CINEMA • ART • MUSIC

9.—12. july 2026

Jäneda mõis, Lääne-Viru maakond

Music

More artists TBA!

Peter Bjorn and John (SE)

Panda Bear & Sonic Boom (US/UK)

Jazzanova (live) feat. Wayne Snow

Florian Wahl

Night Tapes (EE/UK)

Gilles Peterson & Rob G (UK)

Nubiyan Twist (UK)

Maria Somerville (IRL)

Booka Shade (DE)

Divine Earth (UK)

BCUC (SA)

Martyn (NL)

Tõnis Mägi

Vaiko Eplik ja Eliit

Holy Motors

Ans.Andur

villemdrillem x Karl Killing

Kirke Karja x Teis Semey (EE/DK)

Meisterjaan & Normaalsete Inimeste Klubi

Zebra Island

Fuzzolini

Gram-Of-Fun x Daniel Levi

Idjut Boys (UK)

Püha Põlev Vesi

Wrupk Urei

ants1

Kristjan Kannukene

Andres Lõo

Kiwanoid

Wondering O

Djerro

Säde Semper

Lisette-Marie Viilup

Club Rats

Naivete

Llorolyn b2b Mai

Haigla Pidu

Mutant Disco

AfroChill

Öömaja

Sara Mautone (IT)

DJ Drummie

DJ Julius

Programme

Programme will be updated! The festival area opens: at 16:00 on Thursday, at 12:00 on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Thursday, 09.07

Õuelava

18:30

Vaiko Eplik ja Eliit
20:00

Tõnis Mägi
21:20

Nubiyan Twist (UK)
22:50

BCUC (SA)

Suur saal

19:10

Püha Põlev Vesi
20:40

villemdrillem x Karl Killing
22:20

Gram-Of-Fun x Daniel Levi

Mikkeller stage

19:00-21:00

Levila x Laevuke:
Who wants to be the president?

Friday, 10.07

Õuelava

17:00

ants1
18:45

Wrupk Urei
20:15

Zebra Island
22:15

Jazzanova (live) feat. Wayne Snow

Suur saal

17:45

Säde Semper
19:15

Meisterjaan & Normaalsete Inimeste Klubi
21:15

Florian Wahl
23:00

Booka Shade (DE)

Maatriks

18:15

Wondering O
20:15

Andres Lõo
22:00

Kiwanoid
23:00-03:00

Club Rats

Mikkeller stage

15:00-17:00

Levila x Laevuke:
Who wants to be the president?
17:00

Biit Me
21:00-23:00

Levila x Laevuke:
Who wants to be the president?

Järvelava

15:00-19:00

AfroChill

Behind Jäneda manor

13:00

KIKUMU Nature: hike "The Gems of Jäneda"
18:00

KIKUMU Nature: hike "The Gems of Jäneda"

Saturday, 11.07

Õuelava

15:30

Fuzzolini
17:00

Ans.Andur
20:00

Peter Bjorn and John (SE)
21:45

Night Tapes (EE/UK)
23:15

Holy Motors

Suur saal

16:15

Kristjan Kannukene
18:00

Djerro
21:00

Maria Somerville (IRL)
22:15-04:00

Mutant Disco ft. Idjut Boys

Maatriks

19:30

Lisette-Marie Viilup
22:00-03:00

DJs Drummie, Julius, Kristjan Saluveer

Mikkeller stage

16:00-18:00

Levila x Laevuke:
Who wants to be the president?
18:00-00:00

Öömaja + Sara Mautone (IT)

Järvelava

13:00-19:00

Haigla Pidu

In front of Jäneda manor

14:00

KIKUMU Running Club: Buns Run Club 5km

Behind Jäneda manor

13:00

KIKUMU Nature: hike "The Gems of Jäneda"
18:00

KIKUMU Nature: hike "The Gems of Jäneda"

Sunday, 12.07

Õuelava

16:00

Divine Earth (UK)
19:30

Panda Bear & Sonic Boom (US/UK)
21:00

Gilles Peterson & Rob G (UK)

Suur saal

17:00

Kirke Karja x Teis Semey (EE/DK)
18:00

Martyn

Järvelava

12:00-19:00

TIKS (DJ)

Art

For the first time, KIKUMU will bring together almost all of Estonia’s leading contemporary art galleries.

Art exhibitions will take over the labyrinthine spaces of the Jäneda Training Centre, presented by: Artrovert, Art&Tonic, FOKU, Kogo, Temnikova & Kasela, Tütar and Vaal galleries.

Check out the galleries here

Cinema

African cinema, domestic cult films, children’s programs. H.G. Wells’ science fiction program, experimental classics of 70s genre cinema and film journeys to the Moroccan desert or the heat of Mexico City. This year, Kikumu will screen the cinema in the manor building.

Check out all the films here

Programme

All screenings have an introduction, some are followed by a discussion.

Thursday, 09.07

Estonian cult film:Rolling Papers
African cinema:The Wound
Estonian cult film:The Terror of the Gulls + Chainsaws Were Singing

Friday, 10.07

Children's program:Little Amélie or the Character of Rain
Wells' sci-fi:Island of Lost Souls
Cinematic journey:Sirat
Estonian cult film:Dead Mountaineer’s Hotel

Saturday, 11.07

Children's program:Arco
Wells' sci-fi:The War of the Worlds
Genre experiment:Cuadecuc, vampir
Cinematic journey:Queer

Sunday, 12.07

Estonian cult film:Kratt
African cinema:Soft Landing

KIKUMU Talks

Conversations and actions coordinated by the Estonian outlet Levila invite audiences to engage with questions of media, culture, society and technology.

More info when the time is right!

KIKUMU Nature

Hike “The Gems of Jäneda”

Fri, 10.07 and Sat, 11.07 at 13:00 and 18:00

Duration: up to 2 hours. Meeting point behind Jäneda Manor. Guided by Tiina Paltser. Tour is in Estonian, but the nature is still pretty!

This approximately two-kilometre hike offers an introduction to Jäneda’s historic landmarks, notable figures, and local flora and fauna. Along the way, you’ll hear the story of the manor and its history, as well as local legends behind place names, Jäneda’s highest point, the Devil, and the three-branched linden tree.

