ABOUT FINNFEST
Each year and each day at FinnFest is different. Everyone is welcome.
ABOUT US
Our Mission + Diversity Statement
FinnFest USA® is a national keystone Finnish American organization, the only organization in the USA that creates an annual national based festival. FinnFest USA® creates a broad national community involving all Finnish Americans, Finnish citizens living in America, and all Americans interested in Finland and/or Finnish America. The purpose of the corporation is, through the establishment, organization, operation, maintenance, and promotion of an annual festival, to provide Finnish Americans and their progeny an opportunity to meet one another and to broaden and deepen their knowledge of Finland and Finnish American history and culture. (Article II, Articles of Incorporation, 1983).
About FinnFest
FinnFest, a non-profit and non-partisan organization, was founded in 1983. It is North America’s premiere experience of Nordic culture and learning and provides a platform for anyone to interact with Nordic living, past, present and future. To see what FinnFest programming can look like, check out FinnFest 2023 and FinnFest 2024 websites. Historical details with site and audience information can be found here.
Between 2011 and 2024 FinnFest USA has recognized individuals and organizations with the Robert W. Selvala Society Award. More details and award winners can be found here.
FinnFest USA® Diversity Statement
FinnFest USA is committed to the belief that all people belong and deserve fairness, justice, and inclusivity. As an organization committed to celebration and education connecting Finland, the United States and Finnish-America, we believe diversity enhances everyone’s experience. We value all FinnFest USA Events’ participants, welcoming diversity in race, color, creed, age, marital status, sexuality, ability, national origin, gender and other identities.
Two nationally based non-profit corporations:
FinnFest is made of two nationally based 501c3 non-profit corporation: FinnFest USA® provides the overall corporate management and identity - FinnFest USA® Events organizes the national annual festival to celebrate Finland, Finnish America and Finnish culture
The two corporations are managed by a Board of Directors with the national offices located in Minneapolis, Minnesota; as non-profit corporations, the two entities operate independently from any political or religious groups.
Trademark
FinnFest USA has requested and received the sole right to use the name “FinnFest USA.” This right was recorded in the US Trademark offices in March 2014. Although the name has been used for years as a kind of generic name, the general understanding of it has always been the paradigm which FinnFest USA began to form when the organization was first incorporated in 1983. That history enabled FinnFest USA to be granted the trademark.
“FinnFest” is another way “FinnFest USA” is expressed. The term “FinnFest” cannot be used without the express permission of FinnFest USA.
The trademark gives FinnFest USA control over its brand and assures people that, when the name is used, the product incorporates the goals and the standards of the brand.
FinnFest Events By-Laws
Click here to view FinnFest USA by-laws.
OUR BOARD
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Marianne Wargelin
President
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Beth Esselstrom
Vice President
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Justin Juntunen
Vice President
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Tuomi Forrest
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Yvonne Lockwood
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Sharon Franklin-Rahkonen
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Chris Heck
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Erik Brown
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Mavis Mantila
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Jan Luoto
starting 2025
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Helena Halmari
starting 2025
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Clinton Drake
starting 2025
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James Ojala
starting 2025
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Ed Salo
starting 2025
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David Leifer
starting 2025
OUR HISTORY
FinnFest 2025
Location: Duluth, MN
Venue: Duluth Entertainment Convention Center
See event details here.
FinnFest 2019
Location: Detroit, Michigan
Venue: Sheraton Detroit Novi
FinnFest 2018
Location: Tampere, Finland
Venue: Various sites in Tampere and the Häme region
FinnFest 2017
Location: Minneapolis
Venue: Minneapolis Orchestra Hall, Hilton Hotel, American Swedish Institute
What would happen if FinnFest collaborated with local institutions? The answer: a lot more people exposed to things Finnish, less cost for FinnFest, and much more mainstream media attention…including “above the fold” in Friday’s Minneapolis Star Tribune. Minnesota Orchestra, with President Niinistö in attendance, had close to 2000 in the auditorium and several million more listening to the live broadcast on the radio, listening to an incredible concert of music by Finnish composers (Kalevi Aho, Jaakko Kuusisto and Jean Sibelius). The Economic Club of Minnesota hosted President Sauli Niinistö who both spoke and participated in a lively Q&A shared with over 650 in attendance, a speech recorded for listening. We discovered that Finns and friends of Finland were everywhere.
