Year-round festive spirit

A packed nationwide calendar of cultural events and festivals, many staged in imaginative settings, adds to the attraction of exploring Finland’s smaller towns and cities.

Cultural festivals of every conceivable kind, held right across the country, are the perfect creative supplement to Finland’s prime asset – its expansive, unspoiled natural environment. Many festivals use the lakes, forests and seasonal extremes as an exciting backdrop. The Savonlinna Opera Festival, for example, is held in the atmospheric courtyard of the medieval Olavinlinna castle overlooking Finland’s biggest lake, the Saimaa. The Hamina Tattoo is a celebration of military music staged in the town of Hamina and drawing on its military heritage and architecture.