See the 24 hour daylight for yourself

In Finland this weekend the locals will be celebrating the arrival of Mid Summer, for many is their favourite holiday. With Finlands extreme seasons you can understand why the years longest day is something to celebrate.  

After a winter with such short days, especially in Lapland where the sun disappears completely for a month, in December, you can appreciate why they mark Mid summer with such enthusiasm. That enthusiasm usually takes the form of heading out to lakeside or forest summer cottages with friends and family, swimming in lakes, taking saunas and of course eating and drinking.

In Lapland the continuous day lasts for almost two months with the sun never setting. Summer days can get on a good day up to 25°C or higher. There is nothing nicer than lying in your row boat on a Finnish lake, at midnight, enjoying the sunshine and a glass of wine!

To see the midnight sun in Finnish Lapland for yourself click on the locations below to link to a webcam.

Kilpisjarvi

Levi fell

Kemi

Posio

Pyha and Luosto

Rovaniemi,

Saariselka

Salla

Yllas 1.

Yllas 2.

Finland and Sweden from 24 June 2009.

For the 10^th time the Midnight Sun Golf 90 Holes Marathon Tournament is to take place on the unique Green Zone Golf course. The national boundary between Finland and Sweden falls across in the middle of a green. During every round of this non-stop four day and three night tournament golfers cross the time zone and the border. 

The golf course is situated near the towns of Tornio and Haparanda. The first round starts on Wednesday afternoon on 24th June.

This tournament consists of teams, with six players in each team and two substitutes are allowed. The tournament is played under the scrambling scoring system.

Throughout the event there will be get-togethers for the players and the event will be rounded off with an evening of festivities to mark the grand finale in the "Land of the Midnight Sun".

This will be at Tornio City Hotel where the evening will start with a prize ceremony followed by a delicious dinner.

For further details click here

In the beautiful Finnish Lakes region.

Tammerfest is an urban city festival in Tampere, in the Finnish Lakes region.

From 08 – 11 July 2009 Tammerfest spreads the message of summer, joy, music and festival atmosphere to the whole city. Everything happens in the heart of the city whether it’s in a park, a cruise, a club or on the street. Music flows out from every corner and there is always something going on somewhere.

There are over 20 locations to see and hear music. Tammerfest is music clubs and events, outdoor concerts and performances for children and adults - happening from noon till late!

For further details click here.

Finland 25-28 June 2009

As families finish their much loved Midsummer celebrations the city of Turku, Finland gives them a reason to continue with their festivities when it once again hosts its popular Medieval Market on

25 - 28 June 2009.

You can test your skills as a knight or follow exciting jousting events at the tournament yard. You can also see a blacksmith sweating by his forge, breathe the aroma of medieval beer or touch newly tanned leather at the work exhibition area. Meet market vendors, handicraftsmen, fools as well as knights at the market. There are also a host of street food vendors and cafes.

The market is open on Thursday and Friday from 12 noon to 8 pm and on Saturday and Sunday from 12 noon to 6 pm. In addition, there are various events in the evenings intended for adults.

For the full programme click here.

13 June 2009 in Muonio, Finnish Lapland

In Tornio and Haparanda, the gateway to Lapland.

Kalottjazz & Blues Festival is the largest jazz celebration in the far north and this truly international event takes place in Tornio (Finland) and Haparanda (Sweden) where Finnish and Swedish cultures quite literally come together. The festival offers four days and nights of jazz and blues, with artists from around the globe performing in concert halls, in a jazz marquee, in town squares and in clubs.

Programme 2009

Please note! Local time (Vital to keep this in mind as Haparanda, Sweden is one hour behind Tornio, Finland)

Thursday 25.6.

18.00 Opening Art Exhibition, Aine Art Museum, Tornio
John Court festival artist 2009
Ethio Jazz

19.30 Opening Concert, Musiikkitalo, Tornio
Vocal Group Rajaton

20.00 BumbleBeat, Cult Cinema & Cafe, Tornio
Safemode, Passion Lane, SomBy, Kuuradio

21.00 Jazz Club, KGB, Haparanda
Lointi Brothers

Friday 26.6.

