Southwest Finland offers a wide range of leisure activities. There are, for example, music and theatre activities and other events for every day of the year.

Turku is a real music & theatre city

– it even has Finland’s oldest philharmonic orchestra. The summer festivals in Southwest Finland, the music festivals in Turku and Naantali, and numerous concerts and gigs draw world-class artists and the biggest Finnish stars to the region. For those interested in music as a hobby, there is a wealth of music training and orchestral activities available in the local music and folk colleges.

Turku is known as a theatre city, and the local amateur theatres, numerous summer theatres, and stand up and improvisation nights offer both drama and comedy the year round. Some 100,000 theatre lovers come to see the best of stage shows in the Turku City Theatre every year – and that’s just part of the total audience in the region!

MUSIC FESTIVALS

Ruisrock is undoubtedly the high point of the summertime festivals in Southwest Finland. Next summer marks the 50th anniversary of Ruisrock, which makes it the oldest regularly arranged rock festival in Finland, with music ranging from rock, rap and pop to EDM. The three-day festival attracts annually more than 100,000 people to the shores of Ruissalo island in Turku. The atmosphere is always great – guaranteed by world-class performers.

The ILMIÖ festival for lovers of indie music may be the most sympathetic festival in Turku. Arranged in Uittamo district by the sea in Turku, the event presents a fine selection of the most interesting phenomena of alternative culture – from Finland and elsewhere. In addition to a variety of music, there is different art programme available around the Uittamo pavilion.

ART AND FOOD FESTIVAL

The best of the culinary culture is offered by the food events in Southwest Finland. The Turku Food & Wine Festival brings local restaurants to the banks of the River Aura, and Vegånia on the Old Great Square is a heaven of flavours for vegan food lovers. And if outdoor life is your thing, the Food Trail in the Teijo National Park is perfect for you! The unique event with food at open fire combines outdoor activities with cooking – using the surrounding nature as a dining room. In Rauma, it’s easy to check out the offering of local restaurants during the KAMU eats restaurant event.

URBAN MARKETS

The popular evening market in Salo creates a market atmosphere on summer Thursdays from June to the end of August. Finnish top artists and bands take the stage on the evening market. And there are, of course, plenty of market stalls, pancake cafes, flea markets and many more activities by the Salonjoki river. See you on the market square!