. Enjoy the freedom, the seclusion, the chance of picking berries or mushrooms in the wild!
Of course, no trip to Estonia is complete without experiencing our vibrant cultural scene. From theatres, museums and folk festivals in the countryside to cutting-edge electronic beats, our passion for art and music knows no bounds. Who knows, you might even discover your new favourite artist on a random night sipping drinks at a bar. And we just love singing! It’s part of our DNA and if you’re lucky enough, you might experience the magic that’s created at one of our song festivals.
So whether you’re here for the sights, the sounds, or the sheer sense of adventure, Estonia welcomes you with open arms and has a little surprise for everyone. Get ready to make memories that will last a lifetime in this beautiful corner of the world.
We recommend checking out the Visit Estonia website, that has all the information you could possibly need from accommodation to all the best sights and events in the country.