KIKUMU Kids

At Jäneda Training Centre, KIKUMU’s youngest festival-goers can enjoy a dedicated kids’ room with board games, drawing and other activities. The film programme also includes children’s screenings with Estonian dubbing. And by popular demand, the bouncy castle is making a return.

KIKUMU Running Club

Saturday at 14:00. Meeting point: in front of Jäneda Manor.

Buns Run Club takes KIKUMU’s running enthusiasts onto the local forest trails on Saturday!

Pack your running shoes, bring your stamina and get into the right mood, because the route winds through forest paths, beautiful nature and the occasional hill.

The run finishes by the lake next to the festival grounds, where anyone keen can cool off with a swim. The distance is approximately 5 km.

Accommodation

Accommodation packages are available via Piletitasku!

For those who don’t want to stay overnight, we have booked night trains. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 00:15, the night train KIKUMU Midnight Express will take you from Aegviidu to Balti Jaam. From the festival to Aegviidu, a festival bus will take you from in front of Jäneda Manor. Tickets are available at the KIKUMU gate.

Nelijärve Holiday Centre:

Check-in from 15:00, check-out by 12:00
Breakfast included (09.00-11.30)
Option to rent a sauna, swim in the lakes, hiking trails in the surrounding area
Shuttle bus between the festival grounds and the accommodation
Light traffic roads connect the accommodation to the festival site

Hostel
Double room (shower/toilet in room), 3 nights €234
Triple room (shower/toilet in room), 3 nights €351

All rooms have shower/toilet, balcony, TV, WIFI, bed linen, towels.

Lakehouse
Double room (shower/toilet in room), 3 nights 324€
Double room (shower/toilet in corridor), 3 nights 288€
Single room (shower/WC in corridor), 3 nights €216

All rooms have TV, bed linen, towels

Pääsu villa
Double room, 3 nights 342€
Double room with balcony, 3 nights 468€
Double room on the 3rd floor, 3 nights 468€

All rooms have shower/toilet, TV, WIFI, mini fridge, kettle, bed linen, towels

Cabins
3 nights for up to five people 612€

All rooms have shower/toilet, TV, fridge, microwave, bed linen, towels.
2 beds, sofa bed, and sleeping nook

Glämping at Kali Beach

One night 300€
Four nights 600€

Camping and caravan accommodation is available near the festival area.

Camping area
3 nights 25€
1 night 10€

The pass includes one tent pitch and access to the camping area

Caravan
3 nights 50€
1 night 20€

Arrive by motorhome or caravan and stay overnight in the immediate vicinity of the festival area

More accommodation options:

Transport

Jäneda is just an hour’s drive or train ride from the capital Tallinn.

The festival bus stops in front of Jäneda Manor and at Aegviidu railway station. There is no organized transport between Jäneda railway station and the festival area – the distance is 2.2km, or a pleasant walk. Tickets cost 2€/bus ride or 10€ for the whole festival. Tickets are sold on the bus or at the festival gate.

By car – parking at the festival is free in designated parking areas. On Waze and Google Maps set the destination to “Kikumu”. When using Apple Maps enter “Jäneda loss”.

Night trains! On Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 00:15, the KIKUMU Midnight Express night train will take festival-goers from Aegviidu to Tallinn. Tickets are available at the KIKUMU festival gate.

Transport schedules

Info and rules

The organiser reserves the right to make changes to the programme.

Festival grounds are accessible to visitors with reduced mobility. Please note that the event takes place on a grassy field.

From 11:00 PM onwards, minors may only remain in the festival area if accompanied by an adult.

It is prohibited to bring your own food and drinks onto the festival grounds, including reusable glass containers, as well as any fire, cold, or other types of weapons.

The organiser reserves the right to deny entry to anyone who is visibly intoxicated.

Both cash and card payments are accepted at the festival.

By purchasing a ticket, you are supporting the KIKUMU festival with a donation. Donations are collected by the MTÜ (NGO) Must Käsi. Donations are eligible for income tax deductions in accordance with the law.

Festival Passes

Discounted tickets until June 30th

A limited number of discounted festival passes are available via Resident Advisory and Piletitasku.

The festival pass grants access from Thursday through Sunday evening. The price includes seven stages of music, the art and film programme, tours and workshops.

Early Bird passes

Four-day pass: 125€
Four-day youth pass (17–21 years old): 75€
Four-day discounted pass (9-16 years old): 55€
One-day pass: 50€
One-day youth pass (17–21 years old): 40€
One-day discounted pass (9-16 years old): 30€
Four-day family pass*: 150€
*Two adults + two children up to 16 (incl.) years

Children up to 8 years old (incl.) enter free when accompanied by an adult.

Location

At the heart of the festival — and one of its main attractions — is the Jäneda Training Centre, designed by renowned architect Valve Pormeister and built in 1975 as an extension to the historic Jäneda manor house. Originally a Soviet-era agricultural school, it stands as one of the most significant architectural works of its time, breathing and flowing in harmony with the surrounding natural landscape.

Right next to the festival site you’ll also find the main Jäneda manor house built in 1915, along with a tranquil pond and a lush manor park. A few minutes further lies Lake Kalijärv, complete with a sandy beach waiting for swimmers.

The main building of Jäneda Manor, completed in 1915, will also be opened for the festival for the first time. This is the place where the father of science fiction H.G. Wells, and Estonia’s own Mata Hari, the Jäneda Manor House Lady Mura, have spent their summers.

Partners

Artrovert

Founded in 2022, Artrovert has organised dozens of exhibitions in just four years, with the aim of bringing contemporary art into homes, offices and collections in Estonia and around the world. The gallery’s selection features nearly 400 carefully chosen works by almost 90 living artists. According to founder Siim Raie, the name Artrovert describes a person who always turns their gaze towards art.

At KIKUMU, the gallery will present works by Marta Vaarik, Marleen Suvi, Kadri Toom and Pascal Bronner.

