Arts & culture

Finnish folk musicians lead listeners in exciting new directions

Finnish folk sounds are grabbing additional audiences with edgy new music, thanks to artists such as Pekko Käppi and Vilma Jää, who combine contemporary styles and technology with age-old traditions and instruments. We talk with them about their musical paths.

Sustainable sustenance: As Helsinki’s Flow Fest returns, food venders feature menus without meat

After a two-year pandemic hiatus, Flow came back in August 2022 with two things its many fans have come to expect: an outstanding lineup of major artists and an emphasis on sustainability that extends all the way to the food venders.

Arts & culture Festivals

Finland offers a treasure trove of summer events

The Finnish summer is full of art and music festivals, the beauty of nature, and other gems waiting to be discovered.

2005

The year Helsinki Design Week, Scandinavia's biggest design fest, was founded

Arts & culture Design

Fiskars village, a stronghold of Finnish design, combines art, artisanry and architecture in a summer biennial

Knots, knits and tiny houses are in the spotlight at the Fiskars Village Art & Design Biennale, a sensory adventure inviting visitors to see beauty in overlooked details. Also: The story of the Adidas logo’s Finnish origins.

Arts & culture Slideshows

Finnish wildlife photographers continue to garner international recognition

People in Finland often speak of a close connection to the natural world. That may be one reason why the country’s nature and wildlife photographers continue to gain followers and win awards. (See photo show.)

1902

The year Francisco Tárrega composed the waltz that later became the Nokia ringtone

Arts & culture Slideshows

The return of Lux Helsinki reminds viewers of brighter days ahead

Our photo show samples the glow of a festival of open-air light installations that offset the winter darkness in the Finnish capital.

Arts & culture Film

Finnish film from East Africa savours international acclaim

Somali Finnish film director Khadar Ayderus Ahmed describes the tribulations and triumphs of creating a movie about a haunting idea that simply wouldn’t leave him alone. It’s the first entry from Somalia for Best International Film Feature at the Oscars.

Arts & culture Film

“Plans are just plans”: Prize-winning Finnish film traces train trip to northern Russia

Director Juho Kuosmanen tells us about the adventure of making an unusual road movie that won the Grand Prix at Cannes.

1970

The year Ruisrock, Finland's oldest (and Europe's second-oldest) rock fest, was founded