FinnFest 2016
Location/Venue: St. Lawrence River Holland American Cruise ship
FinnFest 2015
Location: Buffalo, NY
Venue: Kleinhans Music Center
FinnFest 2014
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Venue: Hyatt Regency Conference Center
FinnFest 2013
Location: Houghton MI
Venue: Michigan Technological University/Finlandia University
FinnFest 2012
Location: Tucson, AZ
Venue: Hilton Hotel-Reid Park Convention Center
FinnFest 2012
Location: Tucson, AZ
Venue: Hilton Hotel-Reid Park Convention Center
FinnFest 2023
Location: Duluth, Minnesota
Venue: Duluth Entertainment Convention Center
The festival was held at Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center, July 26-30, 2023 and attracted 3,000+ visitors. FinnFest 2023 website
FinnFest 2011
Location: San Diego, CA
Venue: Town & Country Conference Center
FinnFest 2010
Location: Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
Venue: Essar Centre
FinnFest 2009
Location/Venue: Alaska coastline Holland America Cruise ship
FinnFest 2007
Location: Ashtabula, Ohio
Venue: Kent State University, Ashtabula campus
FinnFest 2006
Location: Astoria, OR/Naselle WA
Venue: Astoria High School / Naselle High School
FinnFest 2005
Location: Marquette, MI
Venue: Northern Michigan University
Over 5500 people registered to attend the festival held on the campus of Northern Michigan University. Adding those who visited the festival site or bought tickets to a single event, some 13,000 people attended some or all of the FinnFest. Held in a region of the United States with one of the highest concentration of Finnish Americans in the country, this 2005 festival had especially large attendance. More attendees meant more program opportunities including the following:
Lectures and workshops: The FinnFestUSA experience created a Chautauqua experience. 150 separate sessions occurred over three and a half days. Music, Theatre, and Dances: The 2005 FinnFest USA featured a professional symphony orchestra organized for the festival. The orchestra presented an evening concert that included a world premiere of a Concerto for Double Bass written by Finnish composer Jukka Linkola. Three separate drama productions ran in the evenings during the FinnFest. Two were plays featuring Finnish American subjects; the third, a Finnish comedy, was performed in the Finnish language. Social dances were held every evening, and many attendees ended their evenings on the dance floor. Films: A number of full length feature films from Finland, all shown with English sub-titles, were shown. American and Canadian films with Finnish themes were also shown. Art exhibitions: Marquette, Michigan held an art crawl through the various galleries throughout the city. Each of the galleries featured Finnish and/or Finnish American artists working in textiles, ceramics, oils, sculpture, and photography. Northern Michigan University hosted a curated invitational exhibition. Additional Highlights: The festival broke the Guinness World Book of Records by creating the largest number of people in a single sauna at the same time, breaking a previous record held by a sauna created in Finland. A Blue and White Chair Installation, first created in 1996, was revived; individuals throughout the region found old chairs and benches in their attics and garages, repainting them in blue and white and distributing them throughout the FinnFest USA venues.
FinnFest 2004
Location: Lake Worth, FL
Venue: Bryant Park
FinnFest 2002
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Venue: University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
FinnFest 2001
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Venue: Villanova University
FinnFest 2000
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Venue: Mel Lastman Square
FinnFest 1999
Location: Seattle, WA
Venue: University of Washington
FinnFest 1998
Location: Portland, Maine
Venue: University of Southern Maine-Gorham
FinnFest 1997
Location: Minot, ND
Venue: Minot Fairgrounds & All Seasons Arena
FinnFest 1996
Location: Marquette, MI
Venue: Northern Michigan University
FinnFest 1995
Location: Portland, OR
Venue: Lewis and Clark College
FinnFest 1994
Location: DeKalb, IL
Venue: Northern Illinois University
FinnFest 1993
Location: Thousand Oaks, CA
Venue: California Lutheran University
FinnFest 1991
Location: Lake Worth, FL
Venue: Bryant Park
FinnFest 1990
Location: Hancock, MI
Venue: Suomi College
FinnFest 1989
Location: Seattle, WA
Venue: University of Washington
FinnFest 1988
Location: Newark, DE
Venue: University of Delaware
FinnFest 1987
Location: Detroit, MI
Venue: Schoolcraft Community College
FinnFest 1986
Location: Berkeley, CA
Venue: University of California-Berkeley
FinnFest 1985
Location: Hancock, MI
Venue: Suomi College
Pre-FinnFest 1982: Scandinavia Today
All five Nordic countries partnered together with the Nordic American diaspora to draw American attention to the Nordic world. Throughout 1982 and across the country, lectures, concerts, performances, and exhibits, hosted in a variety of settings, enabled Americans to discover the contemporary Nordic world. The culminating gala weekend occurred in Minneapolis in September with Nordic royalty, the President of Iceland and the Finnish Foreign Minister in attendance.
