Trickster Magazine

You’ve been doing a lot. First, you started Post Bar in Helsinki, and then a year later, Solstice. Can you tell us how Solstice Festival began?
We opened Post Bar in 2018, but we already had quite a background in organizing underground parties and different kinds of events, from warehouse raves to parties in the woods. We were already talking about doing some kind of festival when our friend started working as the event manager at Ruka Ski Resort, where Solstice takes place now.

So the idea shimmered there for a while. We hosted the first Solstice in 2019, just before the pandemic hit, and we had to take a couple of years' break. This is now the fifth edition, and the new start after the break has been great.

How has the festival changed over the years?
Not that much. Of course, we have a bit more people and a more international crowd, but at its core, it’s still the same. It’s such a small event that I don’t even like to call it a festival, it’s more like a gathering of like-minded people.

But as with anything, when you’ve done it for a few years, you get better.

How many people attend the festival, and how has the crowd changed? You mentioned it’s become more international?
We sell 2,000 three-day tickets - that’s the capacity - and around 100 day/two-day tickets on top of that. For this year, about 35% of attendees come from outside Finland.

It’s been amazing to see people traveling from all over the world. Most of the international crowd comes from places like Berlin, London, Paris, and Amsterdam, but there’s also been a significant rise in people traveling from Sydney and Melbourne, as well as New York.

The festival is famous for the fact that the sun never sets – is that true?
Yeah, that’s true. It takes place during midsummer when the sun doesn’t set at all. It creates a really surreal feeling – the days blend into each other and it all feels like a dream that just keeps going. It messes you up in a very nice way.

What makes Solstice 2025 special, and what are some of the highlights? Will there again be three stages this year?
Yes, we’ll have three stages –  same structure as last year. The Peak Stage is inside a ski lift – that’s for the more techno, high-octane modern dance music. The Valley Stage is set down in a little valley – it’s more psychedelic, housey, sometimes even disco vibes. And then there’s the Kelo Tent, our live stage for experimental sets and all kinds of live performances.

There’s a lot I’m excited about: Jane Fitz on the Valley Stage, Pariah and Laurel Halo, CCL and Simo Cell playing b2b, upsammy... In the Kelo Tent, I’m looking forward to Elia Lombardini and Hanten Bureau. We’ve also got more “mainstream-leaning” Finnish acts like Mikko Joensuu and Grande Mahogany. It’s cool to have them play something different here than at other festivals.

Sansibar is doing the world premiere of his new project, Sans-i, also in the Kelo Tent. I’m really looking forward to Powder coming back from Japan. We hand-pick all the artists and put a lot of thought into creating the best possible flow – even matching the programme with how the sun moves over the site.

I'm curious how the programme will flow this year. Last year was really special, probably our best year yet.

Yeah, programming the journey is a big part of it. And Rukatunturi, where the festival happens, is actually a well-known ski resort. But before you started, there wasn’t much happening there in the summer, right?

Exactly. That was one of the reasons we started. Summer used to be totally off-season, basically empty for years. They actually approached us about doing the festival – the idea was to bring some people there in the summer.

Then, during the pandemic, people started heading up north and reconnecting with nature more and more, and now summer is actually booming up there.

What about your recycling policy? I read in a 2023 interview that you wanted to use last year’s waste in the next year’s festival.
We’ve been working on our circular economy programme. Of course, we try to minimize our carbon footprint across all areas of production. We were lucky to receive some funding through initiatives connected to Oulu 2026, the European Capital of Culture.

So there’ve been some pilot projects. One of them involves collecting and washing all the plastic cups used at the festival: we reuse that material to create new plastic items.

One cool result is that we made a lighting element for the Kelo Tent using last year’s plastic waste. It acts as a kind of psychedelic plastic sheet with lights behind it, and it’s pretty nice.

And the food?
We have three food vendors on-site, and it helps that we’re located in a ski resort. Ruka Village has some really good restaurants and cozy apartments with saunas.

From the food vendors at the site, there’s N4ku serving bánh mì – it’s a friend’s restaurant from Helsinki, so it felt natural to include them. LePuska is doing traditional Lapland flatbreads (rieska), and we also have Alvarin Dogi, a high-end hot dog spot.

There are vegan options, but also things like sustainable local reindeer meat.

Beyond music, there’s also a strong visual and artistic side to the festival. Can you tell us more about that?
Yes, we’ve had an art programme from the beginning. It’s curated through an open call, this year we selected five artists or collectives to create site-specific installations.

We want to rethink how art can exist in a festival space. Often, the art gets lost in the chaos, unlike in a gallery setting. We try to center it around the theme of light, because we have so much of it.

Mostly, we focus on stage design. We’re high up, so the views are expansive, and there are no buildings blocking the landscape. It’s a really special feeling.

What about the underground scene in Finland? There's Kaiku in Helsinki, some places in Tampere and Turku. Is the government supportive of your existence?
Well… f*** the government. But yeah, the underground scene is doing okay. There are a few venues that are holding it down.

Compared to ten years ago, there used to be way more underground parties and collectives. Now, most of the action is in Helsinki’s Kallio district - places like Post Bar, Kaiku, and Ääniwalli - but that’s different from the underground scene in my opinion.

Most collectives are doing events in nightclubs now, which is also great – we’ve got very high-quality clubs and programmes. But the scene isn’t as big as it once was. I’d want to encourage younger people to start throwing underground parties because we definitely need some more people in the scene, and that’s the best way to grow – by doing everything yourself.

For sure you’ve invested your own money into the festival, but do you have any sponsors?
Most of it is covered by ticket sales and our own investments. But yeah, it’s not really the best choice of business if you want to make money. You do it for the love of culture and music.

We have some sponsors, like breweries and partner bars. We’ve also partnered on the activities side – for a trail running session with a brand called On, and for a yoga session with VUORI.

We’re trying to expand beyond just partying and dancing since we’ve noticed people are interested in other experiences too. Some drink less, want to sleep well, do yoga, go to the sauna, or even go for a run the next day.

With all the work and stress that goes into organizing a festival, is the motivation still there?
Yeah, I think we’re in a good place. Our team is growing, and we’ve got great plans for next year, especially with Solstice being part of the European Capital of Culture. There might be some new surprises coming up. But first up is this year – last tickets are about to sell out, so don’t hesitate if you’re still thinking about where to spend midsummer!