Some Finnish music festivals flounder while others draw huge crowds
Bad weather, more competition and high ticket prices have hit some of southern Finland's festivals while events in the north continue to thrive.
Festival organisers in Finland have faced a varied summer depending on their location. The northern festival Qstock in Oulu has sold out for the 13th consecutive year, while Rovaniemi's Simerock is selling tickets faster than ever. However, some southern Finnish festivals have encountered difficulties in drawing crowds. Helsinki's Downtown Calling gave away tickets for free due to ticket sales falling short of expectations.
Unfavorable weather conditions also contributed to lower attendance at Turku's Ruisrock festival this year.
Samuli "Sime" Yliaska, director of the Rovaniemi-based Simerock festival, reported that ticket sales are up by 30 percent compared to last year, putting the event on track for a fourth consecutive sell-out. Yliaska attributes the success of northern festivals to less local competition and audiences being more accustomed to traveling long distances. Approximately half of Simerock's visitors come from outside Rovaniemi, including some from as far as Helsinki.
In contrast, the Helsinki metropolitan area has experienced a crowded festival market with established events such as Flow Festival, Tuska, Tikkurila Festival, and Weekend, along with newer festivals like Helsinki City Festival, Tapiola Festival, and Downtown Calling. The director of the EDM-focused Weekend Festival, Atro Anttila, noted that the increasing number of events is leading to more competition for the same audience.
Successful festivals in Helsinki, such as Tuska, have built a strong identity and loyal audience, while those that struggled included the indie festival Downtown Calling, which eventually gave away some tickets for free.
Jaakko Lahtinen, executive director of the national live music industry organization LiveFIN, attributed weaker ticket sales at Ruisrock and Pori Jazz to the challenging lineup this year and the difficulty in booking international acts. Regional festivals, such as Provinssi in Seinäjoki and Ilosaarirock in Joensuu, managed to reach their attendance targets. Ilosaarirock CEO Niina Hattunen attributed the success to the economic situation, with young people and students becoming more selective about their festival choices.
Festivals with a clear musical identity, like metal festival Tuska and hip-hop event Blockfest, continue to perform strongly. Smaller festivals targeting specific audiences are also growing in popularity. Turku's alternative music festival Kesärauha attracted a record 24,000 visitors this summer. Affordable ticket prices, such as the Vauhti Kiihtyy festival series offering two-day tickets for less than 100 euros, are also drawing crowds.
Written by urgent.news from Yle News Finland's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