Humphrey Stadium, Minneapolis, provided space for this gala pageant of Nordic unity.
Suomi Seura Meeting
Tauri Aaltio, Executive Director of Finland Society, Helsinki, Finland, used the Scandinavia Today gala as an incentive for a meeting of representatives from across the USA. 39 Finnish American organizations and community came…politically conservative, politically progressive, religious, secular, national, regional and local. The agenda: consider the idea of an annual nationally based festival. The conclusion: yes.
Tauri Aaltio (on the right) pictured here with early leaders of the Finnish American festival phenomenon.
Pre-FinnFest 1976: America’s Bicentennial
America’s Bicentennial – In 1976, America’s Bicentennial year, local committees throughout the USA organized elaborate festivals to commemorate the Finnish diaspora in America, giving new forms of visibility to one of America’s smaller immigrant groups.
Finland’s participation – Speakers and presenters. Collaborative history projects. Urho Kekkonen, the President of Finland, attended three USA events: Hancock, Minneapolis, New York City.
Finn Fest concept – The wording “Finn Fest” first emerged during the Bicentennial and was used to describe the many Finnish American festivals happening in 1976.
FinnFest 2024
Location: Duluth, Minnesota
Venue: Duluth Entertainment Convention Center
The festival was held at Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center, July 24-28, 2024 and attracted around 2,000 visitors. FinnFest 2024 website
FinnFest 2015
Buffalo, New York
Kleinhans Music Center
FinnFest 2008
Location: Duluth, MN
Venue: Duluth Entertainment Convention Center
Over 5000 people registered to attend the festival held at the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center (DECC) on the shores of Lake Superior in Duluth, Minnesota. Adding those who visited the festival site or bought tickets to a single event, some 10,000 people attended some or all of the FinnFest. Like Marquette, this region of the United States has one of the highest concentrations of Finnish Americans in the country, so it was assumed that this festival would achieve large attendance figures.
Programming highlights included the following:
2008 lectures and workshops: The FinnFestUSA experience created four days of lectures, panels and workshops involving people from across the USA, Canada, and Finland. Two major highlights involved the President of Finland, Tarja Halonen: She was first awarded an Honorary Doctor’s degree by the University of Minnesota-Duluth, followed by a major address by President Halonen. She also participated in a panel discussion on women’s issues. Five women discussed issues related to women and leadership in a session attended by approximately 500 interested listeners. The Minnesota Orchestra with its conductor, Osmo Vänskä, performed an all Finnish music concert on Friday night, a concert attended by over 1,000 people. Other progrmaming: Drama productions, social dances every evening, art exhibitions. More details can be found in the FinnFest History (PDF).
Toronto, Ontario – FinnFest USA and Canada
Toronto, Ontario
Mel Lastman Square
In honor of the new millennium, FinnFest USA partnered with the Canadian Grand Fest, also a nationally based festival, to hold a North American commemoration. On the left: Robert Selvala, FinnFest USA president, left, and Mauri Jaleva, Suurjuhla, chair, right, imagined and developed the joint festival.
The cover of the 2000 program book.
FinnFest 1992
Location: Duluth, MN
Venue: University of Minnesota-Duluth
FinnFest 1984
Location: Fitchburg, MA
Venue: Fitchburg State University
FinnFest USA Founded – 1983
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Venue: Leamington Hotel and Loring Park
Finnaffair, an annual festival held in the Twin Cities, provided the template on which the first festival was constructed. The festival’s central location, the Leamington Hotel, included talks, exhibits, a market, a dinner dance; auxiliary sites expanded the program to include sports, crafts, worship, and concerts. Representatives to a formal meeting established a confederation of clubs with a constitution and by-laws and a national board consisting of three representatives from the east, three from the Midwest, and three from the west. Moving the festival across the country to a different location each year began immediately. Pictured on the left, here the committee members who will carry the FinnFest USA banner to Fitchburg, MA. Tarmo Hannula, FinnFest USA national board member and Chair of the 1984 festival on the right. See more info in the FinnFest History (PDF file).
A Leamington Hotel dinner, catered by Soile Anderson, permitted the public to meet Robert Selvala, the newly elected first FinnFest USA president, seated here in the middle.
