Welcome to the Kaustinen Folk Music Festival 13.-19.7.2026!
The Kaustinen Folk Music Festival is the most significant folk music event in the Nordic countries and one of the key festivals in all of Europe. For nearly six decades, this festival in the province of Central Ostrobothnia has brought together folk music lovers, performers, and audiences from around the world.
Kaustinen is known for its warm, family-friendly atmosphere and strong sense of community — unforgettable experiences that keep visitors coming back year after year. The festival is deeply rooted in the region’s vibrant and continuous folk music tradition, which has remained unbroken for four centuries. The music never stops at the festival either but goes on into the wee hours!
Every July, the small municipality of Kaustinen (population 4,200) welcomes tens of thousands of guests to enjoy the happiest days of the summer. With a wide range of venues and services in both the festival area and surrounding village, Kaustinen offers a welcoming environment for both short visits and week-long stays. Everyone is welcome, come and experience the joy of folk music!
On this page you will find info about the festival. If questions arise, please contact info@kaustinen.net
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The center of the festival area is a festival park located in a fenced area in the centre of Kaustinen. It includes the KPO arena and numerous other venues. There are also various food and product outlets, as well as a playground. The stages outside the festival park are also within reasonable walking distance. Access to the festival area and all off-site venues is by day ticket and pelican wristband. You can also leave the area freely from time to time. The ticket will be displayed at the gates of the area both on arrival and on departure, and will be visually read by the stewards. At venues outside the Festival Park, the ticket will be displayed on entry. The entrance gates are located on the central side of Kaustinen at Pelimannitor and on the opposite side next to the Music High School.
First aid can be found in the Festival area at the secondary school. SPR will be on duty at the site. The emergency number during the event is 040 707 9869.
Accessibility The festival area has been made as accessible as possible for wheelchair users. Café Mondo, Troka and Keskipohjanmaa Arena are located at ground level. Wheelchair access to the indoor festival venues is also possible. Invalid WCs are located at the secondary school and the Folk Art Centre and Music High School. There is an invalid shelter in the festival area. There is a ramp to the Peliman House, but it is narrow and there are thresholds inside.
Festival shop is the festival's own shop, where you can find shirts, postcards and badges, badges, hats, scarves, cloth bags and other small festival merchandise. The shop is located in the Festive Yard.
Folk Shop you will find a good selection of folk music publications: recordings, books, musical instruments, small instruments and, of course, festival products! Bands that have released new albums also make surprise appearances in the Folk Shop! The Folk Shop is located in the secondary school and is run in cooperation with the festival by the Finnish Folk Music Association and the Folk Music Institute Association.
Proof of identity Photo identification is required in licensed premises.
Harassment Contact The festival is a safe space and we do not tolerate discrimination, harassment or harassment of any kind. If you observe inappropriate behaviour, please report it to the festival staff or the harassment officer. The harassment hotline is 040 1384794 (on-call during the festival week 10-21).
Day ticket The day ticket is valid all day from dawn to dusk and covers all the events in the handicap programme for that day. Evening tickets (see evening ticket), weekly tickets and weekend tickets are also available.
Evening ticket The one-day evening ticket is valid after 19.00 on weekdays Tue-Fri. There is no separate evening ticket on Saturday. A separate evening ticket is not required for those who have purchased a day ticket.
Evening News will be lit at the fireplaces in front of the Pelimann House and at the community singing place along Highway 13. At the bonfires you can experience Kaustinen's intense night atmosphere in its truest form by playing, singing, listening or chatting.
Information desks are located in the Festival Park's Celebration Yard and Music High School. The information desk at the Festival Yard is open from 10 am to 8 pm and the information desk at the Music High School is open 24 hours a day throughout the event. Lost and found items can be delivered and enquired at the Music High School info point. The festival information desk can be reached on 040 170 1966.
Folk Arts Centre You can get festival tickets at the Folk Art Centre's information desk and the shop has a wide selection of record and book publications, a folk music museum run by the Folk Music Institute and the Kaustinen Hall. The building itself is also an architectural attraction.
Maps For a map of the Festival Park, see the handbook and the from our website. You can get a guide map of Kaustinen municipality at the information point.
Dogs Dogs are allowed in the outdoor areas of the festival area. However, dogs must be kept on a lead and their droppings must be collected. Guide dogs may also be brought into the restaurant areas and indoor areas. If you are in a crowded area with your dog, please be considerate of other festival visitors.
