Estonia's Secret Summer: Strangers Invited Into Backyard Cafés
Why Estonians invite strangers into their back gardens each summer
Across Estonia, residents transform their gardens, garages, and even bedroom windows into temporary cafés for one day each summer, a tradition that began on Hiiumaa island in 2007. With over 150 events nationwide, visitors get a rare peek into private Estonian life, sampling homemade dishes like seljanka soup and sõir cheese. The events foster community and neighborliness, as seen when Ukrainian refugees were welcomed with open arms, and even an AI entrepreneur lowers homemade ice cream from her third-story window.
It is not so often you can see inside of our yards. They are closed. But this is the day when our people open their hearts and their gates.