The Sound of Finland in America: Your Guide to the FinnFest 2026 Music Lineup

If there’s one thread that runs through every day of FinnFest, it’s music. It spills out of the concert halls and into the hallways, the coffee breaks, the late-night conversations. Ask anyone what they remember most from a FinnFest weekend, and the answer is almost always a song — a melody that caught them off guard, a performer they’d never heard of who became a new favorite, a familiar tune that suddenly felt like home.

So why does music matter this much to Finnish culture? And what makes the FinnFest 2026 lineup worth planning your whole weekend around? Here’s the deeper story.

Why music is at the heart of Finnish identity

Finland is a country that has often expressed itself most powerfully through sound. For a nation whose language and independence were hard-won, music has long carried what words alone couldn’t — identity, memory, resistance, and joy. From the runo-song tradition that shaped the national epic Kalevala, to Sibelius, to a modern scene that produces
everything from folk revival to hip-hop, Finns have used music to say this is who we are.

That same instinct shows up in Finnish American communities. Song was one of the things immigrants could carry across the ocean with nothing but memory. It survived in church basements, dance halls, and kitchen tables long after other traditions faded. When you hear live Finnish music at FinnFest, you’re not just hearing a performance — you’re hearing something that refused to be left behind.

That’s the “why.” Now, the “who.”

A new chapter: five Finland-born women, working as artists in America

One of the defining stories of the FinnFest 2026 lineup is a group of five women — Eeppi Ursin, Ida Metsberg, Petra Jasmiina, Johanna Telander, and Ruut — all born in Finland and now building their artistic lives in the United States. Their work spans music, visual art, and performance, and together they represent something bigger than any single show: a living, present-tense connection between Finland and America.

This matters because it reframes what “Finnish heritage” means. FinnFest honors the past, but this lineup insists that Finnish culture in America isn’t only something inherited from grandparents — it’s something being made right now by artists who carry Finland in their voices and choose to create here.

Eeppi Ursin is one of Finland’s most distinctive voices — a singer, songwriter, and performer whose artistry bridges Finnish tradition and contemporary American music culture.

Ida Metsberg brings her own voice to the lineup, and appears in collaboration with guitarist and songwriter Kyle Gray Young — a pairing that blends Finnish sensibility with American roots.

Petra Jasmiina, Johanna Telander, and Ruut round out this remarkable group, each working across genre and form, each telling a piece of the same larger story.

Storytellers, folk voices, and genre-crossers

Alongside these artists, the 2026 lineup reaches across styles and generations:

Jonathan Rundman explores Finnish American identity through music, literature, and history — moving between folk, rock, and Nordic storytelling with warmth and wit. If you want to understand the Finnish American experience through song, start here.

Charlotte Loukola will return to the Tori stage with her violin and looping pedal with an all-new set that will amaze and delight everyone. She was Finlandia Foundation National’s Performer of the Year last year and we’re lucky to have her back for another FinnFest!

From traditional folk music to modern singer-songwriters, The Lindula Brothers, Northern Stars Sámi Girls, and Kristie Cunningham will represent three different aspects of Finnish American music of northern Minnesota.

Renee Vaughan widens the lens to the broader Nordic world, bringing Swedish folk traditions to life through the nyckelharpa, storytelling, and dance across the Upper Midwest — a fitting nod to FinnFest 2026’s home at the Hilton Minneapolis Downtown and the American Swedish Institute.

These aren’t just concerts

Here’s what’s easy to miss until you’re in the room: at FinnFest, the music is the conversation. A folk melody becomes a doorway into a family’s immigration story. A contemporary set becomes proof that Finnish culture is still evolving. A shared chorus becomes the moment a room full of strangers realizes they belong to the same story.

Whether you’re discovering a new favorite artist or reconnecting with songs you’ve known your whole life, the music at FinnFest is one of the most direct, most emotional ways to experience Finnish culture without ever leaving North America.

Plan your musical weekend

The full performance schedule spans all four days, September 17–20, across festival stages and events. To make sure you don’t miss the sets that matter most to you, secure your festival pass early — and keep an eye on finnfest.us for performer times and any separately ticketed special experiences.

Music is just one thread of the FinnFest story. Explore the rest in our main guide:

Why FinnFest Is the Best Place to Experience Finland Without a Passport.

FinnFest USA 2026 · September 17–20 · Hilton Minneapolis Downtown