Scandinavia Today
All five Nordic countries partnered together with the Nordic American diaspora to draw American attention to the Nordic world. Throughout 1982 and across the country, lectures, concerts, performances, and exhibits, hosted in a variety of settings, enabled Americans to discover the contemporary Nordic world. The culminating gala weekend occurred in Minneapolis in September with Nordic royalty, the President of Iceland and the Finnish Foreign Minister in attendance.
Humphrey Stadium, Minneapolis, provided space for this gala pageant of Nordic unity.
Suomi Seura meeting
Tauri Aaltio, Executive Director of Finland Society, Helsinki, Finland, used the Scandinavia Today gala as an incentive for a meeting of representatives from across the USA. 39 Finnish American organizations and community came…politically conservative, politically progressive, religious, secular, national, regional and local. The agenda: consider the idea of an annual nationally based festival. The conclusion: yes.
Pre-FinnFest: Finnish-American community festivals
Weekend festivals began to draw attention to contemporary Finland, gathering Americans together around food, music, sports, workshops, programs, and talks. Where? Non-Finnish American communities like Palm Springs, California, Tucson, Arizona, and large Finnish American communities like Duluth, Minnesota, and Fitchburg, Massachusetts.
The Twin Cities’ version of this new kind of Finnish-American festival began in 1975.
America’s Bicentennial – In 1976, America’s Bicentennial year, local committees throughout the USA organized elaborate festivals to commemorate the Finnish diaspora in America, giving new forms of visibility to one of America’s smaller immigrant groups.
Finland’s participation: Speakers and presenters. Collaborative history projects. Urho Kekkonen, the President of Finland, attended three USA events: Hancock, Minneapolis, and New York City.
Finn Fest concept – The wording “Finn Fest” first emerged during the Bicentennial and was used to describe the many Finnish-American festivals happening in 1976.
Finnish American communities across the USA created festivals around the theme “Old Friends, Strong Ties”, initiating a new version of connecting contemporary Finland with contemporary USA.
scroll to look through events in FinnFest's history > >
NEWSLETTER
WEBINARS
The Stress of Sitting and How the Asahi Nordic Health Method Can Help
November 4, 2023
Sedentary lifestyles and chronic stress are leading determinants of physical and mental health. Long, uninterrupted periods of sitting stress the spine and impact how we breathe, cognitive function, and our capacity to release tension. Stress accumulates in the body and suppresses immunity, digestion, and systems also affected by sitting. The combination of prolonged sitting and chronic stress, when unaddressed, can be toxic to our health. This workshop begins with a brief overview of stress response in the body. Recent research on the health effects of sitting will be highlighted. Using a public health lens, we will examine how core characteristics of ASAHI, a science-based Nordic practice, can derail the effects of prolonged sitting, reduce the allostatic load of long-term stress, and build inner resilience.
Finnish American Folk Music: All Tradition is Change
May 20, 2023
Performers constantly renew folk traditions, fusing old songs and tunes with new influences to entertain audiences and establish their musical place in an ever-changing world. Join folklorist Jim Leary for sounds, images, and observations from 40+ years of fieldwork with Finnish American musicians in the Upper Midwest, along with a sneak preview of the stylistic range and creative visions of folk musicians figuring in FinnFest 2023. Jim Leary, current vice president of FinnFest USA, is an emeritus professor of folklore and Scandinavian studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he co-founded the Center for the Study of Upper Midwestern Cultures. An award-winning author and two-time Grammy nominee for Best Album Notes, he is the curator of FinnFest’s 2023 folk arts programming. Finnish American Folk Music: All Tradition is Change.
How Finnish Schools Teach Students to Identify Misinformation
April 29, 2023
FinnFest USA is pleased to welcome Saara Martikka, a teacher in Hämeenlinna, Finland. Martikka’s innovative teaching methods in her language arts and literature classes have gotten the attention of the New York Times. Since 2011, Finnish Education has been a popular and well-respected topic at FinnFest festivals, and the 2023 Festival will have a workshop about Finnish teaching methods. Saara Martikka is a passionate advocate for literacy skills and an accomplished Finnish language and literature teacher at Kauriala School in Hämeenlinna, Finland. Her extensive background includes serving as a multi-literacy advisory teacher and being a valued member of the media literacy project group for the Uudet lukutaidot (new reading skills) development program. As an expert in teaching Finnish media literacy in international media, Saara's knowledge and experience are widely recognized. Interestingly, Saara is also a renowned international judge of competitive cheerleading, demonstrating her expertise and versatility outside the classroom. Whether evaluating routines, educating students or developing new teaching strategies, Saara's expertise are respected globally.
