FinnFest 2019

Who: Finns, Finnish-Americans, and fans of Finland and Finnish design, history, and culture.
What: An exciting, educational annual festival celebrating the legacy and future of Finnish America and Finland through live music, exhibits, seminars, and more.
Where: 12347 Gratiot Ave, Detroit, MI
When: September 19th – 22nd, 2019
FinnFest 2019 schedule
FinnFest 2019 tickets

FinnFest is an annual festival celebrating all things Finland, from Finnish-American culture to Finnish design. It's organized by a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with a national office in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This is also where the very first FinnFest was held in 1983, with 1,000 attendees. Since then, attendance has varied from 2,000 to 7,000, some of the attendees and performers coming from as far as Finland itself. Minnesota is home to many Finn-Americans, and many of the subsequent hosting cities also have ties to Nordic culture. In 2018, FinnFest was held in Finland for the first time, having only been in U.S. cities years prior. In 2017, it was held in its origin city of Minneapolis and celebrated the 100 year anniversary of Finnish independence; Finnish president Sauli Niinistö even made an appearance.

Even if you don't catch a glimpse of the Finnish president, there is a lot to see and do at FinnFest. Events include lectures, concerts, films, dances, theatrical performances, exhibitions, and ceremonies. And, of course, lots of shopping. The Tori Marketplace is home to countless vendors of Finnish products and services, and with the widest selection of Finnish-designed merchandise in the U.S., Minneapolis-based FinnStyle has participated in the event a number of years. Though FinnStyle won't have a booth at FinnFest 2019, we encourage all fans of Finnish design and culture to attend for weekend full of fun and learning.

See the list of past FinnFests below:

1983: Minneapolis, MN – Leamington Hotel and Loring Park
1984: Fitchburg, MA – Fitchburg State University
1985: Hancock, MI – Suomi College
1986: Berkeley, CA – University of California-Berkeley
1987: Detroit, MI – Schoolcraft Community College
1988: Newark, DE – University of Delaware
1989: Seattle, WA – University of Washington
1990: Hancock, MI – Suomi College
1991: Lake Worth, FL – Bryant Park
1992: Duluth, MN – University of Minnesota-Duluth
1993: Thousand Oaks, CA – California Lutheran University
1994: DeKalb, IL – Northern Illinois University
1995: Portland, OR – Lewis and Clark College
1996: Marquette, MI – Northern Michigan University
1997: Minot, ND – Minot Fairgrounds & All Seasons Arena
1998: Portland, Maine – University of Southern Maine-Gorham
1999: Seattle, WA – University of Washington
2000: Toronto, Ontario – Mel Lastman Square
2001: Philadelphia. PA – Villanova University
2002: Minneapolis, MN – University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
2004: Lake Worth, FL – Bryant Park
2005: Marquette, MI – Northern Michigan University
2006: Astoria, OR/Naselle WA – Astoria high school/Naselle High School
2007: Ashtabula, Ohio – Kent State University, Ashtabula campus
2008: Duluth, MN – Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center
2009: Alaska coastline – Holland America Cruise ship
2010: Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario – Essar Centre
2011: San Diego, CA – Town & Country Conference Center
2012: Tucson, AZ – Hilton Hotel-Reid Park Convention Center
2013: Houghton MI – Michigan Technological University & Finlandia University
2014: Minneapolis, MN – Hyatt Regency Conference Center
2015: Buffalo, NY – Kleinhans Music Center
2016: St Lawrence River – Holland America cruise ship
2017: Minneapolis MN – Orchestra Hall, Hilton Hotel, American Swedish Institute
2018: Tampere Finland – University of Tampere

Ask a Question