Now that it’s July and a third of Finland is on vacation, the country is full of events of all kinds. We think it’s because the time we can spend outside comfortably is so short, we need to pack a year’s worth of fun into a just a few short weeks. Hence, no matter what type of activity you prefer, you are sure to find it somewhere in Finland.
Are you into music? What type of music? If you are into classical music, you can try the Savonlinna Opera Festival or the Kangasniemi Music Festival. If you prefer jazz or blues, there’s of course Pori Jazz Festival, but there’s also Rauma Blues. And then there is a multitude of rock and pop festivals with some big ones happening at Midsummer every year.
Do you prefer art instead? No worries, there are events for you as well. You can for example try Mänttä Art Festival. There’s also an art festival specifically for children, Hippalot – Arts Festival for Children. Or if the performing arts are more your cup of tea, try Tampere Theatre Festival. For modern dance enthusiasts there is Full Moon Dance Festival in Pyhäjärvi or if you want to learn more about Finnish folk music there is the annual Kaustinen folk music festival. This year’s festival happened already, but there are still a few smaller ones for example in Ilmajoki and in Hankasalmi. The Finland Festival site lists a lot of the art and music festivals that take place across Finland, but note that it doesn’t list them all.
If you prefer something a bit lighthearted, there are of course the various strange but fascinating events such as the Wife Carrying World Championships in Sonkajärvi. This year’s competition was already at the beginning of July, but there is no time like today to start training for next year. Or what about Swamp Soccer World Championships? You still have a chance to check out the sport and figure out over the winter if you want to participate next year.
If you like the idea of playing a sport in a swamp, but are not into soccer don’t worry. You also have the chance of playing volleyball in a swamp at the Swamp Volleyball World Championships at Haukivuori. What about motor sports? There is the Neste Rally in Jyväskylä in August and tractor pulling in Tyrnävä at the end of July. And if you find these sporting events a bit much but like competing, there’s of course the Air Guitar World Championships in Oulu in August.
Want to see first hand how Finns want to live? Visit the housing fair in Kouvola. Or perhaps you are into horses? Then you might be interested in learning about the only horse breed bred in Finland, the Finnish Universal or Finnhorse. There is a huge harness racing event every year in which the Finnish Universals compete called Kuninkuusravit, but there are also other harness racing events across Finland.
Well, we guess you get the point: pick an event (or two or three) that interests you and enjoy the Finnish summer (no matter the weather)!
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