Showcase Bands selected for Kaustinen Folk Music Festival 2026
This year's showcase bands are kantele music blended with an electronic soundscape by Melkutus Party, band that creates cinematic, ethereal pop, called uni uni as well as stomping and open-minded Veikko Virkkala BandThe established showcase program features ambitious, up-rising, and internationally oriented folk music acts, offering them visibility and opportunities to expand their reach abroad. Once again, a record number of applicants—no fewer than 63 bands or artists—applied, and the standard was exceptionally high and delightfully diverse.
Festival Program Director Anne-Mari Hakamäki emphasizes the significance of the showcase program for musicians and Finnish folk music:
– The Showcase concept has established itself as a fixture in the festival program, and it’s here to stay. We play a unique role in Finland in supporting the internationalization of folk music, and we want to fulfill that responsibility well. We hope to continue developing the concept and increasing its impact in the coming years.
Showcase Bands in 2026
Melkutus Party transports old Karelian dance tunes into a world of electronic soundscapes and hypnotic beats, as modern kantele-based music carries the listener to post-human raves. The lineup features Jenni Venäläinen (kantele, vocals), Janne Storm (live electronics, setara), and Tatu Viitala (live electronics, percussion). The band’s debut album is set for release in the fall of 2026. According to the jury, Melkutus Party represents the present day of kantele music in a way that is both grounded and boldly forward-looking—opening up the Finnish folk instrument to new audiences and demonstrating its boundless expressive power.
Uni uni creates a cinematic experience in which archaic instruments, live loops, and electronic pop blend together, taking listeners from the sparkling shores of the Baltic Sea to the pulsating heart of a storm. The lineup features Ella Isotalo (violin, bowed lyre, viola, ilimba, live looping) and Mikko H. Haapoja (synths, programming, bowed lyre, vocals). Their debut album is set for release in the summer of 2026. The jury describes the band’s music as primitive and earthy—it possesses a special, hard-to-define quality that sets it apart from the crowd and carries strong international potential.
Veikko Virkkala Band brings to the stage a stomping and open-minded ensemble where the deep roots of folk music collide with rock, jazz, and everything in between. Led by Kaustinen native Veikko Virkkala, the ensemble features Erkki Virkkala (fiddle), Iikka Huntus (fiddle), Okko Huntus (keyboards), Nooa Luoma (guitar), and Tuomas Piispanen (bass). The jury particularly highlights the band’s exceptionally skilled rhythm section: the band bursts with energy and virtuosity, yet their playing is controlled and musically structured—a remarkable achievement for such a young band.
The 2026 showcase program is organized in collaboration with Music Finland and the jury included members of the festival’s programming committee and other professionals from the field of folk music.
See detailed profiles of the showcase performers From the SHOWCASE Bands page
The 59th Kaustinen Folk Music Festival will be held on 13.-19.7.2026.
Kuvassa: uni uni yhtye valmiina kesän Showcase-esiintymisiin Kaustisella. Kuva: Mikko Haapoja.