General Information

Last Thursday (Viimane Neljapäev) is an Estonian community initiative that brings people together through creativity, culture and open dialogue. At its heart is a simple idea: to create an accessible and welcoming space where everyone has an equal opportunity to participate, express themselves and connect with others.

The story of Last Thursday began on the last Thursday of February 2013, when the first literary evening was organised. From the beginning, consistency and openness were central to the idea: the event would take place on the last Thursday of every month, and anyone who wanted to share their work could sign up on the spot. There was no selection process and no hierarchy between performers. Whether someone was stepping in front of an audience for the first time or the fiftieth, everyone was given the same space and the same opportunity to be heard.

Last Thursday has also always had a **nomadic character**. Rather than being tied to one permanent venue, the event moves between different spaces and locations. Over the years, different venues have temporarily become home to the community, allowing new people, environments and ideas to become part of its story. This mobility is an important part of the spirit of Last Thursday: the community is not defined by a particular building or stage, but by the people who come together and create the space wherever the event happens to take place.

For the first five years, Last Thursday was founded by Steven Vihalem. As the gatherings continued, however, something larger began to grow around them. Regular participants became a community and gradually took a more active role in organising and shaping the events themselves. Last Thursday became a kind of social experiment: a place where people of different ages, backgrounds and life experiences could meet as equals. It does not matter whether you are considered successful by society or have found yourself caught between its gears. Friendships, collaborations and new ideas have emerged simply because people who might otherwise never have met were given a space to come together.

In 2024, MTÜ Viimane Neljapäev was established to give this growing community a more formal structure and new possibilities for action. Today, Last Thursday has expanded beyond its original literary evenings. The organisation brings together cultural and community events, trainings, discussion evenings and panel discussions, as well as initiatives connected to solidarity and charitable causes. In May 2026, for example, the community organised a fundraising event in support of Lebanon.

More than a decade after the first Last Thursday, the principle at its core has remained the same: everyone is welcome, and everyone is equal. Last Thursday believes that meaningful communities can grow when people are given a safe space to express themselves, listen to one another and meet across the boundaries that usually separate us. There is no single place that defines Last Thursday, wherever the community gathers, Last Thursday finds its home.