Check out the latest additions to the popular summer festivals here
The Hellsinki Metal Festival, which takes place at Helsinki Ice Hall from 9-10 August, added math metal band Meshuggah, black metal band Abbath and Czech goregrind band Gutalax to its line-up early this week. The festival looks set to take Tuska’s place as the capital’s toughest extreme metal event, having already announced headliners including black metal legends Mayhem and teutonic thrash giants Kreator. Tuska, which will take place in June, will have a more modern and lighter agenda.
Provinssi in Seinäjoki on 27-29 June will bring to Törnävänsaari, among others, the 2021 Eurovision winner Måneski, Japanese harajuku-core band Hanabie and Maj Karma, who will start their farewell tour from Provissi.
Flow Festival, which celebrates its 20th anniversary, is the latest in a line-up that includes r&b star Raye, punk rock innovators Idles, alternative rock icon Blonde Redhead and Canadian indie-pop quintet Alvvays. The festival, which will take place in Suvilahti, Helsinki, from 9-11 August, has already announced headliners including British pop greats Pulp, singer-songwriter PJ Harvey and The Smile, which includes members of Radiohead.
Slot Fest, taking place for the first time from 19-20 July, will offer a real nostalgia massacre for the youth of the 1990s. In addition to the previously released Sugababes and The Cardigans, the festival will bring eurodance band Aqua and the Hanson brothers, known for their Mmmbop hit, to Turku Linnanpuisto. Don Huonot, Kwan and Egotrippi will offer some local nostalgia.
Slot Fest’s big brother, Ruisrock from 5-7 July, features new additions such as American DJ duo The Chainsmokers, rappers Ashnikko and Sexyy Red, electro-pop artist MØ and indie rock newcomer Bar Italia. Finnish acts include Pariisin Kevät, returning from a recording break, and recent UMK winner Windows95man.
Tapiola Festival’s latest additions include Ronan Keating, who started his career with boy band Boyzone, and some of the most popular Finnish artists of the moment, Käärijä, Gettomasa and Haloo Helsinki!. The festival will take place in Espoo on 16-17 August.
The Jytäkesä GoGo festival, which specialises in guitar music, on Monday announced The Soundtrack of Our Lives as its headliner, playing pop-infused light psychedelic rock. Other new additions to the 28-29 July festival in Suvilahti, Helsinki, include Finland’s most Kaurismäki-like band Maustetytöt and Piirpauke, who combine folk music, jazz and prog.
The increasingly international piano music event Mänttä Music Festival brings French pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard, South Korean Yeol Eum Son, Argentinean Ingrid Fliter and a lot of other piano stars to the Serlachius Museum in Gösta from 30 July to 3 August. Laura Mikkola and Anton Mejias will be the Finnish guests at the event.
Among the wild cards of the summer festival is the Kuusamo-based Epäjohdonmukaiset tanssiaiset. The cross-disciplinary arts festival, which ended in disaster last summer, is currently running a fundraising campaign to either organise or not organise the ‘epikset’. At the moment it seems unlikely that the festival will go ahead, as the campaign, which will soon come to an end, has raised only €11 100 of its €50 000 minimum target.
