|
By Mirja Krause
|
|
Monday, 26 May 2008 |
|
While an occasional snowflake finds its way to Oulu still, summer’s arriving soon. For those of you staying in the area, Mirja Krause has some suggestions on how to make yours a bit more exciting.
 In and around Oulu, the list of music festivals begins with Provinssirock in Seinäjoki from June 13 to 15. Tickets cost from 60 for one day to 90 euros for three days.
The biggest Midsummer Festival is RMJ 2008 in Pori from June 19 to 21. The festival features Apulanta, Uniklubbi, Hanna Pakarinen, and many, many more, with a seemingly endless list of performers.
A little bit further north in Rovaniemi is Simerock from July 4 to 6. If you cannot get enough of Apulanta or Uniklubbi, this is your chance.
Jazz fans might enjoy the Pori Jazz Festival, from July 12 to 20. Prices vary according to event an occasion between 20 to 60euros.
Most importantly, Qstock, the local music festival in Oulu’s Kuusisaari, will happen from July 25 to 26. The festival has been sold out for the past five years, and people have even started to gather in front of the festival area, to BBQ, sit, talk and listen to the music. This year it is speculated that The Cardigans are coming to the Festival.
In case none of the above suits your taste, you can find a comprehensive list of festivals online here (in Finnish).
Metal music is not the only thing Finland is well known for. You’ve probably heard of the weird championships held in Finland: swamp soccer, wife carrying, sauna-sitting. Free magazine has published a list of the most famous ones: you can find out more about the championships and visit the homepages for upcoming events.
In case you want to explore Finland a bit over the summer, www.visitfinland.com offers information on summer activities, cottages, and a lot more besides.
If I was to put Finnish summer in a nutshell, I’d say outdoor activities: sitting on the patios, drinking beer or cider, spending time at a cottage by the lake–that’s a must for Finns–and enjoying the polar nights; which means that foreigners will experience empty cities. Juhannus, or midsummer, is one of the biggest if not the biggest celebration in Finland. Unlike Vappu it’s not spent in town: most Finns head to the country or their cottages. If you can get to one, do!
This is only a selection of summer events. If you want to find out more about events in Oulu, check out oulutourism.fi. Besides Qstock and the very famous Air Guitar World Championships, a smaller festival worth mentioning is Rotuaari picnic from July 2 to 5, downtown. And if you’re new in Oulu or you have guests over the summer and want to show them your city, the Oulu Region Tourist Guides arrange free sightseeing tours for between June 23 and August 16. And when the sun finally warms up Oulu, you can always head towards Nallikari beach for a day at the sea.
Hauskaa Kesaa!
|
