Finlands oldest Festival.

For many years this has been an opportunity for all of the strawberry pickers to let their hair down for a few days during their busy season. The first Strawberry Carnival was held in1970 and takes place in Suonenjoki, in the Finnish Lakes region.

In the early days the Carnival attracted locals, berry pickers and summer vacationers but over the years the word has spread and visitors come much further a field. The influx in recent years of foreign berry pickers during the season has also meant a growing international interest.

The Carnival starts with a procession through the crowd lined streets of the town. Over the following days there will be an action packed programme with shows and concerts by popular Finnish artists. A jury will present the prize to the Strawberry Farmer of the Year and choose Miss Strawberry from among the local beauties.  A funfair sets up in town. The National championship in strawberry eating, strawberry joke competition, the best scarecrow competition, the run race, horse race and rally race among others are also included in the carnival programme.

There will of course be many opportunities to eat strawberries in many different ways; in milk-shakes, ice-creams, jams, purées, juices, cakes, and just as fresh, delicious berries!

For further details on visiting Finland’s oldest Festival click here.