12.00 Open Air Jazz, Summer Market, Tornio
Tribute to Tori Amos

12.00 Open Air Jazz, Haparanda Market
Ranen Pumppu - Tribute to George Benson

20.00 Blues Night, Folkets Hus, Haparanda
Sven Zetterberg Blues Band
Erja Lyytinen, Ian Siegal

24.00 Blues Club, Haparanda Stadshotell
MRQ feat. Elina Malkamäki

Saturday 27.6.

12.00 Open Air Jazz, Summer Market, Tornio
Ranen Pumppu - Tribute to George Benson

12.00 Open Air Jazz, Haparanda Market
Tribute to Tori Amos

14.00 Art & Jazz, Aine Art Museum, Tornio
Felix Martinz, vibraphone

16.00 Pikisaari Jazz, Tornio
Prylf
Oulu All Stars Big Band feat. Johanna Iivanainen & Johanna Kurkela
Jouni Järvelä Group feat. Marzi Nyman

18.00 Children choir from San Francisco, Haparanda kyrka
California Fresh

21.00, Night Music, Tornio Church
Paroni Paakkunainen & Choir
"We have a dream - Old Psalms and Sacred Hymns"

21.00 Swing at Statt, Haparanda Stadshotell
Kåge River Jazz Band
Wentus Blues Band
Harri Ihanus Trio feat. Jeff Andrews & Jukkis Uotila
The New Blues Band

21.00 Stadshotell, Tornio
Welma Kelly Jazz Trio

Sunday 28.6.

14.00 Pikisaari Jazz, Tornio
JimJamMurMur
Tight Lines Quartet - Jazz and Flyfishing
Rebecca Törnqvist

21.00 Jazz Club, Kerhoravintola, Tornio
Kåge River Jazz Band

Butterflies arriving from Africa in large numbers.

It was reported last week that the Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) butterfly was being spotted in exceptionally large volumes in Finland. Their parents had set off from North Africa in February / March, reproducing en-route, with their offspring reaching Finland and Northern Europe. 

The Painted Lady is a large butterfly (wing span 5-9 cm) and is identified by the black and white corners of its mainly deep orange, black-spotted wings. It has 5 white spots in the black forewing tips and while the orange areas may be pale here and there, there are no clean white dots in them. The hind wings carry 4 small submarginal eyespots on dorsal and ventral sides. Those on the dorsal side are black,

     
The Painted Lady butterfly is a regular visitor to Finland, but it is not able to winter in the country.
The migration volumes vary greatly from one year to the next. Last summer only a few individuals were spotted in Finland.

23 – 26 July 2009.

The sailing competition, The Tall Ships' Races, is an annual event held in European waters with the Tall Ships visiting the Baltic Sea region only every fourth year. For the third time Turku, in southern Finland, will be one of the host ports.

The big sailing ships will be berthed along the Aurajoki River’s banks from Thursday to Sunday 23-26 July 2009. The vessels will start racing from Gdynia in Poland to St. Petersburg and will then arrive in Turku. The vessels will continue racing from Turku to Klaipeda in Lithuania.

On the previous two occasions when Turku hosted the event, 1996 and 2003, they attracted nearly a million visitors and were the biggest events in Finland that year.

100 magnificent class A, B, C and D sailing ships are due to arrive in Turku at the end of July. The vessels are some of the greatest sailing ships in the world. Many of the ships are open to the public during their stay.

The event area extends from the Martinsilta Bridge towards Turku Castle on each side of the Aurajoki River. The official opening of the event takes place on 23 July 2009 at Varvintori Square. A full and free programme will take place around the visit.  Highlights will include the Crew Parade, the Prize ceremony and the race start at Airisto. Top concerts, stalls and different performances will be arranged along the banks of the river, at the Varvintori Square and on a stage which will be set up in front of the maritime centre, Forum Marinum.