It was a warm weekend in September 2000. Eighteen-year-old Risto Kalmre, along with 19-year-olds Piret Kull and Mario Kalmre, and a few of their buddies, organized an unprecedented skateboarding and BMX competition in Tartu. People came by bus from all over Estonia, and there were competitors and spectators from Finland and Latvia as well.
What made an event at a skatepark in Tartu so remarkable that word spread without any social media or mobile internet? It was a time when people met face-to-face, mobile phones were used for calling, sending SMS messages, and playing Snake. But there was something new in the air—progressive urban youth had recently discovered new activities: BMX-bikes, snowboarding was trending both in the West and among the hills of Southern Estonia, and primitive wooden skateparks were popping up here and there. With the same group of friends leading the way, the Tartu Tähtvere Skatepark had just been completed, and the official history of Simple Session could begin. The timing was perfect, street sports enthusiasts were passionate, and there were enough participants in both disciplines to compete and even invite international guests.
The first four Simple Sessions took place in the open air under the warm summer skies of Tartu. Each year, more participants and spectators joined, including more and more world-famous riders. Over the years, Simple Session went by names like Simpel (yes, spelled s-i-m-p-e-l) and Pop Session, but the event’s atmosphere, parties, buzz, and quality remained the same.
In the meantime, the organizers had moved to the capital and were ready to experiment with a larger format for the event—in 2004, the skateboarding and BMX festival was brought to the Saku Suurhall (now Unibet Arena) and held in winter. As the event grew, in 2007, renowned skatepark designer Nate Wessel from the U.S. joined the team. And the famous faces of the extreme sports world began to make regular appearances in Estonia.
Everyone who set foot in the Simple Session at Saku Suurhall in the dead of winter was amazed—full house, thousands of enthusiastic fans, immense excitement, and high energy in the middle of snowdrifts and pitch darkness. Riders praised the event, and spectators couldn’t even fit through the doors. Simple Session grew so large that in some years, in addition to the winter indoor event, a summer edition was held in Tallinn, Helsinki, or Riga. Through broadcasts and media, Estonia’s flagship extreme sports event reached hundreds of millions of viewers worldwide.
In 2020, the prestigious BMX magazine Dig BMX wrote that Simple Session had grown into one of the largest and best BMX events in the world. In the 24 years since its inception, the Simple Session skateboarding and BMX competition has never been canceled.
Over the years, Simple Session has attracted true stars: for example, skateboarding legend Tony Hawk served as a commentator in 2019, and prodigy Sky Brown was only 10 years old when she won the Simple Session women’s competition. Estonia has welcomed dozens of X Games medalists, today’s Olympic champions, and the world’s best riders. The event brings together the international community and inspires locals.
Simple Session is always accompanied by exhibitions, film nights, street jams, pre- and after-parties, and, of course, an excellent atmosphere on competition days.