Website

Art&Tonic

Founded in Tartu, Art&Tonic Gallery relocated to Tallinn after six years of operation. Its mission, however, has remained unchanged: to support the Estonian contemporary art market and, through it, help improve the livelihoods of artists.

At KIKUMU, Art&Tonic will present works by Robin Nõgisto, Alo Valge and ReiBaltic.

Website

FOKU

FOKU is a gallery, presentation space and meeting place dedicated to contemporary photographic art in Tallinn’s Old Town. The gallery is run by the Estonian Union of Photography Artists. In addition to its rotating exhibitions, FOKU offers a selection of photography-related books and limited-edition prints by FOKU artists.

Website

Kogo

Kogo is a contemporary art gallery based in Tartu, Estonia, founded in 2018 by Liina Raus. The gallery focuses on a younger generation of artists and currently represents seven female artists from the Baltic states. Kogo is an active participant in the international art scene, regularly attending several art fairs each year and collaborating with galleries abroad through exhibition exchanges. The gallery also works closely with local communities, organising a diverse public programme alongside its exhibitions, having established a continuing art event series and contributing to the development of the contemporary art field.

Website

Temnikova & Kasela

Temnikova & Kasela Gallery was founded in 2010 by artist and graphic designer Olga Temnikova and Indrek Kasela, both of whom brought prior experience in gallery management. The gallery’s programme focuses on contemporary conceptual art with a strong social message. Among the artists represented by Temnikova & Kasela are Edith Karlson of Venice biennial fame, Flo Kasearu, Kris Lemsalu and many others.

Website

Tütar

Tütar is a contemporary art gallery located in the Noblessner district of Tallinn, focusing primarily on representing and exhibiting a younger generation of Estonian artists. The gallery’s represented artists include Tõnis Saadoja, Angela Maasalu, Urmas Lüüs, Kärt Hammer, Katrin Piile and Siiri Jüris.

Website

Vaal

Vaal Gallery is the first privately funded gallery in Estonia dedicated to art exhibitions and auctions. Vaal has long served as an experienced bridge between artists and art audiences, presenting a high-level overview of both contemporary and classical Estonian art.

At KIKUMU, Vaal Gallery brings works by three artists: Ingmar Järve, Loora Kaubi and Paul Kormašov.

Website

Rolling Papers

KIKUMU has been created out of a need to live a meaningful life and to find purpose in our shared future. This is also exactly what this film by young Estonian auteur Meel Paliale in this urban cityscape called Tallinn is all about.

Director Meel Paliale
Estonia, 2024
98 min

The Wound

Xolani, a lonely factory worker, travels to the rural mountains with the men of his community to initiate a group of teenage boys into manhood.

After the screening, South African film enthusiast and curator Lwando Faku will join the audience for an open conversation reflecting on the film, its themes, and the wider context of African cinema.

Director John Trengove
Republic of South Africa/Germany, 2017
88 min

The Terror of the Gulls

The well-known fact that the first seagull was born in the small Estonian town of Loksa might not be true after all. Are these white demons capable of more than we think? Could they have been behind the mysterious Loksa catastrophe of 1955? There’s no better place to find out what really happened than the historical premises of Jäneda.

Film is showed alongside “Chainsaws Were Singing”.

Director Matiias Viiking Ojaveski
Estonia, 2026
30 min

Chainsaws Were Singing

Adventures await when new lovers are separated by a chainsaw killer.

Director Sander Maran
Estonia, 2024
117 min

Little Amélie or the Character of Rain

First episode of the KIKUMU children’s film programme. Amélie is a little Belgian girl born in Japan. Thanks to her friend Nishio-san, life is a succession of adventures and discoveries.

But on her third birthday, a single event changes everything. Because for Amélie, everything is at stake at her age, happiness as well as tragedy.

NB! The film will be screened in Estonian, without subtitles.

Directors Liane-Cho Han Jin Kuang and Mailys Vallade
France, 2025
77 min

Island of Lost Souls

A twisted treasure from Hollywood’s pre-Code horror heyday, Island of Lost Souls is a cautionary tale of science run amok, adapted from H. G. Wells’s novel The Island of Dr. Moreau. Wells has a connection to Jäneda as he used to spend his holidays here in the 1930s.

Director Erle C. Kenton
USA, 1932
70 min

Sirât

Sirāt is a gripping, visceral, and metaphysical thriller by Galician filmmaker and Festival favourite Oliver Laxe showing you the beautiful essence and the feeling of safeness that a little patch of grass under your feet can create.

Director Oliver Laxe
Spain/France, 2025
115 min

Dead Mountaineer’s Hotel

An anonymous tip-off sends Inspector Peter Glebsky to the “Dead Mountaineer’s” Alpine hotel. But it is not until the isolated inn is cut off from the outside world by an avalanche that there is actually a murder – of one of the notable, but eccentric guests.

Director Grigori Kromanov
Estonia, 1979
84 min

Arco

Second episode of the KIKUMU children’s film programme. In 2075, Iris, a 10-year-old girl, sees a mysterious boy in a rainbow suit fall from the sky. It’s Arco. Iris will take him in and help him by any means possible to get home.

NB! The film will be screened in Estonian, without subtitles.

Director Ugo Bienvenu
France/USA/UK, 2025
82 min

The War of the Worlds

Our second Wells-inspired screening is an end-of-civilization classic that receives a chilling Cold War–era update, complete with hallucinatory Technicolor and visionary, Oscar-winning special effects. Emblazoned with iconographic images of 1950s science fiction, The War of the Worlds is both an influential triumph of visual imagination and a still-disquieting document of the wonder and terror of the atomic age.

Director Byron Haskin
USA, 1953
85 min

Vampir-Cuadecuc

This experimental version of the Bram Stoker classic was shot on the set of Jesús Franco’s Count Dracula, featuring Christopher Lee. Portabella dissects the Dracula movie, using it as a metaphor for the magic and suspension of disbelief that go into the audience experience of narrative cinema. Part documentary, part personal cinema, Portabella’s film is a distinctive look at a ubiquitous horror tale.

Screening within Acció Portabella, the international programme celebrating the 100th birthday of Pere Portabella.