Handbook The festival handouts are available for purchase at the festival gates, in the Info Shop and in the Folkshop. The price of the handout is €2.
Children The Kaustinen Folk Music Festival is the perfect summer family destination. Kaustinen for Children features a colourful programme in the Children's Tent, a host of top names in children's music and activities for the whole family. You can take part in the activities in the Puuhatelta, located under the programme tent, together with an adult, but children are also warmly welcome to come on their own, under the responsibility of their own adult. On the primary school side, there is a childcare room where you can change nappies and heat up food, among other things. In the festival area playground, next to the children's tent, children can play all day under parental supervision. Read more about Children's Kaustinen further down this page.
Children's ticket 7-15 years. 10 € / day. Children under 7 years free.
Youth ticket 16-21 v. 20€ / day.
Nursery is located in a primary school.
Ticket sales Buy tickets in advance here During the festival, tickets are available at both gates and at the Folk Art Centre. Only day tickets or evening tickets for that day can be purchased at the gates. Tickets for other days can be purchased at the information desk of the People's Arts Centre.
Lost and found During the festival, the discovery point is located in the Music High School's info desk. After the festival you can ask for lost property at the festival office, tel. 040 170 1966. More valuable lost property will be delivered to the Kaustinen Police Station.
Accommodation Family accommodation is available through the festivals. Accommodation is available at the Music School from 9.00-21.00. The telephone number for the Pelimanni accommodation is 040 573 9275 and for family accommodation 040 170 1968. In addition, accommodation in Kaustinen and the surrounding area is available from a number of providers. Contact information is available at our information desk.
Programme The handbook is sold at the gates for €2. The full programme can be found on the festival website.
ATMs There is no ATM in the festival area. The nearest ATM is located in the centre of Kaustinen, inside K-Market Kaustinen, and is open during the store's opening hours. Another ATM is located in the outer wall of the S-Market.
Parking From the centre of Kaustinen, signposts will direct you to the festival area. The parking areas are marked with P1-P5 signs, traffic controllers will guide you to the right places.
Pro Kaustinen ry is an event production organisation established in 2010 to organise the Kaustinen Folk Music Festival. It consists of three cultural associations from Kaustinen (Kaustisen Nuorisoseura ry, Kaustisen Näppärit ry and Kaustisen Pelimanniyhdistys ry).
Day ticket entitles you to all the events mentioned in the programme from morning to evening and night. This includes all events in the festival area, plus the Kallio Club and concerts in Kaustinen Hall! If you have bought a day ticket, you do not need a separate evening ticket.
Catering services See below for festival catering services.
Calling line is located at the Music High School. The entrance to the music school is from the entrance to the courtyard of the Music School. It is primarily intended for performers to store their instruments. The music box is free of charge for performers.
Taxis are on duty at the Pelimannitor. The phone number of Kaustinen Taxi Centre is 041 767 7004 (Note: This number is only available during the festival week!)
Storage at Photography is allowed in the festival area.
Smoking The festival is smoke-free. Smoking is allowed only in designated areas.
Security A security manager is responsible for security and order control in the festival area. First aid is available at the secondary school. The general emergency number is 112. In case of problems, please contact the nearest steward.
toilets The festival area includes indoor pools and bajamas. Invalid WCs are located at the Music High School, the Secondary School and the Folk Art Centre.
Taking the environment into account Please take your rubbish to the bins provided. Campsites and accommodation packages have their own rubbish points. Make sure your empty bottles go to the glass collection or bottle return points in shops.
Indicative opening hours
Ports from 9.00 a.m. until late depending on the programme
Ticket sales
On the portal Tue - Sat at 9.00 - (only tickets for that day and weekly tickets)
Folk Art Centre ticket office / Info Mon - Sat 10.00-20.00 (most days tickets)
(The Folk Art Centre is open Mon-Thu 10-20, (until the end of the Kaustinen Hall concert), Fri 10-20.30 Sat 10-20 Sun closed.)
