Arts & culture

His birthday became Finnish Music Day: Using dance to depict the life of composer Jean Sibelius

Finnish Music Day happens annually on December 8, the birthday of Jean Sibelius, the country’s most famous composer. For the occasion, we revisit action from the recent ballet Sibelius and talk with its choreographer, Jorma Elo.

Arts & culture Webpick

Finnish playwright’s newest production creates space for exploring social norms

Finnish author and theatre director Saara Turunen is back with The Grapes of Reason, the third play in her Rooms trilogy. It opened at Helsinki theatre Q-teatteri in autumn 2022. English subtitles are available at several performances.

Arts & culture Music

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.

53.2 per 100,000 people

Most heavy metal bands per capita in the world

Source: Business Insider

Arts & culture Festivals

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.

Greatest press freedom in the world

Source: Reporters without Borders

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.)

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.

292 votes

Amount of votes Finland got when winning the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest