The concluded festival was presented to the Tartu audience by a new organizing team and creative council: Mari Nurk served as the new managing director of the festival, putting together a new team and creative team for the event. According to Nurk, the Tartu audience had the opportunity to experience a wide variety of theatre forms and authorial styles.

"Over 6,000 visits give us, as festival organizers, strong confirmation that the festival is viable and that our programmatic choices resonate with audiences in Tartu and Southern Estonia. It is equally important to note that theatre professionals from neighboring countries are increasingly finding their way to both the Draama festival and the contemporary performing arts showcase festival held simultaneously by the Estonian Theatre Agency – this shows that the festival has the potential to become an important international meeting place," said Mari Nurk.

Specifically, 49 foreign guests participated in the contemporary performing arts showcase festival held in Tallinn and Tartu, which is an all-time record. Within the framework of the festival, 39 of them also reached Tartu, and a total of 52 foreign guests visited the week-long Draama festival, including theatre festival curators, theatre critics, dramaturgs, producers, and directors.

This year's festival was also milestone-worthy as exactly 30 years had passed since the first Tartu theatre festival. However, in its early years, the festival did not take place annually, but was held as a biennale. To mark the round anniversary, the festival opened with an installation titled "Mixed Signals" by renowned artists Renzo van Steenbergen and Kristjan Pütsep, which visitors could view free of charge throughout the festival week.

"Draama 2026 will certainly be remembered for its diverse program and broader theatre-related events. In addition to performances, theatre-related meetings, the presentation of the book "Teatrielu 2025" ("A Life in the Theatre 2025"), and a spatial installation opened in the Samelin factory, a two-day Estonian theatre conference also took place in Tartu. This was an important event for the entire theatre sector to jointly discuss how and where Estonian theatre should move forward to maintain its vitality, significance, and ability to speak to audiences in changing circumstances," Nurk said. The conference's necessity was also demonstrated by the high attendance: nearly 300 participants registered for the two-day event.

A total of 40 performances were given within the festival, including four screenings of the video recording of the production "Macbeth". The production that gathered the most viewers was Ekspeditsioon's "I Didn't Even Notice You Leaving" (directed by Lauri Lagle), which gave five performances over the course of the week at the Kammivabrik event center.

Additionally, the Draama festival became more accessible again this year: 20 audience members with special needs were able to use the audio description created for the Rakvere Theatre production "Autumn Sonata". Among the residents of Tartu, the theatre laboratory UUS PÕHI / NEW NORTH also proved exceptionally popular, packing the Tartu New Theatre to full capacity.

The main sponsor of the festival was Raitwood. The Draama festival was supported by the Cultural Endowment of Estonia, the City of Tartu, Ehitustrust, Aasta Auto, the Nordic Council of Ministers, and the Swedish-Estonian Cooperation Fund. Partners included the Tartu New Theatre, the Vanemuine Theatre, the Estonian National Museum, the Estonian Theatre Agency, and the Estonian Stage Directors' and Dramaturgs' Union.