The 23x12-meter fabric installation was first created by artists Karl Joonas Alamaa and Lisette Sivard for a 2022 exhibition raising awareness of school bullying, symbolizing an inclusive society where no one is left out and differences are valued.

It arrived in Tartu on Tuesday, a day after the same event on the lawn in front of Viljandi's Ugala Theater drew a larger-than-expected crowd.

Despite scattered protests, including loud noise, egg-throwing and some cars parked nearby loudly playing music with homophobic lyrics, Viljandi organizer Eva Maris Küngas said local officials' decision to ban Monday's event from city property actually helped promote the event, Sakala reported.

Attendance at the banner's first stop, which coincided with Children's Day on June 1, more than quadrupled to around 150.

"Now it's over, and hopefully the people of Viljandi could see there was nothing scary about unfurling fabric," she said.

Pride challenges keeping silent

The rainbow banner is being displayed in several cities across Estonia this week as part of Baltic Pride, which has returned to Tallinn for 2026.

This year's theme, "Silence Won't Defeat Hate," highlights that hate grows not only through major conflicts, but also in silence, indifference and a failure to speak up or act.

Organizers of the June 1 gathering are also taking the City of Viljandi to court over Monday's event ban, backed by the Estonian Human Rights Center (EIK) as a test of equal access to public space and civil rights protections in Estonia.

The patchwork rainbow banner will make its final stop in Tallinn's Tammsaare Park on Saturday.

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