Young Brazilian wins trip to Finland in Capital of Metal contest
Checking his email in early June 2018, a Brazilian student named João Vieira couldn’t believe his eyes: He’d won the Capital of Metal contest. He and a friend would go to Finland to attend the Tuska Open Air heavy metal festival in Helsinki.
Five famous Finns reveal their festival faves. During the summer months in Finland, you can visit a different festival almost every day, and the events calendar continues into the autumn and beyond.
Finnish photographer excels at depicting metal music
Perhaps it’s no surprise that Tina Korhonen, a photographer known for her portrayals of metal and rock culture (see slideshow), comes from Finland, a hub for metal music. She was nominated for Best Photographer in the 2018 Heavy Music Awards.
Helsinki rocks both Pride and heavy metal fest on same weekend
Two annual traditions happen at the same time in the Finnish capital in late June or early July: Helsinki Pride, with its rainbow-coloured parade, and Tuska Open Air Metal Festival, where the dominant colour is black. See our slideshow.
With more heavy metal bands per capita than anywhere else in the known universe, Finland is at the heart of the tight-knit global metal community. We see how they determine which Finnish city gets the title of Capital of Metal. We also talk with the Finnish university researcher behind the annual Modern Heavy Metal Conference.