Director Pere Portabella
Spain, 1970
69 min

Queer

1950. William Lee, an American expat in Mexico City, spends his days almost entirely alone, except for a few contacts with other members of the community. His encounter with Eugene Allerton, an expat former soldier, shows him that it might be finally possible to establish an intimate connection.

Director Luca Guadagnino
Italy/USA, 2024
137 min

Kratt

Children are left at grandma’s without smartphones. Real life seems boring until they find instructions for a kratt – magical creature who will do whatever its master says. All they have to do now, is to buy a soul from the devil…

Director Rasmus Merivoo
Estonia, 2021
109 min

Soft Landing

Soft Landing aka Brunch Cinema aka short films from Egypt, Ghana, South Africa and Senegal

A gentle closing to the festival — a space to slow down, gather, and reflect through a selection of short films. Moving between urban encounters, inner worlds, and moments of tension and stillness, the programme invites a softer, more open viewing experience shaped by rhythm, atmosphere, and everyday life.

“Microbus”
Director Maggie Kamal
Egypt, 2021
8 min

A shared minibus journey becomes a vivid portrait of city life, where strangers collide in moments of tension, humour, and fleeting connection.

“Tsutsue”
Director Amartei Armar
Ghana, 2022
15 min

A quietly observed story of everyday life, where small gestures and moments unfold with warmth, rhythm, and a sense of calm presence.

“Mångata”
Director Maja Costa
Senegal, 2023
15 min

A poetic sci-fi meditation following a solitary figure navigating light, distance, and isolation in a quiet, contemplative landscape.

“Punter”
Director Jason Adam Maselle
South Africa, 2024
14 min

A young boy moves through the precarious world of informal gambling, where risk, survival, and chance shape his everyday reality.

Peter Bjorn and John (SE)

Peter Bjorn and John (composed of Peter Moren, Björn Yttling and John Eriksson), who started their career in 1999, are celebrating 20 years since their most successful album “Writer’s Block” with a tour this year. As part of the tour, they will be performing the region’s only concert at the KIKUMU festival in Jäneda, where the album will be performed in full.

The 2006 album was the band’s third and also spawned their eternal hit “Young Folks”, whose infectious whistling has not left people’s minds to this day.

In addition to the Swedes’ own album, the song, along with its iconic animated music video, has been used in many media: in the EA Sports football game “FIFA 08”, the opening credits of the first episode of the cult series “Gossip Girl”, the baseball video game “MLB 2k13”, the comedy series “How I Met Your Mother”, in several advertisements and countless Instagram posts.

Panda Bear & Sonic Boom (US/UK)

Panda Bear (from the legendary Animal Collective) & Sonic Boom (via the as legendary Spacemen 3) met via MySpace 20 years ago after Panda Bear thanked Spacemen 3 in the liner notes of his album Person Pitch.

In 2016 Sonic Boom left his home in England for Portugal where Panda Bear was already residing. The two have since forged an enduring partnership with Sonic Boom co-producing a spate of Panda Bear releases including 2011’s Tomboy, including performing the album live together, and worked closely on 2015’s Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper.

In 2022 Sonic Boom pitched an idea to take their working relationship to the next level, resulting in the collaboration of RESET, an album of gloriously, feverishly hook-bound tracks. The duo continues to make music and perform live together as Panda Bear & Sonic Boom bring their show straight from Roskilde to KIKUMU festival in Jäneda, Estonia.

Jazzanova (live) feat. Wayne Snow

Alex Barck, Claas Brieler, Alex Reinemer, Jürgen von Knoblauch and Stefan Leisering came together in 1995 as a group of DJs united by a shared love of funk, jazz, disco, Latin music and much more. The members of Jazzanova did not release their debut studio album until 2002, but both before and after that they have played a significant role in shaping contemporary jazz and dance music alike. In addition to five studio albums, Jazzanova is also renowned for its acclaimed remixes, having reworked tracks by artists such as 4Hero, MJ Cole and Masters at Work.

A German nu-jazz institution and a secret weapon of dancefloors around the world, Jazzanova brings its refined and effortlessly smooth blend of soul, jazz and electronics to KIKUMU. Joining them is the equally distinctive master vocalist Wayne Snow, the Nigerian-born singer whose voice has become an integral part of the Jazzanova universe.

Florian Wahl

Florian Wahl, the devilish provocateur who surged from the underground to the biggest stages — including the national opera — with his AI-assisted album Flo Raadio, and who only in May 2026 staged a silent disco show in the border town of Narva, just a few hundred metres from Ivangorod, where a retro concert celebrating Soviet victories was taking place.

With each of his performances unique and carefully crafted for the location, event, and audience, expect surprises that will “stay in Jäneda”. Alongside rumours, secret phone calls, and hits like My Brother Is a Lesbian and The Last Hetero, at KIKUMU he will also perform songs from his yet-to-be-released album.

Chances are, you won’t find anything quite like it anywhere else in the world.

Night Tapes (EE/UK)

Night Tapes are a London-based Estonian-UK trio (Iiris Vesik, Max Doohan, and Sam Richards) crafting immersive, genre-blurring music that drifts between dream pop, ambient, and electronic textures. Their debut album portals//polarities (2026) captures sounds from around the world, from Estonian swamps to Mexican mountains, transforming them into deeply atmospheric soundscapes.

Originally formed through quiet late-night sessions in a shared house, the band developed a signature process blending field recordings, tape textures, and intuitive production. With over 34 million listens on their biggest song drifting, international touring including a recent 20 dates headline tour in USA and Canada, Music Moves Europe Award win and support from BBC Radio 1, BBC 6 Music, NME, Clash, and more, Night Tapes have emerged as one of the most distinctive voices in their genre.

At this year’s edition of KIKUMU festival, Night Tapes will give their only live-performance of the summer in Estonia. This comes right after returning from an arena tour as guests for The Neighbourhood’s European tour.

Spotify

Gilles Peterson & Rob G (UK)

At this year’s KIKUMU, we won’t be stopping at just one or two “best in the world” titles. Alongside A Guy Called Gerald and his special performance of what is widely considered one of the greatest jungle albums of all time, Black Secret Technology, Jäneda will also welcome back British DJ and broadcaster Gilles Peterson, who has long struggled to shake off the label of “the world’s best DJ”.

