Celebrating July 4th, Embassy Tallinn style!

Have you ever wondered what goes into throwing a birthday bash with more than 1,000 guests?

Well we here at Embassy Tallinn can tell you, because that is just how large our Independence Day celebration on July 4th!

Of course the day of the event is filled with preparations...decorations to be hung, tons of food to be made, hundreds of bottles of Coke and Pepsi to bring in, hundreds of glasses, plates and utensils to set out. Security has to be checked and cars, motorcycles and wind turbines have to be brought in!

But the preparations the day of are the end, not the beginning, of the planning. It isn't much of an exaggeration to say the planning for our July 4th Independence Day celebration begins on July 5th. Months before the actual event, we are sorting out costs, themes, and logistics. Guest lists are made, invitations created and sent. And even that far in advance, there are meetings. Lots and lots of meetings. In the beginning, the meetings happen maybe once a month. But as the event draws closer, so do the meetings, from bi-weekly, to weekly, and finally nearly daily. No detail is too small or too large.

In May, we select the cars for display at the event, and then there is our really big tent. We put that up a week in advance. In June, we start social media promotions, including running a photo contest on Facebook advertising this year's theme, California cool, honoring Ambassador Levine's home state.

And California Cool it definitely was! You could see it from the surf boards lining the tent entrance to the rock stars in the audience (Ewert and one of the two Dragons!) to the giant Hollywood sign in the back corner.

You could also see it in the photos taken by our photo contest winners: Martin Trofimov (ages 15 and under), Emil Salulaid (ages 16-21) and Aile Kaasik (ages 22 and up).

Ambassador Levine hoped to make the event more like we celebrate the 4th in the states. So he lost the suit and tie and encouraged others to as well. We swapped our traditional band for the upbeat tunes of Eesti Otsib Superstaari (Estonian Idol) winner Liis Lemsalu. And we swapped the hamburgers for...

No, wait, there were still hamburgers. There was just a lot more than just hamburgers! So much food! Going with our California theme, we had Cal-Mex quesadillas and healthy salads (and watermelon, because what 4th is complete without watermelon!).

We also had a drive in with pulled pork sandwiches. And of course, we also had McDonald's and the newest addition to the Estonian fast-food scene, Subway.

Am I forgetting something? Oh yes, dessert. We had cake. And not just any cake. THE CAKE. Which takes folks at the Radisson Blu days to make and must be seen to be appreciated.

Ambassador Levine, Estonian Prime Minister Ansip, and DCM Gilchrist watch chef Dmitrieva cut the cake

And of course we had the standard July 4th fare: our Marines presented the colors and the National anthem was sung.

And the scene was awash in red, white and blue.

And while we didn't have fireworks, we did have Segways! Luckily, there were no crashes!

Ambassador Levine on a Segway

And if that all wasn't enough, when this party was over, we had ANOTHER one, this one sponsored with the American Chamber of Commerce in Estonia for a MERE 450 guests!

If you were at the event this year, thanks for joining us! And if you missed it, check out these photo galleries and news coverage!

U.S. Embassy Tallinn's Flickr Page

FOTOD: Vaata, kuidas valmistuti USA iseseisvuspäevaks suursaadiku residentsis!

USA saatkonna peol pakuti üle tuhande hamburgeri

Täna on Ameerika Ühendriikide iseseisvuspäev

Galerii: USA suursaadiku uhke vastuvõtt

Галерея: прием американского посла по случаю дня независимости США

USA iseseisvuspäeva tähistati traditsioonilise vastuvõtuga

USA iseseisvuspäeva tähistati traditsioonilise vastuvõtuga (video)

День независимости США отметили не только за Атлантикой, но и в Эстонии

Post by: PAO J. Michelle Schohn
Photos by: Michael Avina and U.S. Embassy Tallinn