Press release 13.6.2017
This year, the Kaustinen Folk Music Festival will have a big party, culminating in a real, modern traditional wedding on Saturday 15 July. During the festival week, you can get into the party mood in the new Kestikievari tent, where the wedding party will also be held on Saturday.
The new Kestikievari tent will be set up in the Festival Park on Pelimannitor, and from Tuesday to Saturday you can enjoy a buffet of themed food, with themed music of course. In addition to Saturday's weddings, the themes are Uusimaa (Tuesday), South Ostrobothnia (Wednesday), Kaustinen (Thursday) and Karelia (Friday). The performers represent the same theme, for example, on the day of South Ostrobothnia, the stage will be taken over by Kauhajoki Klaneetit, Jalasjärvi Yksiriviset, Usko's Pois and the ever-ready Topi Rajala and Jussi Asu.
”The 150-seat marquee has two daily set-ups: from 12-14 and 16-18,” says producer Kaisa Honkaharju. ”Each day a different menu is served, for example, on Uusimaa day new potatoes, herring, meatballs and rhubarb soup, and on Karelian day Karelian roast, Karelian pies and buttermilk cake.”
The week will culminate in a wedding celebration on Saturday, with traditional kaustian dishes such as cheese roast and horseradish.
”The second set on Saturday is the actual wedding reception, which can accommodate both real wedding guests and the festival audience - so you can attend the wedding like a guest of honour. There will be a games programme as well as wedding-related surprises.”
In the evenings, the Kestikievari is a venue for Galician, Bulgarian and Finnish-Swedish nightlife, with performers including the multicultural Baran Band, Spanish Davide Salvado, Karelian Sattuma and Irish dance groups Kit'n'Cut and Irish Dance Oulu.
Couples getting ready
On Saturday, three couples will celebrate a real wedding at the festival: Johanna Oravala and Tommi Känsälä from Kaustinen, Marika Schaupp and Juho Laasanen from Helsinki, and Suvi Pilvi Kivelä and Matt King from Inari, Finland. The couples' moods seem calm, even though the wedding is fast approaching.
”There is a little bit of excitement in the air, the wedding waltz is being learned and the costumes have been bought,” Johanna Oravala and Tommi Känsälä say. ”The atmosphere is great and we are looking forward to our wonderful wedding day.”
“We still have to find a dress for the groom and make a playlist for the rest of the night, after which the arrangements will only really continue during the wedding week,” Marika Schaupp and Juho Laasanen describe the situation. “The party cottage at Juho's home in Vetel was already renovated last summer for Juho's brother's wedding. So we get to enjoy the work done and just carry in the food, decorations and band stuff. Well over a hundred guests are coming.”
Suvi Pilvi Kivelä and Matt Kingkin say that the arrangements are progressing nicely and so far without stress. “We were amazed to find out this weekend that the wedding and festival are already a month away! Our wedding venue, Kraatari, has just been completed and the opening ceremony took place this weekend. The crown, old car, photographer and wedding venue have been arranged. Perhaps the biggest panic is that Matt has never danced a waltz in his life, so I think it's high time we started our after-work dance rehearsals in our living room in the evenings,” says Inari.
The Kaustinen Folk Music Festival's Pidot event is part of the Finland 100 programme.
For more detailed introductions of the couples, see the 9.5. from the press release.
For more information and interview requests:
Head of Information Tove Djupsjöbacka
040-6585340
press(a)kaustinen.net