At the very first KIKUMU festival in 2025, Peterson famously turned Sunday into the new Friday with a three-and-a-half-hour set. This year, he returns with a similar intent, closing the festival with a celebration of groove, funk, house and beyond.

Nubiyan Twist (UK)

Formed in 2011 at Leeds College of Music, Nubiyan Twist have evolved into one of the UK’s most forward-thinking and electrifying ensembles. Known for their infectious fusion of jazz, afrobeat, soul, and hip-hop the 9-piece collective have built a reputation for virtuosic musicianship and high-energy live shows that transcend genre and geography. Now they are bringing all this and more to the KIKUMU festival in Jäneda, Estonia.

Their innovative sound and collaborative spirit have earned them AIM Award and MOBO nominations, as well as support from PRS Foundation’s Momentum Music Fund and the Music Export Growth Scheme (MEGS) – key backers of the UK’s most promising independent artists.

Across their career, Nubiyan Twist have collaborated with an impressive roster of global talent, including Nile Rodgers, Seun Kuti, Tony Allen, Fatoumata Diawara, and Mamani Keita, among others.

Bandleader Tom Excell is a long-time contributor to Africa Express, Damon Albarn’s celebrated cross-cultural project, where he has performed and collaborated with a host of legendary African and Western artists.

With multiple acclaimed albums, extensive international touring, and a loyal following at the heart of the UK’s jazz and groove movement, Nubiyan Twist continue to champion connection, creativity and collective energy – celebrating the power of human music in an increasingly digital world.

Spotift

Maria Somerville (IRL)

Irish singer-songwriter Maria Somerville crafts music where ambient textures, dream pop and slow-burning melodies meet intimate songwriting. Her acclaimed 2025 album Luster, released by 4AD, established her as one of the most captivating voices in contemporary dream pop. At KIKUMU, Somerville brings her dimly glowing sonic world to Jäneda, where silence and echo matter as much as the song itself.

Booka Shade (DE)

With ten studio albums to their name, the duo of Walter Merziger and Arno Kammermeier, better known as Booka Shade, are widely regarded as veterans of Frankfurt’s electronic music scene. Having previously worked under a different name in the 1990s, Walter and Arno founded their own label Get Physical in 2002, soon after beginning to release music as Booka Shade.

A few years later, Mixmag named Get Physical Label of the Year, while the single “Body Language” became one of Ibiza’s defining tracks of the 2004 season, also earning recognition from Resident Advisor as one of the year’s most important releases.

Now, the tech-house duo brings their sound from Ibiza, Tomorrowland and stages around the world directly to KIKUMU festival in Jäneda.

Spotify

Divine Earth (UK)

Inspired by evolution and a deep dedication to craft, London-born, Nigerian-British singer, songwriter, musician, and performer Divine Earth is known for creating intentional, soulful music. Formerly known as “muva of Earth”, their anticipated debut EP Align With Nature’s Intelligence was released in September 2023 via Gilles Peteron’s Brownswood Recordings. A meditative-punk project composed live with a band (upright bass, cello, piano, drums, keys), the EP is guided by Divine Earth’s vocals and harp playing.

As both a solo act and one half of DIVINEANGEL, Divine Earth has shared her celestial sound on stages across the UK, Europe, and the US. She has received praise from cultural icons including Erykah Badu, André 3000, Sudan Archives, and Greentea Peng, and was named by The Face as “London’s Next Alt-Jazz Superstar.”

Spotify

BCUC (SA)

From humble beginnings, rehearsing in a shipping container a stone’s throw from the church where Desmond Tutu organised the escape of the most wanted anti-Apartheid activists of Soweto, BCUC (Bantu Continua Uhuru Consciousness) have grown to become one of the world’s most celebrated bands, playing the biggest stages at some of the most important festivals in the world: Glastonbury West Holts, Roskilde, Sziget, Worldwide, Boomtown, among many others. And now the KIKUMU festival adds itself to the proud list.

Like its elders, Bantu Continua Uhuru Consciousness sees its music as a hedonistic trance, but also as a weapon of political and spiritual liberation. 2023 even saw them win the prestigious Womex Artist Award, an accolade usually reserved for much older artists, in recognition of their fearless work ethic and prodigiously transformational live shows.

The seven-piece band has been mesmerising audiences both locally and globally with its indigenous funk and high-energy performances that have fast made it one of South Africa’s most successful musical exports. They tackle the harsh realities of the voiceless, especially the plight of the uneducated workers at the bottom of the social food chain. The Africa portrayed by BCUC is not poor, but rich in tradition, rituals and beliefs.

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Martyn (NL)

Born in the Netherlands, Martyn began his career in the 1990s as a drum & bass and dubstep DJ. In the 2000s he started releasing his own music, culminating in his 2009 debut album, rooted in the world of electronic bass music. His most recent album, Music for Existing, released in May 2026, finds him exploring nu-jazz, a musical territory he has been navigating with increasing enthusiasm in recent years.

At KIKUMU, Martyn will showcase that journey in DJ form, presenting an eclectic selection of jazz and everything orbiting around it.

NTS Latest · Martyn's Darkest Light 130526

Tõnis Mägi

On the opening night of the festival, July 9, the beloved Tõnis Mägi will give a unique concert in the park of Jäneda Manor. The concert will be complemented by light installations that will converge into a romantic play against the backdrop of treetops and a summer evening.

Vaiko Eplik ja Eliit

Since his days in the Britpop-inspired band Claire’s Birthday and the punk group Koer (Dog), Vaiko Eplik has spent over 30 years cementing his status as one of the most legendary, influential, and prolific singer-songwriters in modern Estonian pop music. He has inspired generations while constantly finding new ways to reinvent himself—the most recent example being a fresh collaborative EP with Estonia’s biggest pop-rap star, Nublu.

At KIKUMU, Vaiko Eplik will take the stage with his elite group Eliit and a seemingly endless list of songs that most Estonians know by heart.