Info Mon 15.00-24.00, Tue-Sat 00.00-24.00, Sun 00.00-18.00
Peliman's Office (at the Music School) Sun 12.00-18.00, Mon-Sat 9.00-21.00
Performer reception (at the Music School) Sun 12.00-18.00, 9.00-21.00
Accommodation (at the Music School) Sun 12.00-21.00, Mon-Sat 9.00-21.00
Reception for staff and volunteers Sun 12.00-16.00 and 18.00-21.00, from Monday onwards 9.00-19.00
Invitation reception Mon-Sat 9.00-19.00
Press Office (at the Music School) Mon-Sat 10.00-19.00
Calling line Mon-Sat 08.00-02.00, Sun 8.00-12.00
First aid (in secondary school) Mon 15.00-24.00, Tue-Sat 10.00-24.00, Sun 10.00-16.00
Children's Tent Mon 16.30-17.30, Tue 10.00-19.00, Wed 10.00-19.15, Thu 10.00-19.15, Fri 10.00-19.45, Sat 10.00-19.30
Wooden tent Mon 16.30-17.30, Tue-Sat 10.00-19.00
Basar Mon 15.00-22.00 and Tue-Sat 10.00-22.00.
Secondary school outlets Mon 15.00-22.00 and Tue-Sat 10.00-22.00, unless otherwise stated
Restaurants see restaurants
Performer Info
Living heritage and Kaustinen
Kaustinen Folk Music Festival is naturally the best place to get to know the living heritage in forms of music, dance and storytelling. The whole village is playing and dance performances can be watched at many of our venues.
In addition to the Kaustinen region's own tradition, the celebrations will see and hear about the best cultural heritage phenomena from all over Finland and the world. The festivals have been able to visit Unesco-listed sites such as the Polish Spycimierzin kto the tradition of the man's carpet, Latvian Suiti minority culture, Lithuanian sutartines singing, Ukrainian borsch soup and Kenyan Isukuti festival tradition.
The living heritage programme also includes seminars, traditional coffee mugs, workshops, musical lectures and the Kaustinen ICH Academy lecture series for students of folk music and cultural heritage and other interested people.
Living Heritage Usage brings together practitioners and experts from different traditions to discuss why and how to protect them in a practical way. The activities are brought together by the Living Heritage Point near the Celebration Yard, open from 11-18 from Tuesday to Saturday.
Safer Kaustinen
Security and equality
Kaustinen Folk Music Festival is committed to promoting equality and equality at the festival. We welcome every performer and festival visitor as themselves. We expect everyone at the festival to play their part in creating a safer space by respecting others, behaving properly and being considerate of others. We will not tolerate any form of discrimination or harassment on the grounds of, for example, gender, ethnicity, colour or sexual orientation, or physical, verbal or sexual harassment.
If you see or experience behaviour towards yourself, a friend or other festival guest or employee that is distressing, inappropriate or in any way does not support equality and equity, please report it to the festival stewards or other staff. Festival staff and stewards have been instructed to pay attention to safety and equality.
The telephone number of the harassment contact person is 040 1384794 (on-call during the festival week from 10-21).
The UN Principles for a Safer Space:
- Respect the other person's personal physical and mental space. Respect self-determination. Do not touch another person without asking permission. Remember that you cannot know someone's limits without asking. Ask for space for yourself if necessary
- Do not mock, ridicule, belittle, push aside or embarrass anyone by your words, behaviour or actions. Refrain from criticising appearance, gossiping and perpetuating stereotypes.
- Don´t make assumptions based on appearance or behaviour. Do not make assumptions about anyone's sexuality, gender, nationality, ethnicity, religion, values, socio-economic background, health or ability to function.
- Give space. Make sure that everyone has the opportunity to participate in the debate. Don't push other people's opinions and give them a chance to speak. Also respect the privacy of others and handle sensitive topics with respect.
- Listen and learn. Embrace new topics, people and perspectives with an open mind. Treat every issue and situation you encounter as an opportunity to learn and develop.
- Apologise, if you have intentionally or unintentionally hurt others.
If you see someone behaving inappropriately or otherwise violating the Safer Space policy, intervene.
Let's make the Kaustinen Folk Music Festival the happiest days of the summer!
Presentation and sales points
Middle School
The Folk Shop, as well as several other demonstration and sales points, are located at the high school. Details of the upcoming summer activities will be updated at a later date.
Festival Yard Stage
The Festival Info Shop is located in the Festival Yard, where you can buy Festival merchandise, such as shirts and jewellery, as well as information. There will also be other demonstration and sales points in the Festive Yard, with this year's offerings to be updated at a later date.
Party garden bazaar
In the Juhlapiha bazaar area between the Festival Arena and the Juhlapiha, you will find a wide selection of clothing, jewellery and handicrafts. The bazaar's vendors for the coming summer will be updated at a later date.
Festival area map
For a map of the festival area, see https://kaustinen.net/kartta-2025/
Hand Programme 2024
The visual version can be found at www.culture.ezette.fi
Provisual Oy is responsible for the production of the brochure