Finland’s Weekend Festival returns to Espoo’s new Vermo Arena for a second time on August 2 and 3 2024 with a mouthwatering line-up of global dance superstars. From spotting a gap in the market and launching in 2012, Weekend has become the leading Electronic Music Festival in Finland, as well as the organisation behind the growth in the scene. We had questions for Event Director, Lola Loog.
How did the concept for Weekend Festival come together?
In Finland early 2010’s there wasn’t any festivals that brought Electronic music to the scene and for longer haul we wanted to bring that Tomorrowland festival feeling with bigger production and visuals to people to experience what was missing from the festival scene here in Finland.
In the beginning, how difficult was it to get off the ground, what were early events like, was there a steep learning curve?
First Weekend Festival (2012) sold out in hours, and we had not only EDM also different genres included to the lineup. A big event in the first year is always a learning experience for the team what to do and what not to do in the future events. 2013 we only booked electronic acts to the festival, which was the year that EDM really blew up aggressively and started to put more effort for the production and visuals to bring up the festival to the next level.
Here in the UK, festivals are facing challenges wit cost increases, what are the current challenges facing night-life and festivals in Finland and is there any support from Government?
With this economy crisis that we are facing now in the world we have noticed that people are more selective with the events they choose to attend. Customers behaviour to buy tickets has changed from buying 1 year or 6 months earlier to buy the same month or week the event is happening. This always worries the promoter, agents, and artists because ticket sales are slower that used to be.
Government in Finland supported during covid time but other than that the support is
minimal.
Do you have plans to extend the Weekend brand outside Finland?
Right now, the plan is to focus on Finland and do WKND Festival special club nights around
the year.
What are your plans beyond 2024?
Focusing on bringing rising and growing electronic music artists to Finland for the first time and do year around events and grow electronic music scene in Finland.
Is your audience mainly from Finland or have you seen growth in international visitors?
We have visitors all around Europe and around the world but mainly from the Nordics and Baltic. Hopefully in the future we see more visitors around the world!
Can you share a ‘am I dreaming’ moment from the festival?
Hard to choose only one but probably when you are hearing 40.000 people singing at the same time to Avicii’s wake me up and the whole festival area just echoes of the singing… unreal.
Also, do you remember a time when you were wishing that the earth would swallow you up?
Yes… 2022 when there was a big issue with the Ground Transportation and I was dealing to getcars for 40+ artists the same days that the festival was being held. That stress level was something else. But everything worked out in the end!
