Flow Festival Through the Eyes of a First-Timer (And a Couple of Veterans)

On Friday night in Helsinki’s Suvilahti area, people in festive attire were legally jaywalking against the red lights at the crosswalk over Sörnäisten rantatie, one of the busiest roads in Helsinki and, now, it was very congested because the taxis were trying to get in and out of the area surrounding the Flow Festival.

Policemen were directing traffic because thousands of patrons were leaving the premises, and the stoplights were out of sync.

A policeman on a motorcycle pushed the brakes near the crosswalk, he jumped off the bike and grabbed a light that looked like a red lightsaber and began to stop cars.

Some festival leavers stopped by the motorcycle just to pose for a selfie with the bike.

“Don’t touch that thing!” the policeman exclaimed while swinging the saber with his other hand.

A young lady with her back bent over the bike like the exorcist with phone in hand, straightened her body. She put her mobile in her purse and continued skipping along the street in her long white dress. Then she pulled out the phone again and snapped selfies while hopping away.

Next to the crosswalk, food stall vendors of African heritage threw more vegetables on the large wok while they turned a Bluetooth speaker on to maximum volume.

“I will shut that radio down,” a policeman shouted across the street.

“You will need permission to make noise if you want to continue playing after ten,” the police told the cooks.

The cacophony was gone, and the thumping bass coming from the festival could be heard loud and clear.

But it didn’t take long before the food vendors cranked up the speaker again.

Suddenly, a man jumped out of a taxi that had been gridlocked in the traffic jam on the crosswalk while the policeman was shouting, “Do not pick up any passengers!” A heated argument followed with the food vendors. I am not sure, but at some point, it seemed that someone or another threw a big box-like thing across the street, and no one saw it again.

The taxi driver picked up passengers while shouting, “Hurry up! There’s the police!” And off the taxi went, tires screeching.

Never mind, bro, what happened exactly, but it was the last time Käärijä’s “Cha Cha Cha” would be heard tonight.

Soon after, a high-spirited young man wanted to hug a policeman, but he took a step back.

“Thank you for doing this. I really respect you!” the man shouted, smiling like the Cookie from Hanko.

Earlier during the day, our reporter, Jose, visited the Flow Festival for the first time.

Here’s what Jose wrote after entering the gates:

“Summer comes to an end, back to the basics. Our luck is on our side, giving us celebration and fun one last time before returning to the mundane. Live music, culture and great crowds of people, not too shabby.

Arriving at the grounds, greeted by huge masses of people, waiting eagerly. Gates opened at three in the beautiful afternoon, it was time for some fun. Walking and watching how carefully planned the interior and execution were. You just had to take a picture. Sculptures and art installations located on every corner, music playing through your ears.”

Nearly 90,000 patrons gathered at Flow over three days—from Friday to Sunday—which makes it one of the largest festivals in the country. For comparison, Pori Jazz Festival, which Finland Today visited in mid-July, gathered 61,500 people in three days over the course of their main concerts.

What makes Flow different from the others is that while they feature big artists, such as Blur and Lorde on their main stage, they also give dancers true enjoyment by booking DJs, who play everything from funk and house to techno and afrobeat. It’s the most dancer-friendly festival in the country. Period.

But it’s also more than that. Here’s Jose explaining:

“Great performances ahead, excitement filling the air. The weather was warm, the sun was beaming, hopefully, you remembered your sunglasses! When hunger hit, there was no need to worry, stands were located in the midst of the main stage. The food was, despite the high prices, extremely enjoyable and delicious. I tasted a falafel roll. Delicious and filling!”

Alright, folks, let’s just let Jose tell you about the rest as well:

Day two started off an hour earlier, ending a bit later in the night. It was the type of day that felt like you were traveling across the world, escaping to another dimension. Everything was upside down. By the second day, I was getting used to it. I saw such beautiful late-night performances, including Lorde, Pusha T and Tove Lo. Was insane to see some of my favorite and most influential artists perform right before my eyes!

The performances that were held were spectacular. The production throughout the festival was pristine.

Even mess-ups were concealed and handled professionally. For instance, a rapper by the name of Pusha T was arriving late from the airport, leaving the crowd worried if he would arrive in time to perform “Diet Coke.” In the meantime the crowd was hyped with music from a DJ, and the whole scene was electric.

On the last day, I was feeling tired but so inspired. To see such great performers in my hometown, but thinking about how all of this will change.

In April this year, the Helsinki City Council approved the planned Suvilahti entertainment center in Sörnäinen. In a nutshell: the area where festivals like Flow and Tuska have entertained festivalgoers for years will come under the demolition of the digger and the sledgehammer to make way for a hotel, restaurants, shops, offices, and an area where events such as festivals can be organized as if there wasn’t a monumental and historical area in place already.

“The aim is to create a pleasant pedestrian environment in the area, with a town center-like, human-scale setting,” the decision notes.

Whatever … the reconstruction of the cultural capital in order to build more buildings is a sight for sore eyes. But for now … we still have time to bask in the light and joy and let all the rich beauty in. Apparently, it will take a few years for the sledgehammer to swing, so let’s enjoy all this while we can.

So, bro, if I can give some advice … live it up, be fearless. Climb on the shoulders of a stranger, buy a ten-euro lonkero and scream to your favorite song at the top of your lungs.

Flow Festival 2023, brothers and sisters, was a breakthrough.