Finlands Path to NATO Membership
June 1, 2022
Why, after years of neutrality, would Finland suddenly want to join NATO? This dramatic reorientation in Finnish security policy emerged in polls and political debates in late 2021, culminating in the May, 2022 formal decision to apply for NATO membership. Prof. Kaarle Nordenstreng explores the contemporary atmosphere and arguments regarding Finland’s forthcoming NATO membership. To assist us to understand Finland’s present geopolitical situation, he will also guide us through the series of wars and peace treaties dating back to Finland's identity as an Eastern part of the Kingdom of Sweden, followed by a century as an autonomous Grand Duchy of Czarist Russia, leading to Finland’s ultimate independence in the middle of the Russian revolution in 1917. Kaarle Nordenstreng, born in 1941, with a Ph.D. from the University of Helsinki, is a Professor Emeritus of Journalism and Mass Communication at Tampere University in Finland.
FinnFest and Finnish American Music Series: “Filming Finnish American Folk Dance Music in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula” with Michael Loukinen
November 21, 2021
Filming Finnish American Folk Dance Music in Michigan's Upper Peninsula with Michael Loukinen was the fifth event in the 2021 FinnFest music series and featured a presentation by Michael Loukinen who was joined by Oren Tikkanen, hosted by folklorists Nathan Gibson and Anna Rue from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Who Is Aki Kaurismäki?
November 10, 2021
Aki Kaurismäki is a filmmaker from Finland, who has made films since 1981, winning awards at the Cannes Film Festival and the Berlin Film Festival and earning Academy Award nominations, among others. His films range from dark comedy to farce, from rock and roll to tango, from mocumentaries to passionate advocacy for the least among us. Who is this strange northern artist, whose films have won him a following with art-house and film-festival audiences around the world? The talk provides ways of understanding Aki Kaurismäki’s films and of connecting their Finnish roots to their flight around the world as a favorite of world cinema viewers.
Inari Sámi Folklore: Reconstructive Ethnography and Decolonization in Sápmi
September 8, 2021
During the summer of 1886, the ethnographer Aukusti Koskimies conducted fieldwork with two dozen Inari Sámi storytellers, eventually publishing with Toivo Itkonen an anthology of Sámi oral tradition called Inari Sámi Folklore.
August Virtual Program: My Finnish American Musical Life
August 4, 2021
Eric Peltoniemi sings in Finnish, “Finnglish” and English, while accompanying himself on the guitar. Combining live performances with video clips, Peltoniemi’s program includes traditional Finnish folk songs (some interpreted true to tradition, others with reimagined melodies and lyrics) and original songs: “Punainen” (performed in the 2017 Finnish film Ikitie); “Käki se Kukkuu” and “Kävelin Kerran” (popular on 1990s Finnish folk radio); and the patriotic anthem, “O Suomi” (performed with choir at the 2017 Finland Centennial gala in Minneapolis’ Orchestra Hall). Minnesota folksinger/songwriter Eric Peltoniemi's interest in Finnish music began as a teenager, and he's been a fixture in the folk community for over half a century performing live, writing songs for the music theater, and running the Grammy-winning folk label Red House Records. Eric has performed at Finland’s Kaustinen Folk Festival, recorded on various Finnish record labels (EiNo, Royal Mint and Kansan Musiikki Intituutti), and appeared in the Jussi Award (Finnish Oscar)-winning film Ikitie (Eternal Road) singing an original song. Peltoniemi originals also have been recorded by other Finnish artists ( www.redhouserecords.com/artists/eric-peltoniemi/).
Two Speakers, One Virtual Program
July 7, 2021
During July’s virtual lecture, we’ll have the opportunity to hear from two incredible speakers from the University of Helsinki: Eila Stepanova, from Karjalan Sivistysseura (The Society of Karelian Culture), and Frog, an Academy of Finland Research Fellow and Associate Professor of Folklore.
The Way She Told Her Story: Featuring Musical Performance By Diane Jarvi
June 3, 2021
Rebel girls, gypsies, brides, vagabonds, maids, daughters, mothers, artists, journalists, and revolutionaries. Finnish immigrant women came to the U.S. and constructed new lives with a new language and new identities. Through songs and poetry from the voices and experiences of Finnish and Finnish-American women, Jarvi shares their resistance, independence, sorrow, strength, and legacy.