New head of Opinion Festival: culture of discussion must be nurtured all year round
Harri Ausmaa, the incoming head of the Opinion Festival, wants to extend the festival's influence across the year and engage young people in developing a culture of discussion.
The Opinion Festival will take place in Paide next weekend, and after it concludes, Harri Ausmaa will take over as its new head. He wants the festival to have an impact throughout the year and intends to devote more attention to young people and to building a culture of discussion.
Ausmaa said on the "Vikerhommik" programme that leading the festival is a natural continuation of his previous work. His connection with the event dates back to his time as director of the Paide Theatre, which became an important festival partner. He also recalled that the theatre itself was born out of a discussion at the Opinion Festival, where someone asked whether Paide needed its own city theatre.
The new leader sees the festival as a way to shape Estonia's culture of opinions and discussions. In his view, culture is not just a pastime or entertainment: it influences how people understand each other, how communities work, and what kind of society we live in.
Ausmaa believes that Estonian society has seen less meaningful dialogue in recent years. Rapid changes and uncertainty make people hold on to their positions more firmly, so monologues often dominate instead of debates. That, he argues, makes the role of the Opinion Festival particularly important – in such times it is necessary to preserve the culture of discussion and create positive scenarios for the future.
One of the key changes he plans is activity throughout the year. The festival intends to introduce new discussion formats, training sessions and learning materials, and to reach new target groups. Although the most visible part of the festival is its two-day event in August, the culture of discussion needs to be nurtured year-round.
Organisers also want to make more visible how ideas from the festival turn into actual sectoral plans and initiatives. A feedback model is being developed to assess the real impact of the discussions. Another important direction will be working with young people, which is to be achieved by jointly developing formats and discussing topics that genuinely interest the younger generation.
Attendance at the Opinion Festival has remained steady at around 10,000 people in recent years. Ausmaa says no significant growth should be expected, as Paide's possibilities impose natural limits. Instead of chasing numbers, the team will focus on quality: introducing new formats, technological solutions and exploring new locations in the town.
