The jubilee year offered diverse experiences from a cultural perspective.

The Jyväskylän Kesä cultural festival, which ended on Tuesday, was so large-scale that visitor counts are still being tallied. According to initial estimates, however, the number of visitors is close to the figures from recent years. During the festival week celebrating its 70th anniversary, attendees paused to reflect on emotions, insights, and experiences amid a diverse lineup of multidisciplinary events.

The theme of Jyväskylän Kesän this year has been culture. For many, it was inspiring and enlightening to see just how broadly culture can be approached, where it can be found everywhere, and the many ways in which culture influences us. Throughout the festival week, this theme colored the entire array of science and arts programs, from the lecture series to the Park Festival.

“We have learned about programming themes for the week so that we can deepen speech through art and vice versa. It feels like our anniversary year honored past generations and creators in how this festival-like richness was realized.

While putting together our 70th-anniversary exhibition, we came across a decades-old quote in some old newspaper articles: ‘It always rains at Jyväskylän Kesä,’ and this time, that remark proved true—at least in the forecasts. The threat of storms significantly affected ticket sales for the Park Festival. The public usually decides in advance whether to attend, and one of the most beautiful summer evenings in Lounaispuisto fell somewhat short of our visitor targets. ”In terms of content, the whole week was fantastic, and most of the indoor events, in particular, drew a great crowd,” commented Festival Director Kyösti Ylikulju on the festival week.

A comprehensive 70th-anniversary exhibition showcasing the festival's history is available at the University of Jyväskylä Library Lähde until August 13.

Amidst enchanting musical performances

The festival week kicked off with great emotion as the Encore Hall at Paviljonki filled with the joint celebratory concert by Jyväskylän Kesä and the Jyväskylä Symphony Orchestra. The internationally acclaimed pianist Olli Mustonen served as both soloist and conductor in this unique concert. The program included, among other works, a new piece by Aulis Sallinen—who is celebrating his 90th birthday—titled *Varjoista laulujen varhain* (From the Shadows of Early Songs). The Jyväskylä Sinfonia, also marking its 70th anniversary, celebrated with us the decades-long tradition of culture, art, education, and collaboration. The enchanting joint concert left no listener unmoved—the hall was filled with an ecstatic and magical atmosphere that lasted throughout the evening.

Emotional moments were also experienced on Sunday, when the jazzy Ricky-Tick Big Band, composer and jazz musician Valtteri Laurell Pöyhönen, and soul artist Emilia Sisco told the story of the forest spirit Tapio through music. The dark and atmospheric Helsinki Noir Suite – Searching for Tapio was a touching and relevant piece that dealt with modern people's relationship with nature. In addition, festival-goers got to enjoy Stevie Wonder's evergreen songs, as the captivating Emma Balbatsu, Antti Kleemola, and Lasse Hirven Wonder interpreted the legendary songs in the Stevie Wonder 75v tribute.

Puistojuhlat, which focuses on pop, rap, and indie music, has established itself as a fixture of Finland’s festival summer, and once again drew around 3,500 people from across the country to enjoy its diverse lineup. As usual, the park festival featured a wide array of artists: on Thursday, the crowd soaked up the summer evening atmosphere and danced to the beat of rap music with performances by Orvokki, Ville Leinonen & Valumo, good boys, Saimaa, and Regina. On Friday, pop and rap artists radiating energetic stage presence kept the festival crowd in high spirits: performing were Shakkii, Senya, JätkäJätkät, Joalin, Paperi T, and Ege Zulu. The joyful atmosphere at the Park Festival was palpable, and festivalgoers were excited not only by the artists but also by the festival’s hilarious side events.

On Tuesday evening, the festival week was capped off by the acclaimed singer-actress Arja Saijonmaa, known for her captivating performances. The unique closing concert was a production commissioned by Jyväskylän Kesä, entirely conceived by Saijonmaa—from the performance script to the selection of the ensemble. The concert’s central theme was Jyväskylän Kesä’s 2025 theme of “civilization,” as well as the festival’s 70-year history. In his concert, which offered poignant commentary on the state of the world, Saijonmaa shared his own memories from his colorful career: after all, he has been part of Jyväskylän Kesä’s program since as early as 1970.

Throughout the festival week, programming was spread across the city so widely that the entire city was filled with a summery cultural atmosphere. The old Toivola courtyard and the Old Rectory area became a new focal point of the festival, hosting concerts, stand-up comedy, and summer theater. At Toivola, in the company of Lasse Hirvi, audiences saw, among others, Oliver Hurrell, who charmed the audience and viewers in the Voice of Finland competition, and Paleface. The Pippi Longstocking season at the Toivola summer theater, which opened during the festival week, is just beginning, so it will still be possible to attend some of the programming later on.

Multidisciplinarianism flourished during the festival week

In addition to a wide variety of concerts and live performances, Jyväskylän Kesä also featured a broad range of theater, monologues, opera, and poetry readings. During the festival week, for example, audiences had the chance to delve into the lives of Veijo Rönkkönen and Siiri Angerkoski through monologues, be surprised by the relationship twists in La Kala’s opera *Rita and Two Friends*, and reflect on Edith Södergran’s moving poems. In addition, visitors had the chance to delve into the current state of schools in the emotionally charged performance *The State of the School – One More Time!*, written and performed by Anna-Mari Laulumaa. There was plenty to do for the whole family as well: Mäki-Matti Family Park featured various theater and music performances, a samba workshop, and a collaborative effort to paint Oikokatu into a colorful work of art together with visitors. In connection with the painting of Oikokatu, an exhibition was also held showcasing the painting’s tradition spanning over 40 years.

In addition to multidisciplinary art, science also plays a significant role at Jyväskylän Kesä. This year’s lecture program explored the concept of culture through topics such as the culture of discourse, consumerism, and polarization. Furthermore, festival-goers had the opportunity to participate in activities such as the traditional “From Lawn to Meadow” community workday and philosophical walks in the great outdoors. All of this year’s panel discussions will be available to watch for a year on the Jyväskylän Kesä and Keskisuomalainen websites. The discussion on culture continues through both the book *Sivistyksen vuoksi* (For the Sake of Culture), published in connection with the festival, and opinion pieces appearing in various media outlets.

As usual, during the festival week, Jyväskylän Kesä visitors enjoyed free admission to various museums, art exhibitions, and events. This year, there were significantly more museums and galleries participating than in previous years, including, as a new addition, the Pykälistö Center for Contemporary and Light Art in Jyväskylä, recently opened by the Alonen family of artists. Multidisciplinarity is indeed something that Jyväskylän Kesä wants to continue to cherish—after all, it is a treasure that should not be taken for granted.

Jyväskylän Kesän Image Library: https://jyvaskylankesa.kuvat.fi/kuvat/

Voice program recordings: https://jyvaskylankesa.fi/puheohjelma/