Holy Motors

Holy Motors is a twang, surf and shoegaze band from Estonia, a five-piece that likes to keep things a bit dreamy and mysterious. They are cowboys at heart who sound like shoegazers, and like dreamcatchers in their music. At KIKUMU Holy Motors will step on a stage designed by artists Johanna Ruukholm and Martina Gofman.

Ans.Andur

Indie stalwarts from the town of Paide in the middle of Estonia, Ans. Andur and their melodic sound have been a defining presence in Estonian alternative music since their formation in 2002. Over the years, they have released nine albums, building a reputation as one of the country’s most consistent and quietly influential guitar bands. Their latest record, Uus palav päev (“A New Hot Day”), was released in autumn 2021.

Their 2015 album “Öine Bingo” (“The Night Bingo”) was declared the Best Alternative Album at Estonian Music Awards, and several of their releases have ranked highly in critics’ year-end lists.

They have performed countless shows across Estonia, with appearances also in Finland, Latvia and the Czech Republic, and have even taken part in Estonia’s Independence Day presidential reception at the Estonia Concert Hall. And this summer the band will arrive at Jäneda to take part of KIKUMU festival.

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villemdrillem x Karl Killing

KIKUMU welcomes two young specialists villemdrillem and Karl Killing. The pair have been working side by side for a while now, but only recently arrived at their first joint EP — a release that makes it immediately clear why these guys matter so much in Estonian pop, R&B and hip-hop. They will offer further explanations on stage at Jäneda.

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Kirke Karja x Teis Semey (EE/DK)

Estonian composer and pianist Kirke Karja and Copenhagen-based Danish guitarist Teis Semey — also known as “the bad boy of Dutch jazz” — first crossed paths as acquaintances at the major jazz industry gathering Jazzahead!. By chance, both were wearing red coats, a small but fateful detail that quickly led them to the only logical conclusion: they should make music together.

At this year’s KIKUMU festival, the pair will perform original material written specifically by both Karja and Semey for this shared project.

Influenced by jazz, punk and electronic music, Semey is known for his expressive, orchestral approach to the guitar. Through his Teis Semey Quintet and the band Raw Fish, he has built a following across Europe and the United States in recent years. Karja’s main musical outlets include the international trio Karja / Renard / Wandinger and a solo project reworking the music of Paul Hindemith. She also composes music for orchestras and theatre productions.

Meisterjaan & Normaalsete Inimeste Klubi

One of the most elusive tricksters on the Estonian music scene, Meisterjaan is known for his buzzing sonic landscapes built with jaw harp, voice, looper and live electronics. At KIKUMU 2026, he appears with his new band Normaalsete Inimeste Klubi (The Normal People’s Club), featuring Aigar Vals on drums and Greta Liis Grünberg on bass, jaw harp and other instruments.

In this new formation, Meisterjaan’s set will move between newer and earlier material, as well as everything that happens in between. Expect moments of improvisation that will unfold uniquely in Jäneda – things that haven’t happened before and won’t happen again.

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Zebra Island

Zebra Island is back! Formed in 2011, this Estonian dream-pop band weaves airy electronics, indie, disco, and pop-influenced melodies into their sound. The band has even described their music as ghost-pop, reflecting how danceable rhythms can shift into more intimate, melancholic moods.

In 2013, Latvian label I LOVE YOU Records released their debut album Saturnine. The band took part in the national final for the Eurovision Song Contest, Eesti Laul in 2016 and went on a creative hiatus the following year.

After a nine-year restorative slumber, Zebra Island, featuring Rasmus Lill, Helina Risti, and Ivar Mägi, is active again. Their long-awaited second studio album is expected in autumn 2026, and attentive listeners may get a preview of it at KIKUMU Festival.

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Fuzzolini

Fuzzolini, led by Valter Nõmm of the legendary rock band Shelton San, released their debut album Beauty Exists in Everyone in April of 2026 after three years of work and with contributions from 17 different collaborators. Some added vocals, some added layers of noise, and some brought unusual ideas that simply sounded too good not to record.

Despite the army behind the album, on stage Fuzzoli appears as a Tallinn-based noise-rock quartet unafraid to crank the volume to the max. Their robust noise-rock directness, hypnotic krautrock layers, post-punk’s angsty energy, and lush psychedelic rock-imagination can erupt into a full-throttle wall of sound or transform into a meditative sonic journey. The choice is yours, but to experience it, you’ll need to be at the KIKUMU festival in Jäneda.

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Gram-Of-Fun x Daniel Levi

Gram-Of-Fun, active since 2017, began turning heads already in 2018 with the hit single “Reservation”. Since then, the band has released one EP and two full-length albums, the latest of which — after midnight, created together with Daniel Levi — came out at the end of last year. Blending pop, funk, soul, indie, and electronic influences with an imaginative touch, Gram-Of-Fun bring their vibrant sound and Daniel Levi to the KIKUMU festival in Jäneda.

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Idjut Boys (UK)

Idjut Boys Dan Tyler and Conrad McDonnell are an English duo whose dub-heavy house tracks incorporate their playful sense of humour. Frequently described as the ‘legendary’ Idjut Boys, they recently celebrated their 30th anniversary of making music and DJing together.

Tyler and McDonnell met in the late 80s in Cambridge while McDonnell was working as a lifeguard and Tyler was studying at University. In the early 90s they both moved to London and started making music together, DJing and promoting their own successful club nights at The Cross in Kings Cross, hosting New York DJs Hector Romero and Ted Patterson among many others. The Idjut’s fusion of dub, house and techno soon caught on and by the mid-90s they were DJing all over the world.

Over the years, the Idjuts have remixed the likes of Lighthouse Family, Sound 5, Dido, Dimitri from Paris, DJ Harvey, Prins Thomas, Todd Terje, De Lux, and Bryan Ferry.

At KIKUMU festival in Jäneda, the duo will join the local club-night legends Mutant Disco for, what can only be called, a truly colorful night/morning.

Püha Põlev Vesi

Püha Põlev Vesi is a psychedelic ritual-rock trio from Tartu whose music is intertwined with obscure folklore and folk traditions. Their sonic landscapes are filled with dense fog, apparitions and the flickering glow of fire.

