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Wikipedia Summer Days in Estonia
By: Kruusamägi

Back in 2009, a bunch of Wikipedians in Estonia met in Viki village. And yes, that is an actual village in Estonia: we even have to name the corresponding village article "Viki küla" (Viki village), as "Viki" was already taken for the name of the software article. This was the humble beginning of Wikipedia Summer Days, a summer gathering, that has taken place each year ever since except for 2015 and 2020.

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Back in 2009, a bunch of Wikipedians in Estonia met in Viki village. And yes, that is an actual village in Estonia: we even have to name the corresponding village article "Viki küla" (Viki village), as "Viki" was already taken for the name of the software article. This was the humble beginning of Wikipedia Summer Days, a summer gathering, that has taken place each year ever since except for 2015 and 2020.

Sometimes we have some international visitors as well (like people from Latvia or Finland). Especially in 2019 when the number of foreign visitors almost exceeded Estonians.

This July it was the 13th time the event was held and quite fittingly it had 13 participants. It was a two-day event in Central Estonia and involved things like Wikimedia Eesti general meeting and announcing CEE Spring winners, but also the notorious sunrise photographic trip with Ivo, where hardly anyone ever participates, but which is nevertheless held in most years (and out of all people Ivo is for sure the least interested on waking up 4 AM).

Estonia is no exception to the general rule, that most countries have fairly few Wikipedians, out of whom even fewer show up at physical meetings. That also raises the question of how to go on with the summer gatherings. Should we aim for just small meetups or something significantly bigger? This could be an interesting question as well for all the Wikimanians on CEE countries. Why not visit Estonia in the summer and meet fellow Wikimedians there?

In 2024 the Finnish Wikipedians have also decided to join our summer days in mass. Why not welcome participants from CEE countries as well? We would also aim for proximity to the Wikimania conference in Poland so that it would make sense to reserve the summer vacation for the trip to Poland and the Baltics. Or consider arranging Wikipedia Summer Days in your own country?