Sille-Kadri Simer wins The Gong Show at Tallinn Fringe Festival
On 15 September, as part of the Tallinn Fringe Festival, the English-language stand-up competition The Gong Show took place at Ratas ja Kohvi. Sille-Kadri Simer was announced as the winner.
Ana Falcon
9/16/20251 min read
Tallinn — 15 September 2025
On 15 September, as part of the Tallinn Fringe Festival, the annual English-language stand-up competition The Gong Show took place at the coffee/bike shop Ratas & Kohv. Sille-Kadri Simer (Estonia), one of the founders of the Pussy Jam Comedy collective, was crowned the winner.
The Gong Show is a fast-paced comedy contest where each performer has five minutes on stage. If, before the time is up, the judges and audience together raise three flags, the performance ends immediately. In the final round the rule was stricter — a single flag meant immediate elimination.
This year’s contest featured six comedians; the finalists were Sille-Kadri Simer (Estonia), Paolo Fiducia (Italy) and Rivo Roost (Estonia). After the first round, the judges gave feedback to the finalists, and the show continued straight into the final. The judging panel consisted of seasoned comedians Ann Vaida, Aleksandr Popov (winner of The Gong Show 2024) and Daniel Veinbergs. The evening was hosted by Ana Falcón.
Sille-Kadri is the first female comedian and the first representative of the LGBTQIA+ community to win The Gong Show in Estonia. In addition to the title, she also received a special trophy and a cash prize. Earlier this year, in spring 2025, she won the English-language Roast Battle held at the Heldeke! theatre-bar.
After her victory, Simer said: “This time I was the only woman on stage and felt more pressure than usual. I didn’t know how the audience and judges would receive me. On top of that, the suspense of whether the host would draw my name next or not, added to the tension. The contest was very intense and everyone gave their best. I’m extremely happy and deeply grateful for this recognition. Huge thanks to the amazing audience and the judges — you made this night unforgettable!”
You can see the new winner on stage on September 16th & 18th at Heldeke! More info here: https://fienta.com/s/happy-condolences-wip
The next edition of the English-language Gong Show will take place in Tallinn Fringe 2026.
Foto: Sille-Kadri laval Tallinn Fringe festivalil
Media contact
SILLE-KADRI SIMER
(+372) 5594 4629
sillekadri@gmail.com