Wrupk Urei

Wrupk Urei’s psychedelic journey began in 2004. Based in Tartu, the band has gradually cultivated a friendship between many different musical styles, melting them into a single, constantly shifting whole. When Wrupk Urei make an important discovery, they don’t linger — instead, they move quickly on to the next musical adventure.

Wrupk Urei are above all a concert band: a significant part of their spontaneously born music exists only on stage. They are often associated with Estonia’s new wave of instrumental music, drawing nourishment from a rich soil fertilised by psychedelic jazz, offbeat electronica, and other exploratory sounds.

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ants1

Formed out of students from the Estonian Academy of Arts, the members of ants1 are active across a range of contemporary art practices. Working together for the past two years, the collective’s desire to push beyond the limits of a conventional band – to bring in theatre, provoke, and say things rarely said on stage – led to the creation of the absurdist musical Carmen Electra, premiered in October last year and now brought to KIKUMU.

The group themselves resolutely say “no” to all forms of low-brow, stagnant “crap” — while reserving the right to produce low-brow, stagnant art of their own. All in the name of a better Estonia.

Kristjan Kannukene

Kristjan Kannukene is an Estonian violist, vocalist, electric guitarist, composer, improviser, and intermedia artist whose work brings together diverse traditions and aesthetics. The fusion of classical and rock music has been central to his artistic expression, ranging from performing Bach’s violin concerto on electric guitar to improvising a rock solo on viola with the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra.

Kannukene holds two master’s degrees with distinction (cum laude) from the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre in classical viola and contemporary improvisation. Following the release of his debut album “333”, he has focused on developing his intermedia instrument and interactive sound installation project “9”. His artistic research centers on the symbiosis of voice and viola and its integration with other art forms.

Andres Lõo

A stalwart of Estonia’s underground music scene whose work has resonated across clubs, cinemas and theatre stages alike, Andres Lõo has drawn in listeners from the worlds of psychedelic dance music, punchy pop and contemporary avant-garde. At KIKUMU, Lõo will present deep house and downbeat material from his 2025 EP Different Glow, alongside previously unreleased tracks, shaped by his signature sense of space and improvised vocal performances.

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Kiwanoid

Kiwanoid is a multi-disciplinary meta-artist and one of the most prominent pioneers of Estonia’s experimental art scene since the 1990s. His work has been presented in more than 400 exhibitions worldwide, including Moderna Museet (Malmö), Tate Modern (London), Stedelijk Museum (Amsterdam) and The Kitchen (New York).

His practice functions as an intertextual investigation into socio-symbolic meaning-making and cultural codes across multiple layers. Alongside his exhibition work, Kiwanoid founded the publishing house ;paranoia in 2014 and has released ten books, ranging from essays to experimental literature. Two of his music albums have been released by the Frankfurt-based label Mille Plateaux and the Tallinn label Glitch Please.

His most recent release, Rave For Glitched Generation, released in December 2025, is a one-hour continuous sound work structured as a single DJ set. Rather than a collection of tracks, it unfolds as a flowing sonic block that mirrors the club format while simultaneously disrupting its function and aesthetics.

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Wondering O

Wondering O is the solo project of Estonian composer and audiovisual artist Mihkel Tomberg, centred on meditative sound sculptures, darkly rumbling ambient textures and multi-layered drone structures. Tomberg weaves seemingly simple, slowly decaying tones into dense sonic landscapes that continue to pulse subtly long after the listening experience ends.

The 2020 album ? r u introduced a more rhythmic and luminous dimension to Wondering O’s sound. Beyond his solo work, Tomberg has taken part in exhibitions in Estonia, Italy and Australia, and has created sound design for a range of performative works. At KIKUMU, Wondering O will bring his distinctly intimate yet cosmic sonic world to Jäneda.

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Djerro

Djerro (also known for ÖÄK, Side, Erro, 3Pead) has spent the past ten years navigating the backrooms of minimalist and rhythm electronic music. This year, his musical journey reaches a turning point with the EP series Drooms, which will also make its way to KIKUMU Festival.

With his pornographic soundscapes, Djerro confronts the empty glam of gay culture, the playfulness-drained pulse of techno, and the confines of conventional taste. Raw tracks infused with the occult and primitivism pack his secrets into music, leaving the next sonic twists to be revealed by chance, like a coin tossed into the air.

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Säde Semper

A newcomer on the Estonian alternative scene, Säde Semper draws inspiration from everywhere under the sun. She blends folk motifs, found sounds, cathartic beats, and vocal harmonies into dense, textured soundscapes.

Her music can be harsh and relentless one moment, melancholic the next, and then ritualistic, untamed, and hysterical. For Semper, every detail on stage is part of an experiment aimed at creating a liminal state, both within herself and in the audience.

Moving across genres, languages, walls, and spaces, her work unfolds live at KIKUMU festival.

Who shapes our world? And who are we?
Fiat lux, sed ex nihilo nihil fit.

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Lisette-Marie Viilup

Lisette-Marie Viilup (7.lup) is an Estonia-based performing artist who works with spatial sound through improvisation and analog technology. Her work draws on no-input mixing, creating feedback loops and using smaller reactive mechanisms to generate non-repeating sonic structures where the experience depends on the space and the body’s position, and where change is the only constant.

In 2024, she graduated from the University of Tartu Viljandi Culture Academy, having spent the final year and a half of her studies at the Inter-University Centre for Dance (HZT) at the Berlin University of the Arts (UdK). Since then she has performed at venues such as Cabaret Voltá, ARS Art Factory, as well as at festivals including Üle Heli, KÕU, and No Input Noise Fest.

Website

Club Rats

Party-series and collective Club Rats have been playing according to their own rules for the past four years and have, during that time, carved out their own comfy space in the Estonian underground. They have built numerous nights that move fast, hit hard and jump from baile to dubstep, from post-club to hardstyle and so on. Their sound pulls from everywhere and settles nowhere. Global influences come in twisted and leave even sharper.

At KIKUMU, the Rats take over for one night, curating a stage with a lineup of selectors ready to give you exactly what a proper dancefloor needs.

