New festival Tartu Punch launches with HU?, Jack Garratt and Baxter Dury
This summer, Tartu will welcome a long-awaited addition to Estonia’s and the wider Baltic festival landscape as the international alternative pop music festival Tartu Punch launches at the Tartu Song Festival Grounds. Taking place on 3–4 July, the festival’s first announced artists include Jack Garratt, Baxter Dury, Oscar Jerome, Frankie Animal and Estonian electronic pop pioneers HU?.
On 3–4 July, the new music festival Tartu Punch will make its debut at the Tartu Song Festival Grounds, bringing together internationally acclaimed and current artists alongside some of the most outstanding local names. The programme has been carefully curated, spanning contemporary pop, indie, R&B, electronic, soul, post-punk and genre-defying sounds.
“We are very pleased that Tartu’s local cultural life is being enriched by a new major music festival. As a holder of the European Festivals Association’s Festival City label, we consider it important to support bold cultural initiatives. Tartu Punch brings a fresh international spirit to our cultural scene and will no doubt offer audiences many memorable experiences,” says Kristiina Avik, Head of Culture for the City of Tartu.
Today, the first wave of artists was announced — six performers who will take the stage in front of festivalgoers. Topping the line-up is HU? (EE), the flagship of local electronic pop, who recently announced their return after a ten-year hiatus. Following their concert on May 8 in Tallinn at Hundipea Kakaoladu, the band will give only one public live performance this summer — and it will be at Tartu Punch. The core of the band consists of Hannaliisa Uusmaa, Bert Prikenfeld, better known as DJ Critikal, and Leslie Laasner, aka Leslie Da Bass. HU?, who burst onto the Estonian music scene like a comet in 2007, have a catalogue of hit songs including “Absoluutselt,” “Sa meeldid mulle,” “Elupõletaja,” “UV faktor 5,” “Made in China,” and many others.
Tartu Punch will also host multi-instrumentalist Jack Garratt (UK), whose debut album Phase was released in 2016 on Island Records. In the same year, Garratt received several prestigious British music honours, including the BRITs Critics’ Choice award and the BBC Sound of 2016 title, before embarking on a world tour that culminated in two sold-out nights at London’s Hammersmith Apollo in 2017. He followed this with the albums Love, Death & Dancing (2020) and last year’s Pillars.
Also joining the line-up is Baxter Dury (UK), whose distinctive style combines sharp character writing, dark humour and sophisticated alternative pop. The British musician’s latest album, Allbarone, was released in 2025 via Heavenly Recordings and was produced by the acclaimed Paul Epworth, whose previous collaborators include Adele and Florence + The Machine. Dury’s work is widely appreciated for its witty, self-aware and cinematic signature, which has made him one of the most distinctive artists in contemporary British alternative music.
The line-up also includes singer, guitarist, producer and songwriter Oscar Jerome (UK), whose music fluidly blends soul, jazz, funk, indie and world music. Having first gained wider recognition as a former member of Kokoroko, Jerome has developed into one of the most exciting voices in contemporary London music, with a style defined by lyrical guitar playing, nuanced soundscapes and sensitive songwriting. His latest solo album, The Fork, continues this path as a mature and richly layered work that has cemented his place among the standout British artists of a new generation.
Representing Estonia on the festival line-up is Frankie Animal (EE), one of the brightest names in the country’s alternative pop and rock scene, whose music brings together infectious melodies, high-energy guitar-driven sound and the distinctive vocals of Marie Vaigla. Formed in 2012, the band has over the years become an important act on the Estonian indie scene. Their journey has included success at the Noortebänd competition, performances on a number of international stages, and the albums The Backbeat (2016) and Party Alone (2022). Frankie Animal’s music combines polished pop sensibility, rock energy and a twilight sense of romance. Last year, they delighted listeners with two new singles, “you, i need you” and “maria marianna”.
Tartu Punch will also feature Rick Feds (LV), widely regarded as one of the best finger-drummers in the world — an artist, music producer and audio-visual performer who uses finger-drumming as his main technique to control all sonic and visual elements simultaneously. His background in jazz drumming and classical piano allows Rick to perform every element of a beat arrangement in a way few others can. All of his pads are synced with visuals and lighting that follow the sounds and tell a visual story alongside the music.
On both festival days, the gates will open at 2 PM and the programme will run until midnight. Altogether, Tartu Punch will feature three live stages — one of them curated by Paavli Culture Factory — as well as a DJ stage. On both Friday and Saturday, music will also reach the streets of Tartu earlier in the day through pop-up stages as part of the city-space programme.
Public sales of festival passes begin via Piletitasku.ee on Thursday, 12 March, at 8 AM CET. On the festival’s website, tartupunch.com, visitors can subscribe to the newsletter to be the first to hear festival news and gain access to pre-sales.
“Tartu Punch’s vision is to become the international calling card of Estonia’s summer festival culture and a symbol of summer in Tartu. It is a festival where the spirit of Tartu meets the vibe of Tartu,” says festival founder and head organiser Tarmo Sikk, who is also behind Võnge, the summer festival that has travelled across different locations in Estonia for more than a decade.
The event is supported by the City of Tartu.