Soiva Metsä Festival
Soiva metsä Festival is a free, open-to-all multidisciplinary art festival held in Soiva Metsä, Suomussalmi, from July 3 to 6, 2025.
In this expansive festival, the forest will come alive with a variety of music, theater, installations, performances, social dances, communal singing and playing, workshops, and discussions. The festival will also feature a bookshop cart, a pancake café run by retirees, a forest bar, Tikkupulla´s (sweet-bun-on-a-stick), opportunities to explore civic activism, engaging forest-themed discussions, a resting island, and a chance to sauna on a floating sauna raft in a lake bordering the forested ridges.
The event weaves together multidisciplinary art with statements, proposals, and reflections on the state of forests in Finland and art as a force shaping these multi-species ecosystems. As a whole, it examines the interconnectedness of forests and humanity, emphasizing the forest as an essential prerequisite for all life.
The festival aims to bring together professionals and creators from various fields, critical thinkers, and dreamers. Alongside the audience, these participants will create a weekend-long public celebration that delves into the crucial question of the future of forest use and the values that forests and life in the present era embody.
Soiva Metsä Festival seeks to diversify both national and regional forest discussions, offering new perspectives, approaches, and spaces for different stakeholders to come together. Additionally, it aims to bring thought-provoking and timely culture to an ecologically and socially diverse region. One of the festival's most important reasons for existing is simply the stunning Soiva Metsä itself—and the desire to share this unique experience with more people.
Festival organizers
Soiva Metsä Festival is made possible by a small production team, volunteers, and dedicated festival workers. The team operates under Oikku ry, an organization committed to fostering discussions on the role of art and activism in society, promoting civic engagement, and supporting community development around these themes.
The production team includes: Siiri Hänninen, Maija-Tilda Kovalainen, Laura Jurmu, poa Pohjola, Riina Nykänen, Vertti Korkki, Janika Sistonen, Eemil Tähtinen, Anna Sairinen, Fanny Sillman ja Saana Pohjonen.
With us as well, (THANK YOU!!)
Mummi and ukki – Maija ja Kauko Kovalainen, Annukka Ruuskanen, Ulla Schroderus, Heta Heikkala, Daniela Heimsch, Elsa Lankinen, Cecilia Aintila, Otso Jämsä, Aino Kovalainen, Ada-Karoliina Määttä, Terttu Huttu-Juntunen, Soko Hwang, Minka Virtanen, Paula Kovalainen, Olli Pentikäinen, Paula Markkanen, Jouni ja Leena, Suomussalmen eläkeläiset ry
Volunteer application
Volunteers are an invaluable part of making the Soiva Metsä festival happen! We warmly welcome you to the rolling pine forests as a volunteer for various tasks before, during, and after the festival. This communal working week offers flexible roles across different tasks. The festival is a great opportunity to explore the intersections of art, activism, and grassroots impact while learning, working, and having fun in a diverse environment!
We are looking for volunteers primarily from June 27 to July 7, 2025. We will select around 25–30 volunteers, with 10 of them recruited specifically for festival-time tasks and post-event dismantling from July 3 to July 7.
Applicants must be at least 18 years old. To ensure the smooth and safe running of the festival, preference will be given to applicants with a security steward license, first aid certification (EA1 training), technical or communication skills, if there are more applicants than available spots.
We provide volunteers with shared accommodation in an old village school, 2 km from Soiva Metsä, daily breakfast and two warm meals, a festival T-shirt, and the joy of working together!
At the festival and in our shared work, we are committed to the principles of creating a safer and braver space for everyone.
Join us for an unforgettable forest summer experience and help organize the first-ever Soiva Metsä festival! Fill out the application form by April 18, 2025! <3