The later it gets, the harder it hits. Come closer. Stay longer.

Naivete

Following curiosity into the unknown, Naivete seeks to let go of assumed limits and expectations. Led by wonder and naivety, wandering through shifting moods and echoes of music once known, gathering fragments of forgotten sounds, evoking familiar feelings in unfamiliar forms.

Llorolyn b2b Mai

Joining the Club Rats club night are Llorolyn and Mai, taking listeners on a journey through high-BPM sounds and wall-to-wall beats. Known for their chaotic and delightfully unhinged sets, they have a way of bringing even the most reserved souls out onto the dancefloor.

The key words are simple: beautiful, joyful and fast.

Haigla Pidu

Rooted in local skate culture, the Haigla Pidu commando — DJs Ats Luik, Kristopher Luigend and Jan Tomson — have been hauling their flashing red light and smoke machine through clubs and festivals across Estonia for the past 13 years. Their guest lists have been impressive, and genre boundaries have never been respected. This year at KIKUMU, Haigla Pidu will once again push the vibe on the Kalijärv beach stage to that what-more-could-you-possibly-want-from-life level of bliss.

Mutant Disco

Legendary Tallinn club night Mutant Disco began in 1997 from the friendship between two key underground DJs and fellow house music lovers – Estonia’s Raul Saaremets and the UK’s Rhythm Doctor. They were later joined by DJ and music journalist Siim Nestor, and the trio went on to host monthly club nights for 20 years, welcoming many dance music icons before wrapping things up in 2017.

Since then, they haven’t lost their edge, turning up where and when they’re most needed, dedicating one-off sets and events to everything from deep house classics and trap music to amapiano and Brazilian grooves. What exactly they’ll bring to KIKUMU remains to be heard – at KIKUMU.

AfroChill

DJ Yas Lo, originally from Tanzania, founded Afro Chill in 2022 to connect Estonian and African communities through music events that highlight contemporary African rhythms and diaspora culture. Key values of the project are creativity, belonging, and community.

This summer, the resident DJs from the series will bring their Afrobeats, Amapiano, Dancehall, Reggaeton, Hip-Hop, and R&B sets to KIKUMU as well.

Öömaja

Öömaja Selectors is both a dance music party and a radio show that started in 2013. The collective consists of four selectors/DJs: Renno Paat, Andres Alev, Üllar Siir, and Indrek Alev.

Among friends, music discussions, radio shows, and parties come together exactly the way they like them. Their sets and broadcasts feature primarily soul, Balearic, Afro, disco, house, and a wide array of other rare and distinctive rhythms.

Over the years, they have played DJ sets in Amsterdam, Berlin, Naples, and now they are bringing their sound to KIKUMU Festival.

Sara Mautone (IT)

Sara Mautone is a fashion photographer, DJ and vinyl collector. She started her radio career with a residency on the Milanese Radio Raheem and recently appeared on NTS, Rinse France and Radio Nova.

Specializing in Brazilian and Japanese music from the 70s and 80s, she has a penchant for sophisticated and ethereal groove. Her imagery is also perceived when she works behind the lens and takes photographs characterized by a predilection for bodies and movement. In addition to her radio mixes, Sara performs in the most renowned clubs and festivals throughout Europe, collaborating with established realities such as Jazz Re:found, Polifonic, Anna Molly.

And summer of ‘26 she will be bringing her selector-talents to KIKUMU festival in Jäneda!

DJ Drummie

Since the mid-1990s, DJ Drummie has been helping shape Tallinn’s music and club culture alongside Alari Orav. His record collection, numbering around 5,000 releases, spans deep house, drum & bass, soul, ambient, indie and much more.
Exactly what will be spinning through the speakers in the Jäneda night remains to be seen at KIKUMU, but one thing is certain: standing still will likely prove difficult.

DJ Julius

DJ Julius emerged from the cultural strata of Estonia’s underground dinosaurs. Having helped shape the country’s rave scene in the 1990s, he has remained more or less continuously active ever since, playing everywhere from warehouses and basement parties around Washington, D.C., to polished private lounges and stages back home in Estonia.

Stubbornly loyal to vinyl, much to the occasional frustration of club owners and festival organisers, Julius moves freely across eras and genres. His selections are as eclectic as they are occasionally exotic, but always unmistakably electronic. That same path now leads him back to another appearance at KIKUMU Festival.

Music

Programme

Thursday, 09.07

Õuelava

Suur saal

Mikkeller stage

Friday, 10.07

Õuelava

Suur saal

Maatriks

Mikkeller stage

Järvelava

Behind Jäneda manor

Saturday, 11.07

Õuelava

Suur saal

Maatriks

Mikkeller stage

Järvelava

In front of Jäneda manor

Behind Jäneda manor

Sunday, 12.07

Õuelava

Suur saal

Järvelava

Art

Cinema

Programme

Thursday, 09.07

Friday, 10.07

Saturday, 11.07

Sunday, 12.07

KIKUMU Talks

KIKUMU Nature

KIKUMU Kids

KIKUMU Running Club

Accommodation

Nelijärve Holiday Centre:

More accommodation options:

Transport

Info and rules

Festival Passes

Early Bird passes

Location

Newsletter

Partners

Artrovert

Art&Tonic

FOKU

Kogo

Temnikova & Kasela

Tütar

Vaal

Rolling Papers

The Wound

The Terror of the Gulls

Chainsaws Were Singing

Little Amélie or the Character of Rain

Island of Lost Souls

Sirât

Dead Mountaineer’s Hotel

Arco

The War of the Worlds

Vampir-Cuadecuc

Queer

Kratt

Soft Landing

Peter Bjorn and John (SE)

Panda Bear & Sonic Boom (US/UK)

Jazzanova (live) feat. Wayne Snow

Florian Wahl

Night Tapes (EE/UK)

Gilles Peterson & Rob G (UK)

Nubiyan Twist (UK)

Maria Somerville (IRL)

Booka Shade (DE)

Divine Earth (UK)

BCUC (SA)

Martyn (NL)

Tõnis Mägi