The Tall Ships Races, the largest public event of the summer taking place in Turku, will feature performances by a large number of top Finnish artists. Ellinoora, Roope Salminen & Koirat, Chisu and Jonne Aaron have confirmed their participation.

The artists will take to the Viking Line Stage that will be built in the Tall Ships Races area between 19 and 22 July. The stage will be built on the eastern bank of the Aura River. In addition to performances by artists, the stage will also host many other events.

The Viking Line Stage will feature Ellinoora on Wednesday 19 July, Roope Salminen & Koirat on Thursday 20 July, Chisu on Friday 21 July and Jonne Aaron on Saturday 22 July. The performances will be open to all and free of charge. The artists will perform at 6pm on Wednesday and Thursday and at 5pm on Friday and Saturday.

‘The sea and diverse experiences are close to the heart of us Vikings. These two aspects will also be realised superbly in the Tall Ships Races,’ says Area Manager Riikka Arola from Viking Line.

‘It’s great that we have been able to invite some of the best performers in Finland to the Tall Ships Races to provide diversity to the event,’ says Kimmo Hyyppä, the project manager in charge of the Tall Ships Races.

Music also in Linnanpuisto in Turku

The artist line-up at the Viking Line Stage will be a splendid addition to the other music events held along with the Tall Ships Races event in Turku.

During the event weekend, 21–22 July, Linnanpuisto will serve as the venue for the Tall Ships Races Music Festival, which will feature performances by a wide range of top Finnish artists, such as Anna Puu, Lauri Tähkä, Erin and Irina.

As a special event, Linnanpuisto will be hosting The Comedians – a performance by some of Finland’s top comedians, including Sami Hedberg, Niko Kivelä, Mika Eirtovaara and Jacke Björklund. The festival will announce its international artists later this spring. The festival in Linnanpuisto will start at 5pm on Friday 21 July and end at 11pm on Saturday 22 July.

You will need a ticket for the concerts of the Tall Ships Races Music Festival held in Linnanpuisto. Tickets are sold by Tiketti and Lippupiste. 

The Tall Ships Races aims for a million visitors

The well-known artists will be performing for a large audience, as the Tall Ships Races will be one of the most spectacular – and one of the largest – events celebrating the centenary of Finland’s independence. A total of up to one million visitors are expected to come and admire the tall ships and maritime atmosphere in Kotka and Turku.

The tall ships event has so far been held in Turku four times, and each time it has attracted roughly half a million visitors. Thanks to its large number of visitors, the event has always been the largest public event of the year in Finland.

A great number of magnificent tall ships are expected to arrive in the Aura River this year, with participants from 19 countries. A record number of 83 ships have already announced their participation, with 19 of them being large Class A vessels.

These include the Brazilian Navy’s 76-metre long training ship Cisne Branco, the Royal Navy of Oman’s 85-metre long training ship Shabab Oman II and the 122-metre long Sedov from Murmansk. The oldest ship participating in the event is the 15-metre long gaff cutter Leila, which has sailed the seas since 1892.

Image: Ellinoora, fotographer Juha Mustonen

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